Chapter 219 - The Islet Mystery 35

Shiela saw that the drummer followed Ryan into the yacht. She felt her heart was in her throat when the boatman paddled hard to the dark side until they were far away to have the engine took over the boatman's strength. Only then was she able to breathe. She knew she would still be meeting Ryan in the future, but at least, Jullien wouldn't be there. This month would most likely take all his time away for his wedding preparation.

Gazing into the dark night illuminated only with the boatman's lamp, she realized they were separated from the rest of the group. If Ryan had plans to chase her, he could always do it. Their destination was not too far from his place. He had powered fast crafts inside the yacht.

To her surprise, the boatman propelled their boat toward a dark island. Had Richard not accepted to help her with the escape, she would have been scared to death. None of them dared to speak during the trip and neither complained even if they seemed to head into the place of their impending doom.

She could no longer understand herself, neither sort out her conflicting emotions. She got frightened to see the looming darkness, but she felt a sense of freedom. Even if the engine's roaring sound was almost deafening as it blended with the hisses of the whistling wind, there was a hollowed silence inside her heart. The pain was too much to bear, making her want to entrust herself to eternal rest and peace.

"Hurry up, ma'am, sir!" the boatman broke into her train of thoughts.

Shiela and Richard looked around, and they saw nothing except the pitch-dark surroundings. Shiela looked up at Richard, wondering what his plan was and why were they here. She was the one asking his favor, how could she complain?

Richard and the boatman then jumped into the knee-deep water, and once Richard"s feet steadied into the sand, he turned his back on her and crouched.

"Shie, hop on to my back!"

Shiela's eyes widened, and she did not move. They were friends, but they never go beyond a friendly hug.

"Ma'am, please hurry up," the boatman said, and his voice sounded like he was growing impatient and scared.

"Shie, you might not want to get wet. You still have a long way to go."

Shiela remembered that Ryan made her change into rubber shoes and socks. Richard's opinion now made sense so she hopped into his back and Ryan strode right away into the shore. The boatman led the way, and so they followed, winding themselves across the dark path.

Soon, the boatman stopped before a massive object and Shiela had to blink tight many times to realize they were in front of a chopper.

"Go up, fast. He must be waiting already," the boatman spoke again and for Shiela, it seemed that this man held too many mysteries.

He? Who was he referring to? She wanted to ask but Richard was too unusually quiet that she swallowed back the many questions she had wanted to ask. 

Richard held her hand as he stepped into the ladder first, glancing back at the boatman who urged them both to climb fast. Her heart started to hammer into her ears as everything took a complete three-hundred-sixty-degree turn. Her plan was simple; she just wanted to go with Richard to escape from Ryan and Jullien's presence. Then, she would ask him to take her into the port and from there, she would go home by herself.

"Richard, thank you," a familiar voice from the pilot's seat jolted her against the seat that Richard helped her in buckling her seat. She was screaming inside to know what's going on but didn't have the heart to do so. She asked for this so she must submit herself, trusting that Richard would never harm her.

"As long as you are true to her," Richard grumbled and Shiela now understood what caused his silence.

"We must go now. I'll keep in touch."

Richard turned to face her and he stood silent for a while. Even if she couldn't see him, at the back of her mind, she could figure out the worries and pain in his eyes. Shiela reached out to squeeze his hand and with the touch, she hoped she could pass her gratitude to him for his selflessness and unconditional love.

"You're okay there, baby?"

Shiela replied, leaving no gap at the end of his statement. "What does this mean?"

"I left you once and I would not let it happen again."

"Neil, I can't understand you at all. How about your wedding?"

"We'll talk later. We must leave now. Hold on."

The engine then roared to life and lights whirled around. Soon, the craft slowly lifted off the ground until what she could see below were flickering lights from the sprawling bodies of land and water. Having no way to talk to anybody, she closed her eyes and her exhaustion from the day's activity, made her drift into a deep sleep. By the time she opened her eyes, Ryan was already helping her in unbuckling her seatbelt.

A car picked them up the moment they descended from the chopper and soon, they were entering her apartment. To her surprise, Ryan was dragging along a suitcase then she recalled that during her stay at the island, she had barely touched her things since Ryan prepared everything she needed.

"Pick up your most important stuff and I'll take you to the airport right after."

"I'm not going anywhere!" she protested, unable to hold back her embarrassment for being dragged into this entire situation she didn't understand at all. She was always easy to get along. It was never her habit to complain despite her inconvenience, but this was too much already.

"I have booked you a flight to the UAE. It's somewhere my father's tentacles cannot reach you."

Shiela just stood gazing at him, trying to process what he meant. Then Ryan added something that ripped her heart apart.

"One of the conditions I set before agreeing to the wedding with Jullien is the promise that my father will set you free. He thinks that I am fully accepting their lies about our baby."

"Shie, I still believe that he is still alive and that my father hides him somewhere. I should find him before the wedding. This is the only way I can be free from Jullien. Above all, your safety is my priority."

Shiela then recalled Ryan's odd behavior hours ago. The way he insisted on staying with Richard, the reason why he let her wear a set of jackets, socks and shoes and his intention to let her see the team off.