Chapter 2
1430 Words
After drifting a great distance for hours, Ernie, who had almost given up hope of survival, was unexpectedly washed ashore.
It was already getting dark, and night was approaching.
"Myra! Myra!" When Ernie managed to drag Myra to the shore, he found her lips blue, her face pale, and unresponsive.
"Wake up, Myra!" Ernie thought she had drowned and desperately performed CPR and artificial respiration, but Myra still didn't respond.
"Hypothermia?!" He checked Myra's carotid artery and found she still had a faint pulse.
If he couldn't quickly bring her body temperature back to normal, she might not survive.
"Myra, hang in there! Don't give up. I'm here with you!" Ernie called out to her while carrying her behind a wind-sheltered rock.
By now, it was completely dark, and the temperature dropped sharply. There were no lights or people nearby. Myra's drenched attire rapidly drained her body's warmth, putting her life at risk.
In a hurry, Ernie tried to remove Myra's wet clothes.
Myra usually wore loose casual clothes, and Ernie had only paid attention to her work, not noticing much else. He saw her as just a young girl, not realizing she had developed a sexy figure.
Faced with her prominent breasts, Ernie was momentarily turned on. But saving her was urgent, so he tried to keep his mind from running wild. When he removed her pants, Myra seemed to regain some awareness and instinctively struggled.
"Myra, I'm sorry, but I have to save you!" Ernie gritted his teeth and stripped Myra completely.
He then took off his own clothes, wrung them out, and used them as a cushion. Then he hugged Myra tightly to warm her with his body heat.
In the cold wind, Myra's body was icy, her breathing weak. Ernie had to rub her body to stimulate her blood circulation.
He had no time for anything else. Although he had just lost his loved one and was faced with a young and sexy body, Ernie did not take advantage of the situation.
After more than an hour of effort, it was completely dark, and visibility was near zero.
Seeing Myra warm up and her breathing stabilize, Ernie fell asleep holding her, completely exhausted.
When he woke up to Myra's scream, it was already morning.
"Mr. Harris, what are you doing? Let me go—" Myra struggled to push Ernie away, escaped from his embrace, and then crouched on the ground, holding her chest and crying.
"Myra, you were in a dangerous situation yesterday. I didn't mean to—" Ernie realized he had been misunderstood. He wanted to explain but didn't know what to say in the face of Myra's frightened and angry expression.
By this time, their clothes were half-dry from the wind. Ernie handed her the clothes while he scanned the surroundings.
"Mr. Harris, let's find help!" Myra suggested as she calmed down and assessed their situation.
"This is a deserted island. There's no one here!" Ernie said grimly.
"What? Then what should we do?" Myra's eyes reddened with fear, and she was about to cry again.
"Don't be afraid. Sooner or later, someone will know about the shipwreck, and maybe they'll come to our rescue soon! But we can't stay here!" Ernie said firmly.
During his sophomore year, he had been recruited into the military. Tall, strong, and smart, he was appreciated by the military leaders. Just after the new recruit training, he was assigned to the Special Operations Team, which was responsible for enemy reconnaissance. Ernie spent two years there, honing his combat skills and survival abilities. If not for a sudden neurological illness and the need to return to school for his studies, the military would have retained him as a special talent.
The sudden disaster left him somewhat depressed, especially with Lily's fate unknown, which felt like a heavy load on his heart. But he quickly composed himself and prepared to face the upcoming challenges.
After careful observation, Ernie discovered that he and Myra had drifted to a large island. The barren coastline stretched far into the distance. In the center of the island, there was a dense forest, but no signs of human habitation.
The most critical issue was that the island was in a high-latitude region. Although it was still summer, the winds were chilly and eerie. If they stayed on the coast, they would quickly freeze.
"Myra, gather up bottles, ropes, and other supplies here. I'll go check out the forest," Ernie said seriously.
"Okay, Mr. Harris, I trust you." Myra felt reassured by Ernie's calm demeanor. She didn't hold a grudge against Ernie for his previous behavior but immediately began searching along the coastline as instructed. Myra was even stronger than Ernie had imagined.
"Don't call me Mr. Harris anymore. I'm no longer your superior," Ernie said with a wry smile and turned to run into the depths of the island.
***
A few kilometers from the island, a lifeboat was drifting on the tumultuous sea.
On it, Finnley was glaring at the dark waters. He had bribed the chief mate to throw Ernie overboard to drown, but the sailor's skills were poor, and he ended up capsizing the entire ship. Luckily, there was a lifeboat that saved his life.
'Damn it, that i***t ruined everything for me,' Finnley thought angrily.
The captain of the sightseeing boat had planned to send a distress signal, but Smith, the Chief Mate, feared exposure, so he killed the captain in the dead of night. Now, they had no idea where they were drifting.
Fortunately, Lily had also been rescued onto the boat. Seeing the beautiful woman still under his control, Finnley breathed a sigh of relief. This was the perfect chance to play the hero and win Lily's heart.
"Lily, Smith said there's an island ahead. We can take shelter there first. He'll contact the maritime department to rescue us, and we'll be safe," Finnley said, leaning towards Lily, trying to flatter her.
If he could marry Lily, the vast assets of the Rogers Group would soon be his as well.
Thinking of this, Finnley couldn't help but show a smug smile.
"You haven't found him yet!" Lily glared at Finnley with a worried expression.
"Lily, everything happened too suddenly. I also had Smith search the surrounding sea, but there were too many dead bodies. The wind and waves were strong; it was impossible to find that poor guy. Besides, you're divorced from him now. His fate is no longer your concern," Finnley said with a smirk, reaching towards Lily's thigh.
"Move away. Until he's found, I hope you won't entertain any romantic thoughts," Lily said sternly.
"Lily, forget that country bumpkin. I'll protect and care for you from now on," Finnley said shamelessly, trying to pull Lily into his embrace.
Smack! Lily gave Finnley a resounding slap across the face.
"You!" Finnley's face turned red instantly.
'You b***h, if it weren't for the company still being out of my grasp, I'd have taken you down already.' Finnley gritted his teeth, cursing under his breath. Yet, just as he was about to turn hostile, he forced a smile.
"Lily, I know you're loyal. I was just worried about you being sad and wanted to comfort you."
"Young master, the island is just ahead," one of Finnley's bodyguards reported, pointing to a dark line on the sea's surface.
"Oh?" Finnley stood up and saw the island ahead. He couldn't help but smile with satisfaction. "Ernie, I don't care if you died unjustly. I'm going ashore. As for your beautiful wife, I'll take good care of her."
***
As Ernie ventured further into the island, his expression grew more serious.
The island's environment was harsh. From the feces and animal trails in the forest, he deduced that there might be large, unidentified creatures on the island. This made him alert, as giant lizards, wild boars, or bears could pose a threat.
Additionally, he hadn't found a water source.
After drifting at sea for several hours and enduring a cold night, he and Myra were both cold and hungry.
His military training reminded him that without replenishing water and food, they might not survive until the rescue team arrived—even if there were no beasts.
The more dangerous the environment, the calmer they had to be.
At the thought of his previous military training, Ernie's expression became grave.
Just as he was about to climb a ridge to survey a larger area, a scream suddenly came from outside the forest.
"Myra!" Ernie's heart jolted, and he ran back at once.
- Writer
