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CHAPTER 96: Any Worry?
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2024-10-29 19:42:56Related chapters
The Secret Island CHAPTER 1: That Man
I don’t know if he will show up… He once promised he will… back to that day in the summer; he promised he will, he said he would come back to see her again. But when the time passed. Winter came and went, then spring that she loved, and summer came around all over again for the fourth time; she is uncertain of that promise. We only spent two weeks together. Only two weeks Celine spent with him. Only two weeks changed her life. And now she is here. She is back to this small island in the Mediterranean Sea every year for two weeks… just like four years ago, just like those times fate led her to him. He was a tall man who rarely smiled as if he carried the weight of the world. That man… Martin Celine didn’t know much about him, who he truly was, or what he did for a living. She doesn’t even know where in the world he is. But she thinks she knows him. She knows he was a serious and strict but kind person. She knows he rarely smile
The Secret Island CHAPTER 2: Always More Baroque Than Broke
Celine laid three bikinis on a bed in a small hotel she booked online two weeks earlier. Which one should I pick? Red… black… or leopard? Anything is fine, actually. She felt confident in everything she wears anyway. Besides, being alone on this island that barely has any tourists shouldn’t cause much worry about appearance anyway. Since she left the boat and set foot on this island, the atmosphere here was quite calming, part of her was glad to escape the hectic life of the university, but part of her was concerned that the island was so quiet. Perhaps, I’m scared of my own thoughts. Her Italian friend suggested her this island for a getaway trip. She flew to Rome, took a short one-hour car ride, and a small ferry to this place. All this hardship to forget. Does it worth it? It must be. It must be! I need to be happy! Celine walked out of the room after choosing a red bikini and putting on a white hotel robe. She spent an hour doing makeup. Even if
The Secret Island CHAPTER 3: The Villa
Celine should barely realize the time when she found herself in the stranger’s room, a small and simplistically decorated villa similar to the style of its owner. He told her his name was Martin and that I should shower to wash off the seawater. Soon after, one simple white t-shirt and short trousers were handed to her. The clothes were clean; they smelled like a morning in summer. He seemed to be a man of modest means and talked only when necessary. To her, the silence was unbearable, but she didn’t know what she should talk to him about. “How long will you stay on this island? When do you plan to go back?” He asked as soon as he saw her come out of the bathroom. She dried her hair with his gray towel while answering. “Err, two weeks. I planned for a long holiday.” She answered softly. The initial plan of a spontaneous trip alone was more appealing before now when she was alone with only a stranger whom she took a shot at trusting to turn to
The Secret Island CHAPTER 4: Day One
“There is only one bedroom at the villa, so you can take the bed. I will change the bed sheet for you. I can sleep on the couch.” He told her while we were walking back to the villa. Martin wasn’t surprised when she asked permission to stay with him. It was difficult to comprehend what was on his mind when he was silent for the whole 30 seconds before agreeing. “Martin…” She reached out to touch the hem of his shirt. There was something we had forgotten. And it might sound funny, but before she goes to live with him and sleep in his bed, Celine thinks that she should tell him this. “Hmm?” “You don’t care to ask me this, but err, my name is Celine.” And that was the first official introduction between her and the man who saved her from this trip crisis. We both stood still and looked at each other. Dumbfounded. He stared at her and blinked exactly three times. A light flickered in his eyes as he thought it was such a silly situation. They we
The Secret Island CHAPTER 5: The Book
Celine kept the doubt. She knew in her heart that she shouldn't ask him. What made Martin look so stressed was probably very personal. And she didn't want to meddle in his personal matters. The king-size bed was so wide and comfortable that she was surprised she was able to wake up early. Perhaps it was because of the sunlight that shone through the windows.She woke up to the smell of the ocean and the gentle breeze from the ajar window. The sound of seagulls chirping was typical for this small town on an island. But then she heard other noises—utensils on pots and pans and something sizzling and boiling from right outside the room. And soon, the smell of the delicious food prompted her to get up from the bed.As Celine walked into the kitchen, she saw a tall man turned his back on her and cooking. He wore a tight workout outfit showing his athletic figure. She guessed that he had just gone jogging in the morning.Martin was still wearing wireless headphones. He cou
The Secret Island CHAPTER 6: Day Two
Later that day, Martin brought her to buy new clothes despite her insistence to go alone. He said he had all the time to spare anyway. It didn’t hurt to walk around and do some sightseeing. From our conversation, she found that he had been staying on the island for two months already and intended to enjoy this ‘long holiday’ and rest from work. He told her he hadn’t taken a break for many years after postgrad. Celine didn’t ask him questions; she didn’t know what to say. We walked around the bay where the yachts were lined up, and there were a lot of shops there. Old buildings are painted in bright orange and yellow colors, typical of the city's art. She felt that this area was the most active tourist destination on the island. Otherwise, she could easily mistake the island for being deserted. With little cash left, she had to borrow Martin. She promised that as soon as the money was transferred in two days (the poor girl finally gave in to talking to her pa
The Secret Island CHAPTER 7: Day Three
“Oh, good morning. You woke up even earlier today. Do you want to sit here with me?” Martin greeted her in this early morning.Celine looked at him suspiciously. He was the kind of person she didn't understand. At times he would be so quiet that she thought he was half mute. Since we are just on good terms, she could tell he was more used to ordering people around rather than being nice to them. And the experience yesterday was kind of odd for her. After eating ice cream together for a while and she told him that she wasn't angry anymore. It was as if Martin had already concluded in his head that she wasn't angry, and he should cease all further effort. Like a switch, his nice kind words spoken in a gentle tone stopped there. We return to speaking normally as if in his head; convincing her to forgive him was like some sort of a mission he had already accomplished. And what he should do was to move on to something else.And that something else was to go back to the villa and work. She
The Secret Island CHAPTER 8: The Beach
“Martin! Come here. The weather is great today!” Celine smiled and laughed cheerfully and quickly ran past the white sand, hoping to swim in the ocean as quickly as possible.“Hey, be careful not to fall!” Shouted the man following behind him without haste.Martin refused to go shopping for new swimming gear. He didn’t like to buy new things, so he just wore his black shorts and simple white shirt. He said, "Don't make it a big deal." He then went to get some towels and made sandwiches for lunch on the beach. He was still bossy, though, telling her to find sunscreen and scowling at her when she forbade him to take his work papers and a book. “Will you read in water?” She asked him, who hurriedly put the book down. But no matter how dissatisfied he seemed, Martin did as she asked. It was at this point that she thought Martin was trying to adapt himself to living with her. Although he was unlike other people who have pampered her in her entire life—he was too quiet and even reprimanded
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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
