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CHAPTER 31: Joe
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2024-10-29 19:42:56Related chapters
The Secret Island CHAPTER 32: The Innocence
Me? Me? Really? Did I fall in love with that girl? He thought about that word again. Thinking about it, he didn’t have time to contemplate his feeling and didn’t fully understand what he agreed with Joe about how he felt.After the call with Joe yesterday, he sat alone, lost in his thought, on the sofa again. He heard Celine's voice through the door. He smiled because she laughed.When had this bond so strong? All this concern and goodwill he had for her. When had all these feelings towards her gotten this strong? He thought it was almost impossible to get out of. For sure, he didn’t fall for her on the first day they met. On that first day, he even thought she was kind of annoying. And the second day didn’t get better either. That day he just wanted to help. Or was it the third day? Or the fourth day?He massaged his brows. Everything that happened was unexpected. He didn’t know if it was coincident, or her liveliness had become the only color in his miserable world.Once he knew it
The Secret Island CHAPTER 33: Day Eleven
Martin woke up. Today was another day he woke up before her. Yesterday, Celine asked him to sleep in the bedroom again and emphasized that in our remaining days together, he must sleep in the bedroom—an unladylike order as she once accused herself. But Martin didn’t think much of it. He understood the rationale behind her thoughts. They both wanted to spend as much time together before everything was over. Things were ending, and the concern dimmed the initial excitement during this holiday. When the thought of our last day was prominent, what else could be fun? It was a shame. There were still many days left… Martin looked at the woman in his arms and kissed her forehead with care. Celine was sleeping—he thought she looked younger and so adorable he couldn’t resist spending time watching. “Hey, do you want to see the sunrise together again this morning?” He decided to say that to wake her up in a soft voice. Because she insisted that we should
The Secret Island CHAPTER 34: Day Twelve
It’s raining today. The sky poured down like Trevi Fountain. The weather forecast reported that it would rain all day. And that was the reason we sat together on the sofa and watched a movie. A simple activity. But a simple activity with someone significant was rather enjoyable. Celine soaked up every minute with appreciation. But she still had concern in the back of her mind. She was not someone who could completely have her feelings under control. Although Martin cheered her up, she could not go back to being her lively, energetic self again. Three days left… Time is a strange concept and a stranger to experience. Hours flowed through as if they were mere minutes. The time Celine wanted to pause here. We hadn’t talked much, but Martin loved to ask her about her childhood dreams, her university life, her favorite books, and small things about her that she never spent time talking about with any of her ex-boyfriends. Or perhaps no one cared.
The Secret Island CHAPTER 35: In the Rain
It was easily the most senseless request. Celine seemed confused. She probably thought he had hit his head somewhere and lost all sensibility. “Going out when it is raining this hard? Are you sure it’s safe? What if the storm got worse and we got hit with broken branches from a strong wind? You know, in London in the last Storm Eunice, the wind ripped out some roofs and tore down some tree branches. Storms are dangerous.” She was concerned for a good reason. She must think he had lost his mind, which was not far from the truth. He didn’t intend for us to walk that far, just a beach near the villa. “The rain is getting better. It’s started to drizzle. The wind is not that strong. I think it’s walkable. Can you please accompany me out?”Martin gave her a pleading look. He learned from the best; he learned that look from her, and he hoped it worked. Yes, he didn’t have to wait long. The look worked as expected. Although she seemed perplexed, Celine reluctantly let hi
The Secret Island CHAPTER 36: The Birthday Girl
The sound of birds chirping in the morning awakened Martin from his dream. He couldn’t remember much except that Celine was in it. Yes, the same woman lying next to him, holding him like a side pillow, and the same woman who told him she loved him. He couldn’t really separate his current reality from his dream—everything was so new and unexpected and wonderful. And the thought of letting go of all this struck him hard. Martin recently felt it—the weight of loneliness. Endless solitude and isolation. He had never thought of loneliness much. He thought he was independent enough and didn’t need anyone’s help. And he loved it that way—no one to meddle with his personal affairs, no family to take care of or judge his lifestyle choices, he could hang out with his friends whenever he wanted, and he could work at the work he was capable of doing. Martin enjoyed that life. Since his graduation, he has enjoyed living the life he chose. Time passed—from days to months
The Secret Island CHAPTER 37: A Surprise
“So, where are we going today?” Martin asked again, one of the several times he asked this question. And the reply was always the same—she smiled and shook her head, refusing to tell him anything. ‘Whose birthday is this? Why the surprise?’ He thought. He didn’t like being clueless. She banned him from buying a birthday gift. And this morning, she even asked to help him cook instead of sitting idle and waiting. “The sun is getting strong. Come here, stand still. I have a cap for you.” We have walked a long way from the villa. Celine insisted she wanted to walk. We held hands and walked until we passed the tourist part of town and the housing zone and reached the other side of the beach, where there was a boat docking. Martin picked up a cap, the same one that was bought in a pair that they both had. Celine stood still, waiting for him to put it on her head. “Wow, this is unexpected. You actually brought the stuff I bought you. And you ar
The Secret Island CHAPTER 38: Smile for Me
Celine told him the truth when she said she could drive a yacht. The fact amazed him. He enjoyed seeing her having fun with everything and taking the lead. She prepared it all; the champagne bottles in the wine cooler, the food for today; the music playlists; everything. He felt like a special guest at a private party somewhere. Not that he hadn’t been on a yacht party before. But the ones he went was much tamer—the purpose of those parties were networking and pitching ideas to either clients or executive. He was always on edge from the stress and could barely taste any champagne. But this was different; this private yacht party was just him and Celine. And it has been an adventure. Celine was the kind of person that enjoyed life and chose to live life her way. He was learning that philosophy from her. In contrast to her liveliness, he felt like an older man trying to relearn living after being in hibernation. “Alright! We have arrived.” The woman at the st
The Secret Island CHAPTER 39: The Promise
Both of them tirelessly got themselves back to the yacht. We were practically in the middle of nowhere amidst clear water. Martin couldn’t believe how much fun he had with just scuba diving and exploring the area. There was a beautiful cave that we swam to and spent a few hours there. It was as if swimming in Atlantis. And when we swam out of the cave, it was already dark out. The yacht essentially had everything we needed. We showered and got changed. Celine got some food and champagne out to the yacht deck. She said we could watch the sunset together here. “So, it’s the end of the day already. Time flies…” She mumbled to herself as we sat quietly together. The unspoken words between the lines were too obvious and too painful to utter without hurting us. Our two weeks together are nearly over. Celine told him that she was leaving tomorrow evening. And he had no confidence in himself to endure the agony of seeing her walking away from our villa and h
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The Secret Island CHAPTER 96: Any Worry?
“Celine, why are you so quiet tonight? Talk to me, will you?” Martin spoke out, breaking the silence. They were back to his room after dinner with her friends. And she couldn’t find words to say anything. She could only sneak a peak at him. Instead of saying anything, she walked to hug him. “What is this all about?” He chuckled and hugged her back. She decided to sleep over at his place tonight. Soon, he will move to a condo she helped him choose, a new property he will buy. It took a while for the deal to go through. Martin wasn’t the bossy one. To Celine, when it came to big purchases, he seemed to be too casual about it. She saw through the deals and negotiated the price for him. It was also not a coincidence that the condo that Martin bought was precisely in the design and style that Celine loved. “I just do what I want to do.” She replied, referring to her hold on him. She wouldn’t let go so easily. Martin chuckled at her strange action and kissed her f
The Secret Island CHAPTER 95: Her Friends
When Celine and Martin sat at the table with Celine’s friends surrounding them, she knew the source of her nervousness. The CEO sat still and observed the conversation exchanged between Martin and her friends. Her friends shot him question after question, but Martin was no longer a man of few words. He smiled and put on all his charms. He got to know her friend one by one. There was Jessica, a hotel heiress, that Martin expertly discussed the business of the F&B industry with. Kimberly, an up-and-coming model, with whom Martin got into an intense debate over the trend of fast fashion ethics. And then there was Marie, a real estate heiress and socialite that seemed to like Martin a bit too much. She just kept looking at him when he told her what he knew about the real estate market. Before coming here, her friends teased her that they would question him to the point that he might run away or be afraid to have dinner with Celine’s friend group again. That didn’t see
The Secret Island CHAPTER 94: The Recovery
Celine had worked with countless executives and talented individuals, and she found out that after working with different types of people, there were people who were considered great workers because they knew how to work smart. Another type is people who are naturally gifted, and then there is Martin. He deserves his own category. Celine knew prior to deciding to partner with him that he was a capable man in every sense of the word. But after one month from the day that he agreed to sign the contract with her, everything happened so fast. Everything that Martin did exceed her expectation. Since that day, he asked to spend two weeks traveling to her factories, met her designers, and called in a marketing consultant. He even flew to Paris and then Japan and also Dubai to meet up with retailers and suppliers. He studied the market and came up with a plan for business expansion as well as product ideas that would fit different markets. He reviewed all of the company’s
The Secret Island CHAPTER 93: The Business Partner
“Oh, c’mon, we have taken our relationship to this point. We shouldn’t have anything to hide from each other. Just tell me, Martin.” Celine stared at the man in front of her. He was visibly nervous and clearly in search of the right words. But there was no right word. She knew he might not tell her anything at all. “Martin, please. I deserve to know.” Her voice was soft. She didn’t force him. She was just pleading for the truth. Martin hesitated. But in the end, he relented. “I…I am afraid I will mess it all up.” He confessed. And she frowned. “Messing, what up?” “Everything. Everything here…” He looked around the room. Martin was worried and refused to look at her. “What do you mean? Like messing up the business? You will singlehandedly bankrupt me? Is that something on your mind?” Celine tried to elaborate. She wanted to say that that was utter nonsense but reserved her words. “Yes, exactly that. This is your dream. This
The Secret Island CHAPTER 92: The Interview
Martin was looking at the white wall and the decorations inside his ‘interview room’ for today. He smiled at what he saw. How could he not like the room when it was he who designed it on a piece of paper and handed it to her that day on the island? The idea materialized into reality because of Celine. He thought of his life as he waited for Celine to finish her online meeting. He didn’t know what his life would become without her. She had always been caring and prioritized his issues as if they were her own. He really didn’t know what he would become without her. Even though this aspect of his life he thought would never overlap with her, his career, she still offered to help him with it.He gave her an answer yesterday. And today, Martin intended to do the same.He had every intention of denying her generous offer.Yes… yesterday, he denied her offer. But Celine being as stubborn as she was, asked him to at least go through an interview, to really talk through the details and let h
The Secret Island CHAPTER 91: Our Collective Dreams
“Do you think Celine would know if we are spying on them?” Celine’s parents were lurking in the corner of the room, observing their daughter and her boyfriend from a distance. From this angle, it perfectly gave them a clear view of the couple. It was also a rare occasion for Celine to be in the kitchen at all. They knew that she was a terrible cook. No matter how many compliments they had given to her burnt toast in the past, they knew in their heart that her being in the kitchen was also a risk of a fire that could break out at any time. “I think she knows, but she doesn’t care. You know how she is. She does whatever she wants.” Celine’s father, who pretended to read the news on his tablet in case his daughter looked his way, said. He knew Celine well. She never cares much about others’ opinions if she sets her mind on something. It didn’t take long for their small chitchat and spying that Celine’s mother yelped in excitement after seeing someth
The Secret Island Chapter 90: Cooking Session
After Martin stood still for a while and let Celine hug him, she let go of him and helped out with other jobs of this cooking task. Martin was quite dumbfounded when it came to the matter of cooking. He hadn’t cooked good food for himself for years, so it was not surprising that it took him longer than expected to prepare the ingredients. He did look up the recipe on the internet and tried to go slow. But he completely lost his confidence when it came to performing a task that produced an outcome. He felt totally out of place and even felt weird holding the pot and pan, and utensils. Celine was always by his side and helped him. She was no great chef, and she admitted it, but Celine still enjoyed the process, definitely a lot more than he did. The pasta was something Martin thought was the easiest menu to make, but even so, he overcooked the pasta, boiling it too long that it became too soft. He just could not time it right. We had to redo the whole thing again. It was strang
The Secret Island Chapter 89: Casual Supper
Celine came back to Martin’s place around 7 PM. Once she arrived, the first thing she asked of him was for him to shower and dress well because she was taking him outside. She told him that she wanted to take him somewhere. She didn’t tell him where no matter how many times he asked. Celine smiled at him tiredly. She must have a lot of work and responsibility to handle. He felt guilty for making her worried this morning, and the whole incident took some time out of her days. He really wanted her to rest a bit more. Once Martin got in the car, he saw several bags in the backseat. He was a bit curious about its content but thought to pass it. His curiosity didn’t matter. He kept quiet and asked about other things. “How’s your day? A lot of work to handle? Are you tired?” He turned to see that the woman in the driver's seat was smiling in answer. “Seeing you are looking so contented today, I am not the least bit tired,” Celine answered him. That smile
The Secret Island CHAPTER 88: Because You Are, I Am
Martin was on the balcony of his condo and staring into the bright blue sky that was considered rare for London. Once he got a chance to confess what happened and explain everything that he faced in life, he felt as if the grey clouds that surrounded him were disappearing.Celine told him she wanted to spend time with him all day, but her business was expanding, and she had meeting after meeting and not to mention the documents she had to review. Even though he wanted her to stay with him all day, he was the one that asked her to go to work as initially planned. He had no business disturbing her work schedule. Celine was an executive and had responsibilities to take care of. She had no time for this. Martin was still confused over what had just happened. His brain returned to the event that took place earlier this morning. His hand kept massaging his temple and his eyes fixated on the vast blue sky.Martin abruptly ceased all movement when he finally realized that he had told Celin
