Chapter 60

OLIVIA

I remained still. My eyes gazed at the sea and let both of my thoughts and the sound of the waves consume my head. I realized that no matter how I tried to make myself happy, I would always end up getting hurt because my course of actions were never right.

I heaved a sigh and looked down. My fingers reached for the white sand and drew circles on it while tears were streaming down my face.

I felt so tired from both crying, thinking, and hoping when the situation was so clear as the crystal blue sea.

I mustered the courage to finally stand up. Putting out a huge sigh, I decided to call this a day. Tomorrow, I will find a way to get home.

I glanced at the sea for the last time, and then I turned around and walked back to the trail. However, I stopped midway when I heard the sound of something from afar. At first, I thought it was some crickets making a noise at night, but when the sound became clearer, I realized it was a vehicle.

I looked at the sea. My forehead creased when I saw a white thing moving, or should I say, approaching the shore.

Squinting my eyes, my mouth dropped when I realized that it was a yacht, and as it got closer to the shore, I noticed that the person navigating it was none other than Chase...

My heart raced so fast and loud that it hurt my limbs already. Tears pooled in my eyes as I stiffened in my direction. My eyes could not look away from the sight anymore.

"Chase..." I whispered.

I assumed he had abandoned me; that he no longer cared enough to pick me up on this island, and that he was pulling such stunts to exact his revenge on me.

But the glimpse of hope inside my chest told me Chase would never treat me that way.

When the yacht finally stopped near the shore, Chase quickened his pace and jumped onto the white sand immediately. His eyes looked everywhere, and when he finally met mine, I saw the relief and worry in his expression.

He ran towards me. My tears were still falling when he closed the distance between us. I gasped when he immediately pulled me to him and engulfed me in a warm embrace.

All my worries, anger, and what ifs instantly vanished the moment I felt his arms covering my trembling body.

"Oh my God, Reese..." he muttered and quickly released me. His hands cupped both of my cheeks, inspecting me from head to toe. "Are you alright? Look, I am so sorry."

I nodded and offered him a thin smile. Even though I already gathered my thoughts when I first arrived here, I became lost for words the moment I saw his face.

How I missed this man in front of me... It had been days of pure emotional terror.

He let out a huge sigh and kissed my forehead. "I am so sorry if you waited for hours. I am truly sorry. It was my fault. We had trouble back in the city, and my plan turned into a mess... Please forgive me... I didn't mean to make you cry again, my love."

I swallowed so hard as I tried to process all his explanations. I couldn't help but feel embarrassed to think that he'd taken revenge on me on purpose. But here he was, proving to me that my thoughts were all wrong.

"So, you didn't ditch me?"

He gave me a wide-eyed look before he shook his head.

"No way, baby! Why would I do that? We had a situation back there. The people I hired to set up my surprise backed out, and I had to find new ones who could help me. I didn't know it would take that long. Had I known that it wasn't easy, I should have adjusted the time for the plane to pick you up at a later time."

"Oh, okay..." were all the words I could say.

I was totally speechless at this moment. I could not even look him in the eyes properly. But I knew deep within my heart that I was relieved to finally see him here.

"I apologize, Reese, for all these mishaps. I didn't mean to keep you waiting for so long."

"I... I know, Chase. It's alright," I said, and smiled a bit.

"The crew will set up everything for us." He looked in the yacht's direction.

I followed his gaze and noticed that he actually brought people to help him with his surprise. My cheeks flushed, thinking that Chase had gone to this extent only to apologize for what happened.

"In the meantime, let's go to the villa. Your skin is cold," he said.

I cleared my throat and only nodded at him. I knew he was staring intently at me, but I couldn't meet his gaze without feeling awkward. Perhaps I was wrong to think that I had mastered how to act in front of him because my stomach was twisting in shyness right now.

He guided me as we walked down the pathway that would lead us to the villa. The entire place was filled with darkness. Chase turned on the buttons for the lights, and in an instant, the living room was filled with coziness.

"We can go back to the yacht after an hour, Reese," he said, which made me turn to him.

The way he stared at me sent shivers down my spine. His ocean blue eyes were like trying to read my mind and I had to look away as I couldn't take it. Clearing my throat, I nodded my head in response.

"I'm going to take a bath first," I said, grabbing my luggage and walking upstairs.

I could have sworn that I felt as if my heart would explode any minute. I wanted to hug him, to kiss him, and tell him how sorry I was... But I was also embarrassed about this conflict between us, and even though I wanted to ignore it, I just couldn't.

I went to the master's bedroom and put my luggage on the bed.

"Calm down a bit, Liv..." I uttered as I grabbed the towel.

I walked to the bathroom to take a bath. After that, I wore a bathrobe and went out. I opened my luggage bag to look for a nice dress that I could wear.

The door opened. I was shocked when Chase entered the bedroom and looked at me. I cleared my throat and looked away.

"I'm going to change clothes," he said as he walked toward me.

"Alright..." I said in my soft voice and continued with what I was doing.

I cursed under my breath when I realized that Lara only put sultry stuff like black lingerie, thongs, see through underwear, and a freaking vibrator inside my luggage. The only wholesome thing was the dress itself!

I held the lingerie while I bit my lower lip firmly.

"Damn it, Lara. I'm going to kill you," I mumbled.

"Nice lingerie you got there. I bet you look lovely in it," Chase commented.

I could feel the heat engulfing my face upon hearing his statement. When I looked at him, I noticed that his eyes were pinned on the lingerie on my hand, then he glanced at me and gulped.

"Lara put it inside my luggage bag. It wasn't me," I said awkwardly.

I saw how his lips curled up for a smile, and without any hesitation, he removed his t-shirt and flaunted his broad chest and six-pack abs. I was so surprised by his sudden undressing of the shirt that I wasn't aware I was already licking my lower lip.

I only came back to my senses when he giggled. He also opened his luggage and grabbed some stuff when a see-through boxer fell on the floor.

What the hell, Chase?

I coughed and looked away. I grabbed my things and stormed into the bathroom so I could get dressed.

I fanned myself as soon as I closed and locked the door.

"Calm down, Liv..." I said to myself and huffed in frustration.

Why do I feel so hot all of a sudden? I shook my head and shoved the sultry thoughts aside. I got dressed and wore the simple red spaghetti dress Lara lent to me and partnered it with a white pimp sandal. I put some light makeup on my face too, and after that I styled my hair while letting it loose.

After a few minutes, I was all ready.

I went out of the bathroom and saw Chase putting on an elegant watch on his wrist. He was only wearing a black long sleeves, pants, and shoes, yet he could easily attract every person that would see him. He was such a head turner.

I sucked in a breath when his ocean blue eyes glanced at me. My heart pounded so aggressively with the way he stared at me.

"Ready?" he asked.

I nodded and offered him a thin smile. "Y-Yes..."

"You look stunning... as always," he commented.

I stiffened when he walked towards me. "Let's go?"

I was surprised when he held my hand, which made me look at him. He guided my hand to his arm and tapped it softly.

My cheeks flushed at that gesture.

Damn it, Chase!