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CHAPTER 8: The Beach
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The Secret Island CHAPTER 9: His Soul
“You accused me of being too quiet, and now you don’t say anything.” Martin made a note of her silence. She stole a glance at him after taking a small bite of a sandwich. He was drying his hair with a towel. After we swam together for a bit, Martin went out and swam separately. He was intensive in his sport as if doing an Olympic practice, leaving her alone to gradually enjoy the cold water. What kind of person is this serious? Celine was deep in thought—a feeling was slowly emerging inside her heart. She didn’t know what it was. The feeling that every attention is drawn to one thing...one person... She suspected it was not an admiration. No, he was not even her type. He was not a charming speaker. He lectured her on everything. How could she like someone like that? “Is it delicious?” Martin asked, and he smiled at her causing her heart to skip a beat again. …But he was kind… Celine shook her head without looking at him but quickly turned away after catching only a glimpse. She
The Secret Island CHAPTER 10: Day Four
“Because of you! Because of all of you, my family has to face this fate!”“…should we do something to help?”“Nothing is truly right or wrong, black or white; nothing is that easy to judge, Martin. You really don’t know that, my boy?”“…but…”“You choose this life; you live with the tradeoffs. It’s necessary.” Gasp! Martin woke up early. It was six in the morning, the time he always woke up for a jog. He shook his head to shake away the grogginess and slowly massaged his temples as he thought of memories that had been haunting him for months. Until he could finally make a decision, he would feel guilty for the rest of his life. Or maybe what the people said was true—he was a coward. The sounds of chirping birds in the morning and the cool breeze calm him down. He loved the morning. He had to go out and run to clear his head at dawn when the weather was this comforting. But as soon as he tried to get up... Incredibly small arms pulled him into a tight hu
The Secret Island CHAPTER 11: The Idea of a Holiday
By the way, what do people do when they are on holiday? For the past two months, Martin had been doing either research or reading. In an attempt to be more sociable, he tried to go out, eat out at restaurants and talk to some locals. But Martin still wondered if that was what people call ‘being on holiday.’ He didn’t know what time for relaxing was supposed to look like. “Celine, do you want to go swim again today?”Looking prim and proper, Celine wore a casual dress today. She was startled as soon as she heard Martin invite her. This morning after eating breakfast, she could be spotted sitting on the patio, looking into the distance. He thought she didn’t seem like herself.He had questions to ask her. The mundane questions of what people do on holiday. She was his hope in enlightening him on the topic. She knew how to enjoy life. He had so much fun yesterday because of her. He never thought swimming could be fun. If he was to properly go on holiday, Martin t
The Secret Island CHAPTER 12: Seashells
Martin found Celine sitting at the beach. She was lost in the thought and didn’t see his approaches. “So, you spend your time just having an eye with the ocean?” She jumped, alarmed, after hearing his voice.“Martin!!”Her face looked so shocked that he laughed. Her agonizing expression of wanting to get away from here was arguably quite funny.“Can I sit with you?” He asked for her permission.“S-sure. You can sit anywhere.”“Have I angered you in some way? I know I’m prone to do and say something you dislike, so you can tell me if I did it again.” Being a person who always speaks his mind, he asked a perplexing question as soon as he sat down.“What? No, not at all. I only want time to myself to think.”“You are sure about that?”“Yes, there is really nothing for you to worry about.”Martin still had questions. And Adriana’s non-subtle hint still puzzled him; that woman knew what he didn’t and still have no clue about what was going on. Still, he didn’t ask her anything more.“If y
The Secret Island CHAPTER 13: The Denial
Celine woke up in the morning feeling the pain in her foot. The wound on her sole still hurts. Yesterday, after riding Martin’s back home, the guy also helped her like a primary school nurse to treat the wound. She remembered when Martin sat down on the floor, held her feet with so much care, and tended to her would. I immediately felt her face getting warmer. No one had ever taken care of her like this.“Incidents like this don't happen often, but it's important to be careful of broken seashells or other debris when walking barefoot on the beach. You are lucky good that the wound is not deep, but you shouldn’t put your weight on when you walk for a while. Actually, I recommend you don’t walk if necessary. Celine, be careful, do you understand? This will heal quickly if you are careful with the wound.”She remembered Martin wrapping gauze around her feet and kept complaining. She kept looking at him. The man was so determined to wrap up the gauze she smiled and forgot to answer him.“
The Secret Island CHAPTER 14: Day Five
Despite their agreement to go out and explore the island, there was still an obstacle. The elephant in the room was the question of how she could get there with the wound on the foot still hurting. But Martin found a way. “A Vespa?” She blinked a few times when she saw a small cream-colored motorcycle parked in front of the villa. “The owner of the villa said I could borrow it. This is the first time I got the chance.” Martin told her excitedly and, meanwhile, cleaned the dark brown seat with a cloth. She chuckled, imagining him riding that small motorcycle with such long legs. The image in her head contradicted the serious and stern man he was. “What are you laughing about?” He narrowed his eyes and looked at her. “No, nothing, nothing at all.” “I bet you assumed I can’t ride this thing. I could, you know. Only a motorcycle. It shouldn’t be difficult.” He got up and restarted the motorcycle. He was determined. Pe
The Secret Island CHAPTER 15: A Flirt
We had lunch at the restaurant in the area. The atmosphere from the hilltop allowed her to see the ocean and one corner of the island to another. The breezy wind had its unspeakable calming effect. Celine silently observed Martin ordering food for both of them and feeling the joy of spending time together. “I’m taking you to the beach on the other side of the island. Are you up for that?” He asked while sipping coffee. He didn’t look at her, but his eyes were glued to the newspaper the restaurant provided. “Sure. I have nothing else to do anyway.” When he didn’t look her way, she got more opportunities to look at him openly. He was not one of those well-dressed men with their hair all gelled up and shirt perfectly pressed, nor did he wears any shiny shoes. He dressed simply, and that drew attention to his handsome face. Cleanly shaped, he sometimes reminded her of a perfume model. His dark blue eyes gave him a cool and cold persona, but recently s
The Secret Island CHAPTER 16: The Best Friend
A university in USA. 10 years ago.“Martin. You are hiding here reading alone again. There is a party at a sorority nearby. You should join.” A young man with dark brown hair asked. Martin had to look up from the textbook he was reading. The book was among the five textbooks he needed to finish this term.“I don’t want to go. It will be too loud, too many people, and too many boring generic conversations.” He was uninterested, and his expression showed disdain for this type of college party. He was uninterested in the culture of this leading institution. These smart and rich trust fund kids partied like there was no tomorrow, and a scholarship student such as himself always felt he did not belong. And so, he didn’t attempt to fit in. He was always by himself, reading.But his best friend never gives up. He invited him to all the parties that he got invited to. We have been friends since the first day we met. He didn’t know what made the two of them get along so well. Joe was one of th
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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
