The Secret Island
CHAPTER 29: Joe

Each day, there was a short period called 'private time' that both Martin and Celine could do anything they wanted without another person's presence. The time ranged from just one hour to three to four hours. Celine used it to call her friends or surf the internet. And Martin continued his reading hobby, checking emails and buying groceries. Or he tried to get in touch with his best friend who was hiding somewhere far and away.

After Celine went into the bedroom to call her friends, he got out the spare phone he had secretly bought. Martin got into a small empty storage room inside the villa to ensure there was no wiretap, any hidden camera, or microphone. One could never be too careful.

There were many things he had to do. However, there was no intensive work he had to do until the time Celine had to leave. But he had important matters to deal with, and one of them was talking to Joe.

A man who was hiding somewhere in this world and having in his possession one billion dollars. He was the man his company ordered a manhunt on to take back that money. Martin had to lead that manhunt with his family's safety at stake. He was told their safety was this mission's collateral.

He was constantly being threatened and living at risk.

But he wasn't stupid enough to blindly comply.

Joe built an encrypted international phoneline, so no one could detect our conversation.

It didn't take long for him to reach Joe.

"Hello, Martin, is the signal clear? Hello, hey, how are you, man? I can only talk for a short while. I have some work to do."

"I understand. I just want to ask about the progress on the plan we discussed."

"It's about 80% done. By next month, we should have the list of everyone we should help return their money. The evidence for discriminating those scumbags in court is also almost ready." The progress was massive from the last time we talked. And Martin still had concerns.

"Joe, next month will be too late. You have to work faster. We don't have that much time. They haven't given me that much time." His nervous tone triggered an equally nervous reply.

"They still force you to hunt me down, huh...." He asked tiredly.

"You are not much of the focus. They want me to do anything to get that one billion dollar back. And for you, being dead or alive doesn't matter."

"Wow, that cruel," Joe commented in a teasing tone. He was always like this, teasing those with authority and tempting fate.

Many months ago, they learned the brutality and inherent malevolence of the company they worked for. He did realize some ethical violations in the past but was not aware of other heinous crimes until then. So, they planned to steal the company's money, the only part that they knew for sure on accounts that were unjustly taken from the blood and suffering of many. The so-called 'acquisitions' for the slaves of greed. They did that for justice.

The justice made by their hands to atone for past sins.

Martin couldn't know if everything they had worked for and planned would work. He was still working for the company, after all. A spy work had never been easy, but they still trusted him. Meanwhile, Joe chose to blatantly stand his ground against the company. He had always been more courageous than him.

After witnessing the murder of that man, Martin couldn't continue working for the company in his full conscience.

He wasn't that lucky at first. A few hours after Joe disappeared with the money, Martin was called into the main executive meeting room for an investigation. He prepared for it well and had an alibi for everything. But for the sake of insurance, the meeting committee involved the safety of his parent-if he ever did anything out of the ordinary...

Therefore, he needed to be thorough, and they both had to be careful. In fighting with the devils, they needed to be careful.

"Do you get better from your conditions?" Joe asked. He told him about the recurring nightmares. He told Joe more than the therapist.

Joe was like his brothers. He told him everything, and this time, he told him about Celine.

"Not quite, but better, well, I met someone." Martin started but didn't know how to continue.

"Hmm? A girl?"

"Yeah."

"Are you dating someone?"

"Yes." He answered dryly.

"Whoa, even in a time like this, you can still find someone to be romantically involved with while I'm in hiding and lonely. I can't believe this!"

"There's nothing much really, that's all. I just want to give you a quick life update."

"Wait. Wait! You haven't told me anything. Are you serious about this girl? Just casually dating, or are you committed?"

"Yeah..."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Dude, come on! Spill!"

"Don't be cruel, man. She must be special. Otherwise, you wouldn't mention her. Just tell me, I'm all here alone, and I have nothing else to entertain me. Maybe your love life might help lift me up from this isolation and loneliness." "Alright! I will tell you once, and that's it." He told Joe from the beginning how they met. He smiled while thinking about the past few days. He told Joe about her; her enthusiasm for life, her lovely smile, her banter and quirks, her wits, and her feelings for him.

"But is she hot, though?" Joe cut the conversation short.

"Why do I have to tell you?" Martin frowned.

"Just tell me, how hot is she? Will you eventually introduce her to me someday?"

"She is leaving in five days." His voice turned solemn. Thinking of her face, he closed his eyes.

"We agreed to break up on the day she will leave the island."

"What? You are insane!"

"No, I'm not. It's a sensible thing to do. Holding on to the relationship is a crazy option. She deserves someone better. You know we have a mission to do. I might be killed by those people; I don't want her involved. She deserves someone better. Someone that can give her a future and take good care of her. Someday, she will forget me anyway...." He trailed off. His face was numb. His throat parched. Every word became more and more difficult. He tried to stop his voice and his hands from shaking.

"She will love someone else. Someone that will love and take care of her for the rest of her life. My only role in her life will be memories."

He recalled her smiles. She was like a sun in his dark winter, warm, and he depended on it as the only light as his compass. He wanted that to stay with him forever.

But he was a responsible man. And he knew that everything that happened couldn't be continued.

"Martin..."

"

"Martin, my man...answer me."

"Let's accomplish my mission," Joe said seriously.

"I will work even harder and finish everything faster, hopefully in two weeks' time, if I ignore sleeping. And once everything is all sorted, I hope you can see her again if you really love her. I want you to be happy. And you should let yourself be happy, too."

Joe had always been kind. But there was one word that caught his attention.

"Huh? I never say I love her. That romantic nonsense couldn't have happened to me. Who are you kidding?" He was irritated with the word and, meanwhile, feeling the heat on his face.

"Man, please don't insult my intellect. I heard you. I'm sure I heard you crying inside because you don't want to let her go. I think you have fallen in love with this girl."

"What?" He replied quietly in disbelief.

As if the world stopped spinning.

Martin's head became empty.

"Haha. You just realized it? No one knows when they first fall in love. Once they know it, they are already in too deep."

"You are not that difficult to read. If she isn't that special, you wouldn't tell me about this relationship in the first place. You are too careful. Just accept what you are feeling."

He didn't know what to say.

"You don't have to tell me anything. Just think about this. Are you hurt by just imagining her with someone else?"

He was quiet for a long while but eventually replied.

"Umm..." Joe took that as a yes and continued.

"Good. Then let's continue our path in taking down all those monstrous people, and I hope you can forgive yourself for all the sins you have committed. Then go back to the girl you love. I think that for her, you deserve to be more than just memories."

Martin smiled at that suggestion.

Someday, if he could fix everything, he would go back to her.

He promised himself that if he accomplished this mission, he would make her happy, and he would be there for her.

For Celine, he would be more than mere memories.