I stepped out behind him, still staring at the massive estate, and then I turned toward Marcos.
“Okay, don’t get me wrong, this place is nice… but this doesn’t look like a villa to me.”
I gestured toward the endless stretch of buildings and balconies.
“This looks like a whole village… an expensive one.”
Marcos chuckled under his breath. “You’re not wrong. But don’t worry; we’ll get around to the beach, the pool, all the vacation fun soon enough.”
He slid his sunglasses up the bridge of his nose and looked at me intently.
“But first,” he added casually, “there’s someone you need to meet. Y’all follow me.”
My eyes roamed everywhere at once—the arched double doors, the marble walkway, the flicker of candlelight inside. But I couldn’t fully enjoy it. Kyrin was practically bouncing, and every step he took made my heart squeeze with worry. I found myself scanning him the same way I had on the plane.
“Slow down, Kyrin!” I murmured as we walked toward the entrance.
“I’m good, sis.Promise.” His smile was wide, carefree. “This place is crazy though!”
Two women approached first, their smiles warm and welcoming as they gently took the bags from my hands.
“Bienvenida, Miss Ajori,” one of them greeted me kindly, a melodic accent dancing through her words.
Another maid stepped forward, placing a hand over her heart, exuding a comforting sincerity.
“Mi casa es su casa,” she added.
Then, her smile turned even brighter as she explained in English, “My home is your home. Please feel comfortable here.”
I smiled politely. “Gracias. Es un placer estar aquí.”
(Thank you. It’s a pleasure to be here.)
Their reactions were immediate. One of the maids exchanged glances with the other, clearly impressed.
Marcos chuckled behind me. “Yeah… she knows alittleSpanish.”
I turned slowly and gave him a look. “A little?”
Then I switched right back to Spanish, my tone playful but sharp.
“Si eso es ‘un poquito’, entonces tú necesitas estudiar más.”
(If this is ‘a little,’ then you need to study more.)
One of the maids covered her mouth to hide a laugh.
“You call that knowing alittleSpanish?” I smirked at him, boasting.
He waved me off like I was doing too much. “Okay, Ms. Fluent. Clearly she knows more than a little. We’ll settle that debate later, though.” Then he clapped his hands lightly. “Come on. I’m sure everybody wants to see their rooms.”
Marcos started down a wide staircase hallway, leading us deeper into the estate. The place somehow got bigger the farther we walked. The first room he opened was Kyrin’s. The second the door swung open, Kyrin froze.
There were basketball posters on the wall, a massive flat-screen TV, a gaming console already hooked up, shelves filled with games, a mini hoop mounted on the door, and even a basketball resting beside the bed.
Kyrin stepped inside slowly, like he was afraid it might disappear. “Bruh…” he whispered.
I was about two seconds away from telling him if he said“Bruh”one more time I was going to personally escort him back to Charlotte myself… but I let him have his moment.
