Chapter 3 A Wish

• Shannon's POV:
• Honestly, the moment I saw him toss out that lighter, I seriously regretted saving him.
• This guy's pure evil. I'm convinced now—he has to be part of some gang. No normal person would just sit there watching me struggle for hours trying to start a fire, only to pull out a lighter after the fire died out.
• What a jerk!
• I took a deep breath and told myself not to lose my temper, and not to shoot him. He was still useful, after all.
• Nightfall came quickly, and the temperature dropped even lower outside.
• The two of us lay on opposite sides of the cave. Thankfully, with the fire going, I managed to sleep relatively comfortably.
• Half-asleep, I started hearing strange noises. I woke up instantly and realized they were coming from his side.
• Through the flickering firelight, I could see that his face, already pale before, was now ghostly white. He was curled up, drenched in sweat.
• "Hey, b*stard, are you okay?"
• I walked over and poked his muscular arm, but there was no response.
• Could he be dying?
• He couldn't die now. He owed me one, and if he died, how was he supposed to repay that debt?
• I quickly checked his forehead. It was burning up.
• It was a fever, probably from his infected wound.
• Normally, a couple of amoxicillin pills would do the trick, but out here on this deserted island, it's hard enough to find food, let alone medicine.
• I had no choice but to try and bring his temperature down the old-fashioned way.
• Eventually, he stopped burning up, but then his whole body started trembling, and in a daze, he kept muttering that he was freezing.
• I dragged him closer to the fire, but it didn't help.
• "D*rn it!" I cursed under my breath.
• This guy can't die, not after all the trouble I went through to save him.
• In the end, I came up with only one solution: I took off my clothes and lay down, pressing myself against him to warm him up with my body heat.
• As much as I wanted to stay mad at him for messing with me earlier, saving his life was more important right now.
• They say saving someone brings you good luck. I could only hope that God would help me get back to the Stapletons and uncover the truth.
• Those people who came for me were out to kill me, which meant there was something wrong with the Stapletons.
• If it turned out my biological father was behind it, there was no way I'd go easy on him.
• As I held him tight, my mind wandered, and before I knew it, I drifted off to sleep.
• When I woke up again, I heard the sound of footsteps and voices outside the cave.
• Was there someone out there?
• I jolted awake, realizing I was covered with his jacket, but he was gone.
• I quickly got dressed and cautiously made my way toward the entrance of the cave.
• If it was the people chasing me, they were persistent, hunting me down to this deserted island.
• When I reached the cave entrance, I was greeted by the sight of a line of bodyguards dressed in black, and not far away, a helicopter was parked. The head bodyguard was speaking respectfully to that man.
• It seemed he heard me approaching, and he turned his head slightly to look at me.
• This was the first time I saw his face in the daylight. His features were sharp and handsome, with piercing green eyes that seemed to hold endless depth. He carried a commanding presence, and apart from still being a little pale, he looked no different from a regular person.
• His physical resilience was far beyond that of an average person.
• "You ... " I started to ask what was going on, but he cut me off, saying, "What do you want?"
• "Huh?" I blinked, confused by his question.
• Expressionless, he continued, "You saved my life, so I'll grant you one wish."
• When he said he'd grant me a wish, I was both excited and annoyed at the same time.
• I had saved his life, but his attitude was still so rude.
• "You have no manners. I saved your life yesterday, and you can't even say thank you properly?" I snapped.
• He looked at me, clearly surprised, and then his expression shifted to one of amused disbelief as if I was some kind of fool.
• With a cold laugh, he asked, "So your wish is just for me to say thank you?"
• "What?" I was taken aback. This guy was unbelievable at twisting things.
• I was fuming inside. Of course, I shouldn't have expected much from someone who's tied to a gang.
• They're all just a bunch of ungrateful idi*ts.
• Taking a deep breath, I forced myself to think clearly. My makeshift raft might not be enough to get me back to the harbor.
• "Listen carefully, b*stard! My wish is for you to take me to Nearburg."
• His eyes stayed locked on mine like he was waiting for me to say more, but honestly, that was all I wanted.
• "And?" he prompted.
• "That's it."
• He laughed, and I could even see his men struggling to hold back their amusement.
• I knew he was powerful, but I didn't know much about the forces backing him. There was no need to get too involved with him.
• All I wanted right now was to get off this d*mn island. Once I was off, I'd cut all ties with him.
• He gave me a look like I was some kind of idi*t, which only made me angrier.
• But I let it go. Getting off this island was more important than my bruised ego.
• The man turned and headed for the helicopter. I followed closely behind and climbed aboard.
• Three hours later, we were hovering over Nearburg.
• "That place, right?" he asked, pointing to a mansion on a sprawling estate below.
• "I think so ... " I didn't have any memories from my childhood, but I'd done my research on the Stapletons before coming back to the country.
• The estate originally belonged to the Morrises, but now it was part of my so-called father's empire. He hadn't bothered to look for me in the ten years I'd been missing.
• "Take her down," the man ordered into his headset. The pilot quickly responded, "Yes, Sir."
• I was finally home. Now I could start my investigation.