The Only Man On An Island Of Beauties

The engine's hum and the gentle sway of the ocean made every guest feel at peace as the captain drove the cruise ship. Tons of waiters served drinks, while the other guests danced in the middle, enjoying this specific moment of their lives. Jackson, who was leaning on the rail, should have done that as well. But for some reason, his heart was thumping in fear. ‘I don’t have a good feeling about this,’ he thought, breathing heavily to calm himself down. He tried thinking that it was only because it was his first time riding a ship after a while. If it wasn’t for a business meeting, he wouldn’t have agreed to it. But now, he was only a programmer who couldn’t defy his boss. Refusing his boss’ command would make him lose the job, which Jackson can’t afford. Jackson had some debts to settle—something related to his former work as an elite soldier. “Hey,” a woman wearing a revealing top and a short skirt called, snapping Jackson from his thoughts. “Would you like to dance with me?” “No. Sorry,” Jackson declined, his gaze moving away from the woman’s breast. “I prefer sitting here, but thank you for the offer—” Before Jackson could finish his sentence, the woman’s palm landed on his cheeks, slapping him hard. “How dare you humiliate me!” she shouted, her cheeks reddening in embarrassment. “You’re not even handsome! You nerd!” The woman had already left, her hips strutting as a sardonic smirk showed on her lips. Jackson, on the other hand, was flabbergasted. Just why did he just receive a slap for declining? “Did he just decline dancing with Mistress Amira?” “It was an honor to be approached by her, but that man declined without any hesitation. Maybe he’s also an influential man in his country?” “Well, if that’s the case, other people would have approached him now because they recognized him. But he’s sitting there for a long time…” “You’re right. Maybe he’s just arrogant, or he didn’t know the Mistress…” The two middle-aged females looked at Jackson with confusion and disgust, and when they didn’t want to talk about him anymore, they left. Jackson, who heard their conversation, suddenly was curious about Amira’s identity. He took his laptop, turned it on, and did his research into the woman everyone called Mistress Amira. [Name: Amira Fontaine] [Age: 28] [Status: King Raphael’s first concubine] ‘A concubine, huh…’ Jackson thought, shaking his head in disbelief as he turned off the laptop and placed it back in his bag. That woman being a concubine didn’t cross his mind, especially upon seeing how she dressed. He thought everyone in the royal family always wore princess-like clothing. “Hi,” another woman approached Jackson. “If you don’t like Mistress Amira, then maybe you will like us?” “I’m sorry, but I will take my leave now,” Jackson replied as he stood up abruptly. He quickly left the scene before everyone’s attention moved toward him again. Jackson went to the back where there were no people. Despite wearing glasses and toning down his appearance, his charm was still attractive to some girls. But even once, he showed no interest in them. Jackson sighed and looked at the peaceful sea. The unexplainable fear went back to him again. “Maybe I was just overthinking things,” Jackson said as he heard the laughter and music echoing from the upper deck. “I should relax now.” Repeating those words like a chant, Jackson was about to go back to his room but stopped upon hearing a scream in the back. “Ah—Hmmm!” Jackson’s brows furrowed as he turned to the side. His eyes widened upon seeing Amira being taken away by a guy wearing all-black clothes. “Help me—Hmmm!” Amira screamed, but her screams muffled again as the man covered her mouth with a handkerchief. Seeing the gravity of the situation, Jackson was about to move, but he stopped when the man pointed a gun on Amira. “Don’t move, or she’ll die,” the man said in an intimidating tone, followed by his grunt when Amira bit his finger. Because of that, the man removed his hand, allowing Amira to speak. “Bomb!” Amira exclaimed, sending chills down Jackson’s spine. “There’s a bomb here—” Before she could finish her sentence, a loud explosion was heard on the upper deck. Jackson cursed, his hands holding tightly on the railing as the impact almost threw him onto the sea. “Ahhh!” But when he looked at Amira and the man behind him, his eyes widened as he saw them fall from the rail. “Amira!” he called, but then, another explosion hit the middle deck this time. “f**k!” The cruise ship moved a lot, and if Jackson hadn't been holding tightly onto the rail, he might have been thrown into the sea as well. ‘The current isn’t a joke today,’ Jackson thought, seeing how intimidating the sea waves are. It was windy, and it only strengthened the fire that was happening inside the ship. ‘I must ask for help,’ said Jackson at the back of his mind, remembering that someone had taken Amira. Jackson ran inside the ship, only to see the people running in panic as the fire had already scattered to different places in no time. The peaceful evening was already gone, and it was converted into screams and pleas of people for help. “Oh my God… We’re going to die!” “Please save us! Get us out of here!” Jackson closed his eyes, his former elite soldier instincts kicking in. “You killed my son! And do you really have the guts to call yourself a soldier?! You should have died instead of him!” Suddenly, those words echoed into Jackson’s mind. Saving a child who was kidnapped by terrorists was his last mission before being fired from his company. But he did the opposite. He accidentally killed someone. “f**k,” Jackson groaned, suddenly forgetting about what was happening around him. “Where are the emergency life jackets and boats? You should give it to us first! We came from the upper deck!” an elite guest shouted, his tone furious. “Who cares if you’re from the upper deck? All of us are going to die if we can't escape from here! Are you going to hoard all the boats, huh?!” another guest replied. “You can’t do that!” she added. “And why can't I do that, huh? It’s our privilege as VIPs! If you also want the same benefit, you should also be a VIP instead!” “This bastard—Are you out of your mind?!” The guests are already arguing, using their hierarchy as leverage to be saved from the fire. Shaking his head, Jackson shook his head and went to an officer assisting the other guests outside, near the rail. “I need assistance,” Jackson said to the man, his tone authoritative. “Amira Fontaine has just been kidnapped by a man—” “This man has taken Mistress Amira!” the officer suddenly shouted, interrupting Jackson. “Wait, that’s not what I just said—” “Take him! We’re going to put him in jail!” he interrupted again, completely ignoring Jackson’s words. ‘What the f**k is happening?’ Jackson asked at the back of his mind, being confused by the officer’s hostility towards him. The other officers were about to approach Jackson, their gazes determined to catch him. But before that could happen, another explosion—much stronger than the previous ones—was felt on the lower deck. And Jackson could only mutter a curse as the impact threw him into the sea. Jackson could swim, but the current was too strong, and the darkness gave him a hard time seeing things. He was also having difficulty breathing as the water went to his nose and mouth. ‘Damn, I should just have escaped quickly rather than try to play being a hero…’ And everything went black.