Chapter 2 - Into the Deep
The heavy crash of seawater and Chloe’s muffled scream echoed upward, freezing the laughter of forty elite guests on the yacht’s aft lounge.
Arthur Vance turned instantly, his piercing blue eyes scanning the lower deck with the trained instincts of a man who commanded an empire.
Fifty-two years old, tall, broad-shouldered, and effortlessly commanding in his tailored white linen shirt and navy trousers, Arthur sensed danger before anyone spoke.
His eyes landed on Victoria standing alone at the edge of the swim platform, her hands resting calmly on the safety rail where his daughter should have been.
Then he heard the thrashing in the water below and the desperate, choked gasp of someone fighting against the undertow of the twin propeller wash.
"Chloe!" Arthur roared, a sound torn from the deepest marrow of a father’s soul that silenced every whisper on the vessel.
He did not look for a ladder, nor did he hesitate to shed his luxury wristwatch or his brown leather boat shoes.
Arthur charged across the deck at a dead sprint, knocking aside a crystal cocktail cart that shattered into hundreds of sparkling fragments.
Victoria turned with feigned shock, raising her manicured hands to intercept him, but Arthur shoved past her with explosive force that sent her staggering.
Without breaking stride, the billionaire launched his powerful muscular frame off the low swim platform and dived straight into the ocean.
His body cut through the churning surface like a missile, leaving an eruption of white water that soaked the stern and the spectators leaning over the rails.
Underneath the surface, the golden sunset filtered down through crystal-clear turquoise waters in dancing ribbons of brilliant light.
Arthur opened his eyes against the sting of the salt and saw the pale-blue fabric of Chloe’s summer dress drifting toward the dark shadows of the reef.
He kicked with relentless power, driving his arms through the ocean currents until his hands caught the back of her soaked dress.
Chloe was thrashing weakly, her chestnut waves floating like seaweed around her face as tiny silver bubbles escaped her pale lips.
Arthur wrapped his strong arm securely beneath her shoulders and pulled her upward, driving with all his strength toward the shimmering ceiling of the surface.
They broke into the humid air together in an explosion of spray, Arthur coughing as he hoisted Chloe’s head and chest clear of the sea.
Chloe choked violently, spitting out mouthfuls of brine, her trembling fingers instantly digging into the soaking wet fabric of her father’s linen shirt.
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"I’ve got you, sweetheart, I’ve got you!" Arthur gasped, his voice shaking with fierce protective rage as he kept her buoyant against his chest.
High above them, Victoria stepped away from the railing with hurried, nervous strides, casting a frantic glance back before vanishing down the private gangway.
