After a good rest, Echo stretched and rubbed her stomach. It was already past noon, and she looked up at Ryan, saying, “Boss, I’m hungry.”
Once she got some food in her, Echo was back to her energetic self. She seemed like a totally different person from the exhausted one she’d been on the boat. She completely ignored the injury on her arm, moving around with so much energy that it almost felt like she was on vacation instead of surviving a near-death experience.
“You don’t seem worried or scared at all,” Michael said as he saw Echo helping the shaken Ivy stretch on the shore. He walked up, shaking his head.
The Dark family wasn’t scared because they were well-trained, but the look on his research team’s faces when they heard the island might be dangerous? He didn’t want to even think about it. But Echo? She was jumping around, taking care of Ivy like everything was fine.
Echo didn’t even look up as she rubbed Ivy’s bruised arm. “What’s there to be worried or scared about? We deal with whatever comes. The danger’s already passed, so what’s left to be afraid of?”
Michael raised an eyebrow. “So, you’re not worried because you trust Ryan to get you out of here and protect you?”
Echo finally looked up, locking eyes with Michael as she gave a small smile. “No, I trust Ryan to protect me, but I also believe that apart from water, there’s no place where I’m weaker than any of you. I can take care of myself. I’m not a burden-if I were, I wouldn’t be able to even stand by Ryan’s side, let alone be here today.”
Without Ryan, she’d been doing just fine all these years. People in both the underworld and the upper crust knew her name, and while it wasn’t exactly a good reputation, it proved she hadn’t relied on Ryan to get where she was. She didn’t need anyone to hold her up.
And Michael seemed to have it all wrong. She’d been protecting Ryan just as much as he protected her-though it often came down to luck.
Michael looked at her, a bit taken aback, before slowly asking, “So what do you mean by that?”
Echo straightened up and met Michael’s gaze. Seeing his serious expression, she matched it. “What I mean is, since we can’t predict the danger, being afraid won’t help. Keeping a clear head is the best way to handle things right now.”
Michael raised an eyebrow. “You’re really not worried?”
Echo shot him a glance. “Why would I be worried?” she said with a smirk. “I came from environments worse than this, though maybe not with this level of danger. But that doesn’t mean my past was easy. I’ve always had to face situations like this, and I’ve adapted.”
“And you know, you shouldn’t just wonder why my boss trusts me. You should think about why I’m standing by his side, earning his trust. You know what Ryan is like, right? His judgment is never off. If I couldn’t adjust my mindset in a situation like this, what use would I be? I haven’t been floating around for nothing all these years. This isn’t something you’d get with your family background.”
With that, she raised an eyebrow, bent down, and began massaging Ivy’s temples to help calm her down.
A flicker of light flashed in Michael’s eyes. He wasn’t going to say much more, but just the way Echo had handled everything-being calm and unshaken, even knowing how dangerous it was-was something rare. He didn’t have many people around him like that, and here was someone who had slipped right past him. He couldn’t help but feel frustrated.
After a moment, Michael lowered his voice and said, “Echo, I-”
“We’re not on the same page,” Echo interrupted without looking up, her tone slow but firm. “And I love Ryan.”
She was blunt, straightforward, and there was no room for doubt in her voice.
Ivy, still rattled by her fear, suddenly lifted her head and asked, “You understand now?”
Echo flashed a small smile at Ivy and said, “Yeah, I understand. For me, loving someone isn’t about being together forever-it’s about not wanting to lose them. And the one person I don’t want to lose in this life is Ryan.”
That kiss underwater had made her realize something. Love wasn’t about all the twists and turns, all the complicated definitions-it was about not wanting to let go. The thought of losing Ryan? She couldn’t even imagine it.
Ivy gave a weak smile and said, “Congrats. But your road ahead might be long and tough. Mr. Ryan is heartless.”
Echo tilted her head. “I don’t think he’s heartless, Ivy. You don’t need to worry about me. I know him better than anyone else.”
Loving Ryan might come with struggles, but she didn’t see it as a burden.
Michael could hear the finality in Echo’s rejection, and while it stung, he knew deep down that this was how it was always going to be. There was something between Echo and Ryan, something that no one could break through. Even when things were at their darkest, Michael had tasted that bitterness himself.
“You might understand him better than we do, but I know Mr. Ryan. He doesn’t understand love,” Michael said, his tone calm but filled with a certain sadness.
He wasn’t trying to break anything up-he just stated the truth, a truth that everyone knew.
Echo smiled slightly. “If he doesn’t understand, then so what? It doesn’t matter. Not understanding doesn’t make something worse. And understanding doesn’t necessarily make it better. True feelings come from here,” she said, pointing to Michael’s heart.
Suddenly, Michael got it. He understood why Echo and Ryan were drawn to each other. It was because both of them were genuine-so straightforward with their emotions.
What was love anyway? People used words like “like” or “love,” but saying those things didn’t necessarily mean you understood what they meant. You didn’t have to say everything to understand it.
Michael looked at Echo with a mix of complexity in his eyes. Maybe she understood this better than he did. What mattered was that the two hearts were in sync, not that you could explain everything with words.
“Echo,” Ryan’s cold voice cut through the air.
Echo raised an eyebrow. Ryan only called her like that when he was angry.
What had she done wrong now? She turned to look at him.
Ryan strode toward her with a hard expression, his gaze sweeping over Michael for a moment before glaring at Echo. She quickly glanced over herself, trying to figure out what had upset him.
Before she could pinpoint anything, Ryan was right in front of her. He reached out, grabbed her waist, and pulled her in, holding her tightly.
Echo’s mouth twitched, and before she could say anything, Michael suddenly reached out and grabbed her hand, which was pointing at his heart, raising an eyebrow at Ryan. “Mr. Ryan, your behavior is disrespectful to Echo. She’s still talking to us.”
“Let go,” Ryan’s voice turned cold, and his eyes flashed with murderous intent as he shot a glare at Michael.
Michael raised his head and smiled. “Echo didn’t say anything to stop me. Mr. Ryan, I don’t think you should be interfering with your subordinates’ personal matters, right? Do you treat Hawk and the others like this too? Shouldn’t you mind your own business over such small things? Or is it that you treat Echo differently? You’re going to make a fuss over something so minor?”
Ivy, who had been listening, gave Michael a surprised glance.
Ryan’s eyes flashed dangerously as he glanced at Echo. Once she understood, she wasn’t dumb enough to miss what Michael was saying. Seeing the murderous look on Ryan’s face, Echo grinned at him and turned her head, casually pulling her hand free from Michael’s grip.
“This is my business,” she said coolly.
Ryan tightened his hold around Echo’s waist and turned to leave, brushing past Michael. As they did, Ryan coldly said, “This is my business.”
It was the exact same response, in the exact same tone as Echo’s.
Watching Ryan walk away with her, Michael shook his head but didn’t say anything.
Ryan was proud and domineering, and so was Echo. Whatever was going on between them was something only they understood-no one else needed to know. He was still just an outsider, an outsider in Echo’s eyes, at least.
“Are you helping Echo?” Ivy asked Michael quietly, not quite believing it.