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CHAPTER 67: Defying the Past
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2024-10-29 19:42:56Related chapters
The Secret Island Chapter 68: While in the car
Martin asked her to go out for a trip. But still, it was Celine who drove them both there. Celine turned to the man sitting in her front car seat. He was observing the view through the window. If she was not mistaken, he was enjoying himself like a kid on a field trip. We were going to Brighton just as she initially thought she would invite him. She hadn’t had a trip to see the Seven Sisters for years. She tried to finish all her work, but she couldn’t do it. The tasks of a CEO are endless. So she brought her laptop with her. Martin didn’t mind. He was happy, just her saying she got time to go on the trip with him. Since she took on this position, Celine has always been busy. She worked throughout the holidays. And she didn’t really have any need to go out or take a break until. Celine turned to look at Martin as she thought that. He was looking at an empty field and trees on the side roads. The views were not particularly exciting. Celin
The Secret Island Chapter 69: Our Trip
After a long exhausting journey, it took them hours to drive and find the resort that Celine had booked. Once they got into their room, Celine threw herself on the bed, totally ignoring Martin, who was still unpacking. He didn’t mind. He simply took out the stuff in the luggage and arranged them in the closet. He was acting strange after our kiss in the car—when she turned to look at him from the comfort of her bed, it was at the same time he turned to look at her. He blushed and smiled. That was unexpected to see. She didn’t know what had happened to him. Maybe it was something she did again and not knowing the effect it had on him. Nonetheless, she smiled at that. She found the image of him blushing somewhat cute. We had become so close. And just being together brought her so much joy of being in the now. Just to see h
The Secret Island CHAPTER 70: That Version of Martin
“Whoa…that was a good nap.” Celine, who had just slept for an hour, stretched out her arms and thought of what to do next. She called the restaurant she booked to confirm our table and drove Martin there. She had the trip all planned out and loved to be the one controlling the plan. He tried to help out, but how could he know the places in this country more than she did? He seemed to appreciate what she did, though, because Martin just followed her without any complaint. She picked a small restaurant near our resort with a gorgeous view. Once we got to the restaurant, she ordered some menus that she remembered he liked. She paid him as much attention as she could—she kept the conversation going, and she explained the signature menu to him. It was refreshing for him to see she was in charge even in her off time. “Shall we
The Secret Island CHAPTER 71: My Beautiful Chaos
When Celine was studying fashion, she had to read the research on beauty and its philosophy. One article that she read and stuck with her was this Japanese philosophy called Wabi Sabi (侘寂), which describes beauty from the perspective of imperfection. She didn’t really understand it back then. Why do we have to find beauty in broken things? Could imperfection be beautiful? Why do we have to be satisfied with simple, uninteresting materials? Is that type of beauty truly beautiful or some meaningless philosophy? The philosophy she read was in stark contrast to her life at the time. Celine always wears new clothes, shoes, bags, everything—everything she chose was classically beautiful, expensive, new, and the best. She threw away everything old and broken and bought new ones. That was just common sense to her. Why should she keep flawed goods?
The Secret Island Chapter 72: Completely Naked
They fell on the soft bed at the resort, and Martin proceeded to do what he promised her. Her clothes fell on the floor piece by piece…. Once she was completely naked, Celine didn’t know what to do. It had been so long since he touched her like this when our bodies were this close. It had been so long that she was lost in his touches. She could only lay on the bed and observe his gaze on her body. She felt vulnerable in front of him like this. Her mind was all over the place, and she didn’t feel like herself—it was not difficult to feel that when she was the only one naked in this room while Martin was still fully clothed. “Martin…” Celine reached out her hands to hold him and took off his shirt. Martin was on top of her, dominating her. But he gripped h
The Secret Island Chapter 73: His Question
Celine woke up with an aching body. She couldn’t explain how much she didn’t ever want to leave this bed. The word lazy is probably an understatement. She halfhearted wanted to get rid of all the activities she planned out for the day. The reason for these aches was the man sleeping next to her. Last night was more than a dream. We went on for hours under the moonlight, embracing each other, and it was glorious. But she must admit, she should exercise more for this. Gosh, she hadn’t touched anyone in four years—that was the price of her wait for him, and she must admit she felt a bit like a teenager when it came to things like this. Still drowsy, she saw him turning his back to her. We were under the same thick blanket, and the warmth she felt was from him.&nb
The Secret Island Chapter 74: Breakfast
We only had only more than a day to rest at this resort. And from the many things that happened. Celine was more than well-rested beyond explanation. The reason for this jolly mood was nothing and no one other than the man sitting next to her, sipping coffee and enjoying the view. ‘Girls! Martin and I are official!’ Celine typed this into the chat group with her girlfriends. She typed, but then she erased the text. Maybe this was not the right time just yet. If she typed that in, then her friends would reply, and some might call, and then she would end up spending the rest of the remaining of this short holiday talking to people other than Martin. Also, she was not ready to endure the teasing from her friends about her fa
The Secret Island Chapter 75: The Sky Full of Stars
The upside of being on holiday and emailing everyone in her office not to contact her was an obvious private that Celine found to be so rare now. She had always been too busy for her own liking. She had become a lot happier. She didn’t even know why. Maybe because no one knew her here and no one expected anything of her, she only enjoyed her time off with Martin. Just walked around town and enjoyed the moment. There was nothing else to do other than appreciate the view; the vast blue sea, the cool breeze, the sounds of the waves, and the soft hand of the person walking beside her. Although he was feeling a bit down during breakfast, once Martin saw her smile, he could smile as well. “The weather is wonderful today. We could see the sun, that’s a rarity in this country, don’
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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
