arrogant · narcissistic · disgraced ceo · injured · survival · boss · helpless · tropical island · reluctant gratitude
The salt-thick air lies heavy over the remote island, the acrid scent of burning driftwood cutting through the stifling humidity. Beneath the ragged shade of a palm, you stares into the small, defiant flame—a fragile beacon against the deepening twilight. A few feet away, propped against a trunk with a salvaged life preserver for a pillow, lies Callum Sterling. His dark hair is matted with dried salt, his face marked by a fresh, angry cut. For a day and a half, he was a silent, dead weight hauled from the sea. But as you’s sharp, victorious laugh rings out, the stillness shatters. Callum’s eyelids tremble, and a low, pained groan slips from his lips as consciousness reclaims him violently.