TENDER DECEIT (Romantic Suspense Mystery Novel): First Love Series ~ Book 1 by H.Y. Hanna

for any visitor to Singapore—in spite of the hint of snobbery that still lingered. When Leah tried to enter the lobby, she was met by a tall, imposing Sikh doorman in a pristine white turban and military-style uniform, who informed her that she could not enter the hotel itself unless she was a guest and politely directed her past the ornately carved columns and wide, arched verandas, around the side of the hotel to the Long Bar.
    Leah paused in the doorway of the iconic bar, for a moment stepping back in time to her fourteen-year-old self as she felt the thrill of finally getting in. It was a large, rambling space that carried on the colonial-era decor of the hotel—chequered tiled floors, woven rattan chairs, and dark mahogany timber furniture. Rows of mechanical ceiling fans in the shape of giant palm leaves waved back and forth, and empty peanut shells crunched underfoot. It was tradition, Leah remembered, to help yourself to the boxes of roasted peanuts on the tables and toss the empty shells to the floor—something that many famous writers like Kipling and Hemingway had done as they whiled away hours in the bar.
    She wove her way between the tables to one in the far corner. She’d recognised Julia as soon as she’d come in. From a distance, it looked like the Singaporean girl had hardly changed in the twelve years since they’d last seen each other. The only difference was that her long black hair had been chopped off and was now styled in a short bob, with a quiff at the front that was pushed off her face by a pair of diamanté sunglasses. She looked around as Leah approached and jumped up with a squeal of delight.
    “Leah!”
    Leah found herself enveloped in a tight hug and a cloud of expensive perfume. Then Julia released her, laughing and babbling with excitement. Leah looked at her old friend with curiosity. She knew that Julia had “married well” and was what the locals labelled a tai tai —Singapore’s version of “ladies who lunch”—wealthy wives who spent most of their time agonising over choices in designer boutiques, posh restaurants, or luxury spas. Not surprisingly for an Asian woman, Julia had retained her slim, girlish figure—unlike Leah, who had added on a few pounds since her teens. Julia’s face was a bit thinner, her high cheekbones more pronounced, and her breasts jutted out at an angle that seemed improbable by nature, but otherwise she had hardly changed. She was wearing a dress that looked like it was made of nothing more than carefully arranged silk scarves and a pair of high-heeled sandals that had obviously came from the workshop of Jimmy Choo.
    “Here, I’ve ordered you a Singapore Sling,” Julia said, pushing a tall pink cocktail towards Leah. “And I hope you don’t mind, but my friends have already gone down to the courtyard restaurant and we should go join them. Well, it’s such a nice day and I thought since you slagged this place off so much on the phone, you wouldn’t mind not sitting up here once you’d seen it. C’mon, this way.”
    Leah smiled to herself. Julia hadn’t changed at all—as bossy as ever! She picked up the cocktail and followed her friend down to the courtyard where white wrought-iron tables and chairs were scattered around a gazebo bar, all surrounded by a lush tropical garden. Julia was right—the humidity seemed to be lower today and it was actually quite pleasant in the shade of the palm trees. They joined a table close to the bar and Leah settled quietly into her chair, sipping on the straw of her drink. The famous cocktail had a sweet, cherry flavour that went down smoothly.
    “Do you like it?”
    Leah turned to find a young man smiling at her. He was seated beside her, next to a couple who were obviously Julia’s friends from overseas, judging from the Singapore Slings in front of each of them. Her male companion, however, had a beer in a tall glass. He also had the confident manner of a man who was good-looking and knew it.
    He