James walked out wearing a deep navy suit, every detail perfectly tailored to him. His hair was neat and still held just the right amount of shine, as if he’d stepped out of a magazine. The moment he saw Emmy, all that stern composure melted from his face. He crossed the room in a few confident strides, slipping an arm around her waist like it was the most natural thing in the world.
He leaned down, his voice soft and low and that little bit husky that always got to her. “I’m sorry I put you through all that.”
Emmy let herself relax into his arms, shaking her head as if to brush his worries away. She slipped her arms around him in return, her words muffled against his chest. “You’re safe. That’s all I care about.”
His grip on her tightened a bit, holding her closer like he never wanted to let go. He lowered his head, clearly wanting to kiss her, but thinking better of it so he wouldn’t mess up her makeup. So instead, he pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead.
“Come on,” he said quietly, his tone so tender it made her heart flutter.
Together, they started heading for the inside of the ship, hand in hand, wrapped up in their own little bubble. Security guards lined the hallway, nodding respectfully as they passed.
Emmy spoke quietly, only for James to hear. “Any news? Did your people find out who was behind all this?”
James gave a slight frown and shook his head. “Not yet. All we got from the mercenaries was that it was a job off the black market. They were paid in crypto, and the details of those jobs only stick around for twenty-four hours before disappearing. The trail goes cold after that.”
Emmy pressed her lips together, brows drawing together in worry.
James kept her tucked under his arm, his voice dropping with a seriousness she didn’t hear from him often. “Whoever planned this isn’t just some amateur pulling tricks. From the way the bomb was set up, the route they used to sneak in... this was prepared at least two weeks in advance. The person behind this knows Emerald Island’s security inside and out. You know how our sonar is programmed to ignore certain migration patterns from large fish schools, right? It’s how we protect the local ecosystem and the marine life.”
His eyes grew sharp as he explained. “Those mercenaries came in with a school of deep-sea tuna. They timed it exactly when the fish were passing under the ship, used the school for cover, and dodged every underwater sensor. If Sylvia and Steve hadn’t happened to spot something strange...”
He let the thought trail off, but Emmy knew what he meant. If that accident hadn’t happened, who knew what disaster they’d be facing right now.


VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABEL
Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: Dumped My Cheating Ex. Now I'm Sleeping Next to a Billionaire CEO