The Billionaire's Promise
Chapter 169: The Cruise

Chapter 169: The Cruise

"I can’t believe you concede defeat just like that." Leonardo berated his brother.

"Don’t you know me? I don’t like wooing women. Why should I, when a lot of them threw themselves at me."

"So, that yacht is now mine." Leonardo grinned.

"Give her and her husband the ticket to the island tour this afternoon."

"Are you joining the tour?" Leonardo passed him a lighter and a cigarette.

Alexander lighted the cigarette. He took a puff and blew out two circles of smoke.

"Yes. I want to see what kind of man she likes."

Alexander stood and left. He headed to where Leonardo left his jetski. He rode on it and went back to the yacht ignoring his younger brother who kept on calling him.

Leonardo chuckled. "You seemed indifferent but she piqued your interest." He shouted behind his back.

...

Earlier, the caretaker told him that the security system installed in their villa sent a notification that there was something wrong with the water supply. The caretaker has called a plumber but he needed Erik to oversee the man. Erik did not want to take Aryana with him. He left her at the beach so she can spend some time alone.

The plumber checked the bathroom and then the kitchen. He pretended to fix the drain on the kitchen sink. Erik was getting impatient. After more than an hour, the plumber said that everything was okay.

The plumber and the caretaker left. Erik followed soon after. When he went out of the villa, he heard a weak cry. He followed the source of the sound and found a woman in a bikini slumped behind a palm tree. She was clutching her stomach as if she was in great pain.

"Are you alright?" Erik asked tentatively. He looked around but found no one in the vicinity.

"My stomach hurts so much. Can you carry me to the clinic?" she asked pitifully.

Erik hesitated. The clinic is about half a kilometer from where they were and it was in the opposite direction from where he left Aryana.

"How about I call your companion?"

"I don’t have my cell phone with me and I can’t memorize any of their numbers."

’What a stupid woman,’ Erik thought.

"How did you get here by yourself?"

The woman pointed him at her jet ski. "My family is in that yacht." She pointed to one of the yachts with the red and white flag.

"Can you stand up?"

The woman shook her head.

Left with no choice, Erik carried her princess style and headed to the clinic with his big strides.

"What is your name?" The woman asked.

"Erik," He answered curtly.

"My name is Isabella. We are on a family vacation. I tried the jet ski earlier but I suddenly felt intense pain in my stomach."

Erik did not say anything. His mind is somewhere else.

’What a handsome cold man.’

She stopped talking because she looked stupid doing a one-sided conversation.

They arrived at the clinic. Erik told the doctor that he came across her near their villa and that she has a stomach ache hence, he sent her here.

Erik left the clinic despite the woman’s urging him to stay. He left without looking back. The sun was getting hotter and the sand was also heating up. Erik started to jog. He saw Aryana enter the villa and he breathed a sigh of relief.

When he got inside, Aryana was sitting on the couch and calling him on her cell phone. When she heard someone open the door, she turned and gave him a worried look.

"Where have you been? What took you so long?"

Erik sat beside her. "I brought a woman to the clinic. She has a severe stomach ache and can’t walk."

"What a coincidence. When you were gone, there was a surfer who went underwater when a big wave hit him. He was unconscious when I pulled him."

Erik narrowed his eyes. Aryana looked at him and they both ponder. Was it just a coincidence?

"I helped him go to the restaurant so he can rest."

"Let’s not think about it anymore. It is almost lunchtime. Come let’s go to the restaurant for lunch.

At the restaurant, Erik was about to order when the owner approached and gave them a polite smile.

"Miss, the man from earlier gave you this. He said that this is something you asked from him as repayment."

Erik glanced at the envelope that was handed to Aryana. She opened it and smiled a little when she saw that it was a ticket for a sunset cruise around the island.

"What is it?"

"Two tickets for a sunset tour," Aryana explained. "Do you know what was it that he initially want to give me?"

’What?"

"He wanted to give me an expensive ruby necklace with matching earrings." She paused when she saw Erik’s eyes darken. "I did not accept it. I told him that he can instead treat both of us to a meal."

"As if we cannot afford the cruise." Erik was irritated.

"He doesn’t want to owe me and I think this one is acceptable."

Erik nodded and placed his orders to the waiter. Soon, a sumptuous meal was spread on their table.

"If we could have this food every day, I’m pretty sure I’ll turn into a pig. These are very delicious. I can’t help having a second or a third serving."

Erik has eaten quite a lot. He held Aryana’s hand and led her out to take a stroll in the shady part of the beach.

Meanwhile, at the yacht, Leonardo was showing Aryana’s information to Alexander.

"Her complete name is Aryana Jones. She graduated at the top of her class and currently doing modeling on the side. She is an assistant and the man she is with right now is the CEO of Gaeya Corporation." Leonardo paused to get feedback from his brother.

"Why are you sharing this? I am not interested at all." His nonchalant response irked Leonardo.

"Do you know, that I cannot find any record that she is married?"

Alexander finally looked at him with narrowed eyes.

"What does it has to do with me? I told you that I don’t intend to woo any woman." He turned his attention to his laptop.

Leonardo stopped bugging him and left the study. He went to his room and decided to take a nap. He needed to stay up late the night.

When Leonardo left, Alexander entered the word Aryana Jones in his search box.

He saw photos of her in different beautiful outfits. After some time, he closed the browser and started to focus on work.

At 3:00 pm, Erik and Aryana boarded the cruise ship. Aryana was wearing an off-shoulder, CoChi cocktail dress that was classy and elegant but not too elaborate. The hem of the dark blue cocktail dress was a little below the knees. She paired her dress with a sapphire dangling earring. Her hair was pulled up in a net updo.

Erik on the other hand was wearing a dark blue suit that complemented her dress. They were welcomed by a couple of beautifully dressed ladies who escorted them to where their table.

At 3:30 pm, the cruise ship’s engine roared to life and started its slow pace to circumvent the island. Aryana took a lot of photos. The island was full of scenic sites. It took them one hour to go to the other side of the island.

On the other side of the island, the topology was rugged. There was no shoreline. Instead, it was the steep and rugged mountain. After staying for half an hour, the ship continued on its journey and docked at a place where the guests can view the sunset and enjoy their dinner as well.

Since Aryana and Erik came early they got to select the best seat. They were served with refreshments.

Soon, the sun started setting. A fiery ball was receding into the water. The sky was splashed with an assortment of shades of red, orange and yellow. Aryana followed with her gaze. The yellow hue extended from the now blackish-red orb and traveled through the water to where the yacht was.

"Hello, Aryana, nice for you to come." A deep magnetic voice interrupted her thoughts.

Erik looked at the man who was brazen enough to greet Aryana and treated her like they were very close.

"Erik this is Alexander. He was the one I told you about earlier."

Alexander extended his hand and Erik took it briefly. He scrutinized Erik from head to toe. Their height was almost the same. The man was undeniably handsome and exuded a powerful and domineering aura.

Erik also scanned Alexander from head to toe. His facial features were sharp. His raven long hair gave off a masculine vibe that women will have difficulty resisting. His grey eyes were sharp and his nose was straight with a medium bridge and narrow nostrils. The upper lip was thin but the lower lip was full, while he has thin lips.

He hated to admit it, but Alexander was not only tall but also handsome. He looked just as domineering as he was and he has an even more oppressive aura.