1 Just because my wife’s new favorite, Jack, wanted to see some jet ski action, Isabel planned the entire company retreat at a secluded resort on the Atlantic coast. Jack suggested a jet ski race for everyone, but having just had a liver transplant, all I wanted was to go back to the hotel and rest. Isabel flew into a rage. "It's just one race. Are you really going to humiliate me in front of the whole company?" Shaking with anger, I slammed my fist against the jet ski. "Have you forgotten how precious this new liver is?" Isabel froze for a second, then immediately softened, handing me a thermos of warm broth. "I'm sorry, Neo. I wasn't thinking. I'll take you back." But when I woke up again, I found myself strapped to a jet ski, floating over a bed of massive, jagged reefs. The next second, Jack gunned the engine. I was flung into the churning waves, my body half-submerged in the violent sea. Choking on saltwater, I frantically pressed the emergency button on my watch. "Dad," I gasped into the device, "get the Coast Guard to lock down this entire area. Someone is trying to kill me, and I want them to pay." 2 Jack just laughed, turning to Isabel. "So, what's Neo's dad do? He sounds like a big shot!" Isabel didn't answer, but her assistant doubled over with laughter. "His dad's just a retired old man. Spends his days bird-watching in the park." She even mimicked looking through a pair of binoculars. The group on the shore erupted in laughter. Jack wrapped an arm around Isabel's waist, looking smug. "He only had a liver transplant, not brain surgery. Why's he starting to talk nonsense?" "Oh, let's just get him back," he added with false concern. "We wouldn't want to actually scare him to death." Isabel chimed in immediately. "See how kind and considerate Jack is? Not like some people, who get one little surgery and act like a total princess." I gripped the jet ski’s handlebars, ignoring their mockery. Massive waves crashed over me, making the machine buck violently. Nausea rose in my throat. The safety strap dug into my incision, but I could only grit my teeth and hold on. I clung to the handles, screaming toward the shore. "Isabel! I just had surgery! My wound hasn't healed! This is dangerous!" A wave slapped me across the face. "Don't you remember? I'm terrified of the water!" The memory flooded back. A college trip to the beach. Isabel had been collecting shells and was swept away by a rogue wave. Without a second thought, I had jumped in, fighting the current to drag her back to shore. I remember her kneeling on the sand, drenched and sobbing, clinging to my hand like a child. "Neo, you saved my life! I swear I'll spend the rest of my life making it up to you. I'll never let anything bad happen to you!" After that day, I developed a crippling phobia of water. I couldn't even get into a bathtub. The vow from that day echoed in my ears, a bitter, hollow joke. Now, I was helpless, tossed about by the waves, while the woman I had saved was laughing in another man's arms on the shore. I felt like my heart was going to beat its way out of my chest. Isabel’s face grew darker, clearly furious that my "uncooperative" behavior was embarrassing her. Jack quickly wrapped an arm around her waist, smoothing things over. "Oh, come on. Neo's just a little timid! A few more practice runs and he'll get the hang of it! You're always saying how capable he is, just that he lacks a young man's nerve. Today's the perfect chance for him to learn!" Jack's fawning words made my stomach churn. Ever since Jack joined Isabel’s company, he had become her gold standard for what a "real man" should be. Day after day, she'd lecture me: "Look at how amazing Jack is! He's a shark at work and knows how to handle people. You should learn from him!" She seemed to have forgotten that when she was chasing me, she used to say, "I love how calm and quiet you are. You're not like those other macho guys." Now, all my supposed virtues had become flaws that needed fixing. Another wave slammed into the jet ski, throwing me violently. The machine pitched forward, and my chest crashed into the hard console. A sharp, blinding pain shot from my chest through my entire body. "Aaargh—" I screamed, a cold sweat instantly drenching me. My hands trembled as I tried to steady the machine, but another monster wave hit, nearly flipping it vertical. 3 Isabel's colleagues stood on the shore, smirking as they yelled out to me. "Hey, boss! Isn't this exciting? Having fun?" "Wow, you're so brave for a first-timer! Amazing!" Jack, still clinging to Isabel's arm, called out in a sickeningly sweet voice, "How's it feel, Neo? Isn't it just the best?" Isabel stared at me with cold disgust. "It's the same thing at every company event. It's either too sunny or too tiring. Now we give you a chance to have some fun and you act like a coward. You'll never fit in." She turned to Jack. "See? This is the difference. The first time you tried this, you were fearless. Not a buzzkill like him." Jack sighed with faux sympathy. "Oh, well. Maybe he's just a little timid. But that won't do. There are plenty more company events to come. He can't just hide in his hotel room every time, can he?" The pain in my wound was a twisting agony, like a knife being turned in my gut. A warm liquid, my own blood, trickled from the incision, mixing with the seawater. Every jolt tore at the stitches, the pain so intense that my vision started to black out. I stretched a trembling hand toward the shore, my voice a hoarse rasp. "Isabel, stop it! I don't know how to drive this! Which one is the brake?! My stomach... it hurts so much. The stitches are going to tear!" My face was as white as a sheet, my body soaked in a cold sweat. But Isabel just watched, a mocking smile playing on her lips. Jack hesitantly tugged on her arm. "Maybe we should stop? He is injured, after all. If this keeps up, something bad might really happen." He pretended to plead for me, but a smirk he couldn't control danced on his lips, his eyes gleaming with malicious delight. Isabel snorted. "He's scared now? Where was this attitude earlier? He needs to be taught a lesson, get that stick out of his ass! Always acting so high and mighty." Another wave crashed down, slamming me against the edge of the jet ski. A jolt of pain made my vision go black, and I could feel warm blood gushing from the wound. Jack's eyes lit up. He clapped his hands together. "This is getting boring just watching!" He pulled several high-pressure water guns from a bag. "Let's play a game! Whoever hits Neo with the water gun gets a big reward!" "A thousand dollars for a shot to the chest!" he added excitedly. The colleagues around him cheered and eagerly grabbed the water guns. 4 Weakly, I looked at them and pleaded with Isabel one more time. "Isabel... you make me those special broths every day to help me heal. You said we'd go hiking as soon as I was better." Cold sweat and tears streamed down my face. "Last week, at my check-up, the doctor said the transplant was a success. You said you'd take me to see the Grand Canyon once I recovered." Isabel's expression darkened, and her voice softened. "Maybe we should stop? This game is stupid anyway." She turned away, avoiding my gaze, her tone uncertain. "Let's play something else?" Jack threw his water gun down, his face thunderous. "Isabel! What is this? You're backing out on me again?" He kicked the water gun on the ground. "Forget it! And you can forget about the company's bid this year, too!" Isabel panicked, grabbing his wrist. "No, no, no, I was just talking." She forced a placating smile. "Let's keep playing, okay? We'll keep playing." Jack shook her off, his eyes narrowing. "Forget it! I'm not in the mood anymore!" He turned to leave. Isabel, her forehead beaded with sweat, rushed to hug him from behind. "Jack, don't be like this." She cooed at him, completely forgetting about me, still stranded in the sea. The twisting pain in my wound intensified. I could feel my life slipping away. Isabel quickly pulled out the keys to a luxury sports car she had prepared. "Baby, don't be mad. I bought this just for you!" Jack's eyes lit up, but he still played hard to get. "Is this really for me?" "Of course, it's for you!" Isabel quickly had someone bring the car around. "It's the one you wanted!" Jack caressed the keys, finally smiling. "Now, that's more like it." He shot a smug glance at me, still adrift in the water. "So... is the game back on?" Isabel took the hint immediately, eager to please. "Of course! We'll play however you want!" She turned and shouted at me, "Did you hear that? You better cooperate!" The pain in my abdomen was so severe I could barely speak. On the shore, the two of them had already picked up their water guns again, ready for the next round of their "game." High-pressure streams of water shot toward me. The icy jets hit my wound, and the pain sent a wave of blackness over my eyes. "Isabel! Why?" I curled into a ball on the jet ski, my voice a ragged whisper. "Why are you doing this to me?" Isabel glanced back impatiently. "What do you know! Jack is the heir to the Sterling Corporation! If I make him happy, his father will throw some money our way, and our company can finally go public!"
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