After lunch, I went back to the hotel for a quick rest. Around three, Edward sent someone to pick me up. When I arrived, he was relaxing on the yacht with a cup of coffee, surrounded by a few people who looked like his management team. As soon as they saw me, they all stood up and introduced themselves.
Edward lounged comfortably, a smile on his face as he looked at me. “If you’re planning to build your career here in Sandanyo, just let them know if you ever need anything.”
They immediately handed me their business cards. I glanced at them and couldn’t help but feel a bit shocked—these guys were all big shots, some from business, some from politics. ‘Maybe they really could help me out someday,’ I thought, accepting their cards with both hands as politely as I could.
“Let’s go see if we can reel in a big one today,” Edward said, finally getting up and strolling over to me.
“How’s the weather looking? We’re not expecting any rain, are we?” Edward shot a glance at the calm sea before turning to ask his team.
Edward’s assistant chimed in right away, “No rain in the forecast.”
Edward glanced sideways at me, leaned in and asked quietly, “Ever been fishing before?”
I pressed my lips together and just smiled, saying nothing.
Seeing me act all playful, Edward reached out and gave my cheek a gentle, teasing pinch. “Oh, looks like I’m already hooked on you.”
“Come on, I’m just a newbie,” I said with a laugh, swatting his hand away.
“Newbies sometimes get lucky and catch a big one,” Edward said, leading me toward the deck.
“It’d be great if I could actually catch a big fish,” I said, lounging against the railing. The sun was beating down, so I raised my hand to shield my face and looked at Edward. “But the big ones are always so sly—never easy to hook.”
Edward let the wind ruffle his hair as he stared out at the sea. “Sometimes, though, the big ones bite out of nowhere."
I didn’t feel like getting all philosophical with him, so I just tucked my hair behind my ear and said, “Teach me how.”
Edward smiled, lips curving, and nodded.
There were about four or five people with us on this trip, and once we left the city behind, everything got quiet. This must’ve been a private sea area—besides our boat, there were just a couple of other boats way off in the distance.
“Last time I was here, I caught a grouper. Wonder if I’ll get lucky again today,” Edward said casually.
Chapter 711
Everyone around him immediately chimed in with flattery, echoing his words with nothing but praise.
I suddenly remembered something Edward once told me—no one around him ever spoke the truth, all he ever got was empty flattery. Now, I kind of believe him. But that’s just how the world works, isn’t it? Who doesn’t want to be honest? But who actually dares?
Edward patiently walked me through the basics, even giving me a few pro tips from his own experience.
As soon as I dropped my hook in, I felt something bite. I reeled it up and, to my surprise, landed a pretty big yellow croaker. I nearly lost my grip on the rod—the fish was so strong, I thought it might drag me right overboard. Just then, Edward’s strong arm circled my waist, steadying me as he helped me reel it in. He laughed, “Looks like beginner’s luck! This one’s going to be delicious.”
I was honestly surprised—I always thought fishing was kind of dull, like you’d have to wait for hours just to maybe catch something.
“Sea fish are way more aggressive than freshwater ones. They’ll go for the bait as soon as they see it, which makes things a lot more exciting,” Edward explained softly.
But even with all his experience, Edward hadn’t caught a single fish in half an hour. His handsome face was starting to crack, and he turned to me with a grin, “Maybe it’s because I’ve got a mermaid by my side. The other fish are too intimidated to bite.”
“Quit messing around,” I said, my cheeks growing warm from his teasing.
Laughter rippled around us. I shot Edward a mock-annoyed look, but he just looked even more pleased with himself.
As our fishing trip was coming to an end, a dark cloud suddenly crept over the horizon. Weather out at sea is always weird—sometimes, all it takes is a butterfly flapping its wings and you’ve got a storm on your hands.
‘Reel it in, looks like rain’s coming,” Edward said, giving my arm a light tap and starting to reel in my line for me.
The cloud rolled in fast, and sure enough, rain started pouring down in no time. Thunder cracked, the wind was howling like crazy, but luckily, the yacht was big and sturdy enough that I actually felt pretty safe inside.
I pressed my face to the window, watching huge raindrops hammer the surface of the sea. For a moment, I felt strangely detached, like I’d slipped out of reality and was drifting somewhere far away.
The others had all moved to the far side of the yacht, leaving the lounge just for me and Edward—giving us the whole place to ourselves. I knew they’d done it on purpose. Seeing me lost in thought, Edward spoke softly to comfort me, “Don’t worry, it’s safe here. I’ve been through storms way crazier than this—once, I thought the wind would toss us right into the sea.”
Chapter 711
I glanced over at him, finding it hard to believe Edward was the kind of guy who’d actually take risks like that.
Just then, his assistant came over with a life jacket.
Edward immediately helped me into it, fastened the straps, checked everything over, and then finally pulled me into his arms. “Sorry, I thought this would be a romantic fishing trip—never thought we’d get caught in a downpour like this.”
I leaned in and kissed him on the cheek.
Edward froze for a moment, then looked down at me, a little stunned.
I smiled and said, “I actually like weather like this.”
“You like it when a storm’s coming?” Edward sounded surprised. “Really? I do too.”