Chapter 84 Daddy Wants to Give You a Surprise
“Huh? I-I don’t want to go.”
Upon thinking about going out to the sea, a hint of resistance flashed across her eyes as she immediately waved her hand. “I can’t go.”
After she said that, she felt a pull on her sleeve. She lowered her head and found Jordan pitifully tugging her sleeve with a look of eagerness on his face as he gazed at her, while his other hand was holding a note with a line of words, which she had no idea when it was written. ‘I want you to go together with me.’
Stunned, Courtney stroked his head, and her heart suddenly softened. “Alright. If that’s the case, let me go to my room and get changed.”
Jordan had no mother, and Alexander was indeed a careless father—he managed to let Jordan get sunburned from playing under the sun for too long even though they were merely staying in the hotel, so it might be worse if they went out to the sea; not to mention that Jordan could not swim, as according to Alexander.
“Okay.” Although it did not show on Alexander’s face, there was, in fact, an inexplicable feeling of gladness that filled his heart.
He saw her at the entrance of the coffee shop early in the morning, spending her whole morning drinking a cup of coffee. After asking the film crew, he learnt that she had allowed Shay to bring Tina out by himself, and this news caused him to be in great spirits throughout the morning.
They rode on a speedboat to the little island. When Courtney was putting on the life jacket, she felt a little dizzy, but she forced herself to put it on and sat still on her seat, trying her best to not look at the waters.
“Mister, please go a little slower.” Her voice slightly trembled, and even Alexander noticed the difference in her voice.
“Are you alright?”
“I’m fine.” She nonchalantly smiled, masking the fact that she was struggling. She adjured, “Fasten Jordan’s hat properly. If the wind is strong later, his hat may be blown away.”
Alexander nodded and helped Jordan to adjust his hat, only to realize that Courtney was having a hard time fastening the button of her hat with her trembling hands.
“Are you really fine?” He frowned. “Let’s not go if you are not feeling well.”
“I’m fine. I’m fine. It’s just that the boat is a little shaky, so I can’t fasten the button.”
He hesitated for a moment before leaning forward and held her hands. “Let me help you.”
Her hands were suddenly wrapped by his warm palm, causing her to be momentarily stunned and even forget about the seasickness that she was currently experiencing. She looked at him in a daze as he helped her to fasten the button. The tingling feeling on her chin actually gave her a fleeting moment of breathing difficulty.
“All done.” The low, husky voice rang by her years, pulling her back to her senses. She then abruptly turned her gaze away. “Oh, t-thank you.”
“You are welcome.” Alexander stared at her. “Do you feel hot?”
“N-Not really.”
“Why is your face so red, then?”
“Huh?” She immediately covered her face, her speech incoherent. “I-Is that so? M-Maybe it’s because of the hot sun.” As she was speaking, she suddenly pointed at the sun. “The weather is too hot today. You should help Jordan button up his long sleeve shirt.”
Alexander raised his brows, revealing a cryptic smile as he was pretty sure she was lying.
Jordan, who was curious about anything, pointed at everything and kept asking various questions.
Meanwhile, Courtney patiently explained them to him, but there were some questions that she did not understand herself, especially when he asked about the mechanical equipment on the boat, which she knew nothing about. It was Alexander who explained to him about the operation principle of ships at this moment.
“President Duncan, has anybody ever told you that you look professional when you talk about boats?”
Alexander initially thought that this was a compliment, but she then continued with an unexpected statement. “People who don’t know you would think that you were a shipyard worker.”
Hearing that, his expression fell.
Alexander, who usually would be able to easily render people speechless with a word or two, seemed to have lost his ability to refute her statements for some unknown reason today, which instantly put her in a good mood—even her seasickness subsided a little. She uttered, “Speaking of which, why did you bring Jordan over here to the Maldives all of a sudden? You didn’t tell me about this before. If I had known about this earlier, we could have come together.”
He was impassive. “Jordan wanted to come.”
Jordan glared at him and wrote on the drawing board that he brought along with him all the time. ‘Daddy wanted to give you a surprise.’
Upon hearing this, Courtney’s heart skipped a beat, and she subconsciously gazed at Alexander, who happened to be looking at her as well. Their eyes met, and the air around them seemed to have become a little stagnant.
She had always thought that Alexander’s care for her was due to her close relationship with Jordan. If it were not because of the incident during the night she was dead-drunk, which she had been struggling to forget, she would never have thought about the possibility of them getting together.
Even if she had indeed thought of it, the thought was merely a tiny spark, which could be easily extinguished in the blink of an eye. He is about to get married soon, so it would be impossible for us to have a future together.
Upon having such thoughts, she avoided his gaze and intentionally smiled to ease the awkward air. “You are still so young, yet you know how to say things that make people happy.”
Jordan cast Alexander a glance, hoping that he would say something, but the latter turned a blind eye to him, as if he did not understand his gesture, and turned to look at the faraway island.
Pissed, Jordan quickly wrote on his drawing board with his head lowered. ‘You said that my words made you happy. In other words, this surprise from my daddy really made you happy, right?’
Upon seeing his question, the smile on her face froze—she did not know how she should answer his question.
She had to admit that she was delighted to see Alexander and Jordan here. In fact, when she saw a figure from the balcony last night, which she had mistaken for him, she was actually glad at that instant.
Seeing that she seemed to be troubled, he attempted to ask further, but the boat suddenly shook vigorously.
Courtney screamed in shock and fell to the side at once. The sharp-eyed Alexander swiftly pulled her arm, but before he could firmly grab on her, the boat shook again.
His expression tensed as he tugged her into his embrace with a sudden pull before asking the boat driver, “What’s happening?”
He was wearing a life jacket, so when her face knocked into his chest, it felt a little painful due to the friction. Before she could react, she felt her world spinning—her sight started to blur in an incomprehensible speed, and her stomach started churning.
The boat driver’s anxious voice came from the front of the boat. “Sir, we can’t travel far in these strong waves, and it seems like it is about to rain. Should we head straight to the island or turn back?”
Looking at Courtney, who had passed out in his arms, Alexander’s expression was dark.
This woman is obviously seasick. She hasn’t been feeling well since the moment we boarded the boat, yet she forced herself to endure it. Now that she is in such a state after the boat merely encountered some waves, how is she going to get to the island like this?
“Let’s turn back.” It was an adamant decision. He then glanced at Jordan and asked, “Jordan, can you sit properly on your own?”
Jordan solemnly nodded. Holding Jordan’s hand with one hand, Alexander wrapped his other hand around Courtney’s shoulder, holding her in his embrace.
The weather instantly changed, and large rain droplets hit the speedboat. Without any shelter above their heads, the people in the boat were soon drenched to the skin.
When he was frowning, sobbing sounds suddenly came from his arms. “Grandpa, don’t go. Please don’t go…”
