The sun above Mo'orea Island never held back when it greeted the world. Its golden light swept across the crystal-clear lagoon surface, as clear as liquid crystal, refracting a spectrum of turquoise green and sapphire blue that could blind anyone unaccustomed to it. Amidst the rustling palm leaves dancing in the cool Pacific breeze, the roar of a radial engine from an old amphibious plane, a Grumman Goose painted ivory yellow, broke the morning's silence.
Inside the cramped cockpit, Mateo Rossi no longer wore an elite bulletproof pilot uniform or a suffocating midnight blue suit. He was simply in a white undershirt, slightly stained with oil, and faded cargo shorts. His classic aviator sunglasses rested at the bridge of his nose, reflecting the soft vibration of the analog instruments wit
