Chapter 216

A deafening crack of thunder split the air as a monstrous wave slammed against the yacht's hull. The violent impact sent Vivian and Maxwell tumbling across the bed. Simultaneously, the storm wrenched the adjacent window open, unleashing a torrent of wind and rain into the cabin.

Vivian's eyes lit up with sudden hope at the sight of the gaping window. She immediately began inching her bound body toward the potential escape route.

Maxwell staggered as dizziness overwhelmed him. When his vision cleared, he saw Vivian already halfway out the window, poised to jump into the raging sea.

"Vivian!" Maxwell bellowed, his voice raw with panic as he lunged forward to stop her.

With one decisive motion, Vivian threw herself through the window frame. Maxwell's desperate grab only caught empty air as his fingertips grazed her ankle a second too late.

The yacht pitched violently, thwarting his attempt to regain balance or pull her back. Helpless, he could only watch in horror as Vivian's silhouette disappeared into the stormy darkness.

"Where the fuck is everyone?" Maxwell roared, smashing the emergency button repeatedly. "Get in here now, goddamn it!"

Within seconds, a team of security personnel burst into the room, struggling to maintain footing as the yacht rocked dangerously. Seawater and rain poured through the shattered window, soaking everything in sight.

"Mr. Sterling, it's too dangerous here," one guard shouted over the storm. "We've prepared a secure location—"

Maxwell backhanded two guards mid-sentence. "Secure location? Are you out of your minds? She just jumped! Find her! Do you have any idea what I sacrificed to get her here?"

Despite their stinging cheeks, the guards remained professional. "Sir, we're near the propellers. Even if she survived the fall, the currents would have—"

Another guard added, "The storm's intensifying. Search efforts are impossible right now. Our priority must be your safety."

A third chimed in, "Mr. Sterling, it's just one woman. The shareholders will have our heads if anything happens to you."

Maxwell clutched Vivian's abandoned shoe so tightly his knuckles turned white. He'd been so close. If only he'd dealt with those guards personally instead of dismissing them...

After a tense silence, Maxwell growled through clenched teeth, "Get my coat."

One quick-thinking guard snatched the shoe and hurled it out the window, eliminating the last physical trace of Vivian from the yacht.

The storm raged on as Maxwell was escorted to safety, his expression darker than the thunderclouds overhead.