Chapter 404


    Time rewound, transporting us back a year...


    That day, when Hector took a bullet meant for Jonas that was fired by the crazed Lucius, the world teetered on the brink of


    disaster. He tumbled towards the churning sea, only to be caught at thest second by Magnus'' firm grip.This is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    But Lucius, in his madness, wouldn''t let them be. He kicked at their hands with a cruelty that was chilling and even contemted


    dragging Magnus into the abyss with Hector.


    With a desperate move, Hector released his grip on life, pulling Lucius down with him into the icy embrace of the ocean below.


    As he fell, he heard Natalia''s cries—desperate, filled with an anguish that wed at his heart. Hector managed a smile as he


    plunged into the waves. If his departure from this world could cause Natalia such sorrow, if it could carve a memory of him into


    her heart, then perhaps his end was worth something. And then, the cold sea swallowed him, tossing him like a leaf in the wind,


    until consciousness slipped away.


    When he awoke, he was surprised to find himself not dead but cast ashore on a beach littered with pebbles, carried far


    downstream to a secluded isle in the northern reaches of Europe, far from the Hawaiian turmoil where his fate had turned.


    Clueless and spent, Hector had no idea who he was or where he had ended up. All he knew was that warmth was fading from


    his body, and as thest breath of heat left his chest, death seemed imminent.


    The sun was a blinding presence above. Hector squinted skyward, feeling his eyelids grow heavy, closing slowly.


    Goodbye...


    Even though he didn’t know to whom he bid farewell, a boundless sadness filled him. He thought it was the end, but in thest


    second, before unconsciousness reimed him, he heard a voice exim, "Daddy, there''s someone lying over there!"


    The voice was so sweet and oddly familiar, like a melody buried deep within his soul, never to be forgotten. But he had no


    strength left to open his eyes or to see who spoke.


    The ind was a world unto itself, governed by a man named Jackson, who once ruled the seas with his illicit dealings. The


    ind had been a gift for his beloved wife, a sanctuary they sought after their daughter was born and his wife fell ill, passing too


    soon.


    To honor her memory, Jackson raised their daughter Helen on this ind, nurturing her with the same fierce love he had for her


    mother. Helen grew to be the spitting image of herte mother, blossoming into a radiant beauty at neen.


    On that day, as she prepared to apany Jackson on a sea venture, she spotted a body along the shore and called out to her


    father, "Daddy, | think there''s someone hurt over there."


    Without hesitation, Jackson ordered his men to retrieve the wounded Hector, whoy at death''s door from a gunshot wound.


    Noticing Hector''s critical state, Jackson waved a dismissive hand, ready to send him back to the sea''s depths. "He''s as good as


    dead. Toss him back," he grumbled.


    But Helen intervened, "Wait! Daddy, his chest is still moving; he''s not gone yet."


    Jackson pointed at Hector''s wounds. "See that? He''s been shot and soaked for too long. It''s unlikely he''ll make it. Best to throw


    him back, avoid the bad luck."


    “No! If he''s still breathing, then fate has given him a chance, and it''s cruel to just toss him back!" Helen protested, captivated by


    the handsome stranger from the moment sheid eyes on him.