Scarlet Harris was soaked with seawater. She struggled to climb onto the man's sturdy neck but failed.
Her body slid uncontrollably, floating lightly, instilling an extreme sense of panic.
She flailed her arms, attempting to latch onto him again, but he was beyond her reach.
Was she about to die? Dying by drowning?
The rapidly rising seawater inundated her mouth and nose, swallowing her breath.
No, she couldn't die, not with her unfulfilled experiences…
The man, seemingly helpless, wiped the seawater off his face and dived into the ocean. He found her, reached out, and grabbed her under her armpit, pulling her out of the water.
It was cold, so cold. Upon contact with the air again, Scarlet found herself unable to breathe, no matter how hard she tried.
Something was now pressing against her lips, powerfully prying open her teeth, and slipping in, somewhat like a king conquering a city, possessing everything. The sense of invasion was strong, yet its smell was refreshing, like a forest after the rain. Amidst the stench of the seawater, such a fresh aroma was indeed moving, enough to bring tears to one's eyes.
"Cough," Scarlet vomited out all the seawater she had swallowed, amidst severe coughing pain.
She clung onto him desperately. Her arms like lotus roots entwined around his neck, her long, pale legs wrapped around his sturdy waist–she seemed like an octopus, sticking onto him.
The final sensation was his iron-like chest pressing against her, about to melt her—
…
The scenes from her fall into the ocean the previous night replayed in Scarlet's mind, frame by frame like an old movie.
What happened? Why couldn't she remember anything?
She struggled to lift her eyelids, and the first sight to greet her was an exceedingly handsome face.
A full, smooth forehead, a nose that rose tall as a summit, lips shaped in a graceful arc, and under those long, thick eyelashes were a pair of eyes majestic and mysterious like obsidian, emitting a profound and calm light.
What pair of eyes they were, like a nighttime sky teeming with countless stars, a single flash that moved one's heart.
The beat of Scarlet's heart slowly returned, beating faster and faster.
It was him, the man who had saved her last night!
"Miss Harris, you're finally awake. You fell into the sea last night, and Mr. Skyler jumped in to save you. With you hanging onto him, you almost didn't make it," said a seemingly cruise ship steward, fearfully wiping the sweat from his forehead with a white handkerchief.
Scarlet remembered what had happened after she had clung to Skyler Salvado, turning off his movement. Perhaps they would've if he hadn't contained her and the lifeboat hadn't arrived on time.
Scarlet propped herself halfway from the bed, looking deeply into Skyler Salvado's eyes.
"Thank you. I almost implicated you last night, are you okay now?"
When she asked, she inexplicably thought of the artificial respiration, her mouth full of his taste, a faint tobacco smell, imposing and domineering, very masculine.
"I'm fine." Under the warm light, Skyler Salvado's handsome face remained unflustered and emotionless. "The doctor says you should lie down and rest more. How are you feeling right now?"
He could make out a small portion of skin on Scarlet's neck from his position. It was like a piece of expensive, soft white jade, delicate veins subtly visible beneath it, incredibly beautiful and alluring.
His long fingers unconsciously brushed against his side, his throat dry.
The little girl he once knew had grown up, having the fragrance and curves of a young woman, like a peach delicately perched on the branch, a light stroke of the fingertips caused the soft fruit skin to break open, sweet juice overflowing.
Scarlet opened her hands, showing that she was alright.
"Compared to dying at sea, the enfeebled limbs and throbbing headache are nothing in particular. They confirm that I'm still alive."
A svelte chuckle slipped from Skyler's lips. He seemed to be in high spirits, primarily influenced by Scarlet's optimistic demeanour.
Seeing Skyler's softened features, Scarlet felt like someone had gently plucked at her heartstrings, leaving her momentarily speechless.
What had she just seen? She seemed to glimpse a sight where someone chiselled open a crack in the mountains and rivers frozen over a vast distance. The crack gradually and slowly widened, first slowly, then increasingly quickly, spreading with a pace too swift to capture with the naked eye. In no time, the glacier melted into spring water, roaring and rushing, blooming countless flowers where it flowed.
This man was dangerous. A single smile from him could captivate souls and claim lives.
Fortunately, the cruise ship manager on one side began negotiating with her about the settlement, so she no longer had to face Skyler.
"Miss Harris, we are truly sorry for this accident. Our cruise company will compensate you with fifty thousand dollars in consolation money. Can we settle this privately?"
"No," Scarlet's voice was soft yet heavy, sounding as if it carried the weight of a thousand sins, "My fall into the sea was not an accident, it was an intentional murder."
The cruise manager's face darkened. Murder? Who was trying to kill her? She was trying to sit on the ground and raise the price!
"Miss Harris, how much do you want? Please quote a price."
Scarlet shut her eyes tiredly as a throbbing pain pulsed at her temples.
Last night, she was leaning against the railing, gazing in the distance, when suddenly, the railing broke open.
She sensed something unusual and instinctively moved back, but a pair of hands reached out from behind...
But she was alone, her voice little and light, who would believe her?
Unsurprisingly, a sudden chill overwhelmed Scarlet's heart.
The gentle and elegant male voice echoed again at this moment, as if a gentle breeze brushed past.
"Do you have proof for your claims? You wouldn't randomly spew those words, would you?"
Scarlet gratefully looked at Skyler Salvado. "Yes, a hand reached out from behind and pushed me. Breaking the railing was no accident, and neither was that hand."
A steward for the cruise ship interrupted, "Miss Harris, the guests on this ship are either rich or noble. You can't slander with conjectures."
Skyler's indifferent voice was subtly intimidating, silencing the ship's steward.
"Her speculation is reasonable. How is that slander?"
The steward seemed to have the utmost respect for Skyler. As soon as Skyler spoke, he stopped questioning Scarlet and respectfully bowed, "Indeed, Master Skyler is right. Allow me to investigate."
The way the steward treated Scarlet and Skyler Salvado was utterly different.
Scarlet can't help but look at Skyler Salvado, a man oozing nobility and coolness from head to toe.
Something flashed through her mind.
Ah, she remembered now.
In the last few days on the cruise ship, the surrounding ladies of the upper class were always talking about one name, Skyler Salvado, Skyler Salvado...
What was Skyler wearing today?
Which lucky woman did Skyler talk to more than usual?
Back then, Skyler Salvado was just a nobleman mentioned by others to her. She was on the same cruise ship as him and always heard people talking about him, but she didn't care because she didn't know him.
But now...
