TRIGGER WARNING! ⚠

YOU WILL GET THE ICK

PROCEED WITH CAUTION

Captain Alex roamed the green streets of the town as his cape danced in the wind. His shoulders slumped, the sun glaring at him on his marine hat, shadowing his eyes while he thought of the woman of his dreams. His mind clouded like a stormy night, envisioning the moments with Rue; a wide grin spread across his face, cheeks on fire, and droopy eyes. His thoughts were going haywire.

"Alex, I never realized how nice you were to me," Rue's lashes batted, eyes low while she fiddled with her fingers. Her silver curls released from the holds of an elastic, set free and untamed. In a white dress, a strap hanging from her shoulder, cleavage exposing her firm chest. Her juicy thighs exposed a full view of her long legs. Slowly, she traced an ebony finger on his chest, creating random patterns. His body heated up from her touch, "Can you ever forgive me?"

She grabbed Alex's cheek, gently caressing it. Shivers travelled down his spine as her breath fanned his ear in a whisper, "You will forgive me, right, Captain?"

His grin widened at the scene playing like a movie about the numerous possibilities. A woman as beautiful as Rue should be under his arm; the best man deserved nothing less. She was an exquisite beauty; she had a child stuck to her like glue was unfortunate. After all, he possessed wealth, a career and a handsome face. What more would a woman need in a man?

Though he received many rejections, he persisted in winning her affection. In his mind, if he kept pursuing her restlessly, eventually, she would yield to his advances.

With the sun still high in the sky, he strolled past a shop adored with blooming flowers. Diverse in type and creed, the flowers flourished, decorating the shop with its sweet fragrances. The vibrance displayed the beauty of nature for the world to admire. He abruptly halted in his tracks and rotated towards the shop. As he entered, the door creaked, causing the bell to jiggle. At the sound, a man behind the counter greeted him warmly.

"One bouquet!" Alex ordered, slapping the money on the counter. The coins clung and rotated intensively until they came to a halt and rested flat on the wooden counter.

The older male chuckled, "Tis the third one this week," he gently plied up, slowly embracing them with a thick string to form a bow. He wrapped them in a thick paper, tying it with a bow. "What's this, " the owner chuckled, a teasing glint in his eyes as he lifted his gaze to the captain, "Thee tenth rejection?" A boisterous laugh left the shop owner's throat as Alex snatched the bouquet from his hold, fuming while stomping away.

As he continued, his mind replayed his first attempt at swaying Rue—the moment he first saw such a beautiful woman.

His breath hitched as if he had forgotten how to breathe. The world stopped, and the passerby's voices muffled while he no longer felt the brush of the whistling winds. His eyes lingered on her form as he stood next to her. In front of a fruit stand, notepad in hand, she picked up the apple offered by the owner. Her delicate fingers traced the fruit, eyes piercing it as she observed its firm figure. Alex's eyes trailed her every move, not missing a beat. He watched as she chewed on the nail of her thumb while her brows furrowed in confusion, wondering about the trigger for the beauty to become too anxious.

With a click, she jotted down a few notes on her notepad. He leaned in a bit, pretending to reach for the other juicy green apples near, but in reality, he attempted to steal a glimpse of what she noticed. Putting her pad back in her bag that clung to her shoulders, she gave the owner a polite smile, "5 apples, please."

The captain's heart melted, trembling at her seraphic voice. Redness flushed his cheeks, wondering what she would sound like calling his name; the thought of it set his heart a flame as determination flourished within him.

He needed her; he must have her.

In a daze, the owner flushed from his distraction and quickly went to work. He placed her apples in plastic bags. The shop owner was young, yet his pacing from his frequent glances at the beauty slowed him down. He became as slow as a turtle for the mysterious woman to remain a second longer at the store. The scent of the salt, yet a tinge of sweetness, evoked butterflies in his stomach.

Alex couldn't blame the young man for his reaction. The woman's presence alone made heads turn. The simple scent of the sea, yet from her, it became as sweet as honey dripping from a hive. Aqua specks melt the highest peak of ice at her gaze alone.

The woman paid the owner and said farewell, leaving the man back in la la land. Alex glared at him and followed the woman, tailing after her. As he walked down the earthy path of the bustling streets, he glared at every male who dared admire his woman, ensuring they got the gist of his menacing gaze.

His cape flowed behind him with the words "JUSTICE" written in big letters at the back as he chased after her like a puppy scurrying after their master. His frown deepened as he watched other men flock to her. The woman kept giving them a bow in apology as she rejected their advances. However, his threatening aura made them cease their pursuit of the woman.

Eventually, she suddenly stopped to Alex's confusion. She spun on her heel and collided with his chest; he quickly caught her in his arms, preventing her from escaping. His temperature rose at her porcelain eyes gazing up at him; he missed how her brows furrowed slightly from the closeness. He allowed her to create distance between them but still held her wrist.

"Sorry," the silver-haired woman began, her gaze lingering on his firm grip on her wrist, then met his glimmering specks of blue."Can you please release my arm?" She asked in a polite yet firm tone.

Not wanting to scare her off, Alex loosened his grip but didn't let her go. "I'm sorry; I just couldn't let a beautiful woman escape from me so easily." He ended with a charming smile, his teeth twinkling in the sunlight. He mentally patted himself on the back for his smooth pickup line.

Rue kept her smile; the smile on her lips set his heart aflame again. "I'm in a hurry,"  she attempted to pull away, but this tightened his grip on her wrist, "Please, let go." She kept tugging her arm to release herself from his grasp but to no avail.

Instead, she flinched as he glided his fingers down her wrist until he reached her fingertips. With quickness, his lips made contact with the back of her hand, "I'm Alex, the captain of this island's marine base."

The mysterious woman kept her polite nature, "I'm Rue," Her eyes kept darting around the area. Searching for something in the sea of people that began to gather around them. Her gaze landed back on him, "I'm a bit busy at─"

"Today is your lucky day," Alex interrupted her," I will make you my woman," he proclaimed, his lips lifted into a smirk, proud at his display.

The beauty remained silent for a moment, only a few whispers from the few passersby that watched, and the bustling shops filled the atmosphere. Some stayed to watch the interaction of the two, many men sighing in sadness at the thought of the beauty being taken. Though the captain is known for his looks and money, everyone knew the one golden rule for the marine captain.

No one could say no. What the captain wants, the captain will get.

Meanwhile, Alex concluded she might be too flustered to respond to his proclamation. Therefore, she must be speechless. He mentally danced as he knew he got the young wrapped around his finger. He didn't consider how her eyes flickered or how she gripped her dress's fabric. Eventually, Rue gently removed her hand from his, "That won't be possible." The small group of people that formed to watch the spectacle let out a small gasp at her words. The captain raised a brow at her response.

No one, no woman, has ever told him no. Not ever.

Alex gave his crush a weary smile, trying to swallow the burning anger down his throat. "May I ask why?" His gaze remained on Rue, searching for anything in her eyes; a small glint appeared, making him almost forget her rejection. In awe, the group of people kept their eyes on her. Rue picked up the comments made throughout their whispers.

"Is she crazy?" One whispered, eyes glaring at the silver-haired woman. "He's gorgeous."

"And rich."

Alex kept his eyes on her as his ears picked up the comments. His lips smirked at the frown on Rue's features, thinking she might reconsider his offer. However, he noticed her eyes kept glancing around, searching for something. He raised a brow at her actions. Suddenly, a small rushed through the sea of people and crashed near the foreign woman. She wrapped her little arms around the woman's legs, embracing her gleefully. The small crowd's eyes widen at the appearance of the little girl. Rue picked her up, placing an arm under her backside and a hand on her back to secure the child's position.

"You found me," Rue said with a closed smile as she rubbed Aisha's back.

"I win!" Aisha giggled, wrapping her small arms around her mother's neck.

Alex watched the two interact, his eyes scanning back and forth between Rue and the child. Noticing the distinct features between them, he rubbed a hand under his chin and asked, "You have a little sister?"

He missed the glint in her eyes that emerged, but vanished like a spirit that left its host; soon, her lips went back into a polite smile, "She's my daughter."

A breeze, the only sensation from the frozen crowd, a pin could drop, and the world would hear it after what came out of the woman's mouth. At that, Rue excused herself and left with her child, who babbled to her mother. Her steps emitted in the stunned crowd going them a gasp. Though not a word left their mouths, they all knew for that moment they thought the same thing, "She has a child!?"

Alex sucked his teeth at the memory. The humiliation of her rejection left a stronger desire to win Rue's love. He kept pursuing her, knowing she would reject him once again. She would have to return his feelings one way or another. Though the child's appearance was a shock to everyone, however, the little obstacle was in the way of his goal. He would ship her off to some school, away from her mother, to have her all to himself.

She would love him one way or another. Whether she liked it or not.

"Captain Alex!" The man snapped out of his trance by three giggling women that rushed in his direction. He raised a brow at their flushed cheeks, hunching over as they tried to catch their breaths, "D-do you remember us?" They asked, their eyes blooming with hope at the thought of the man they admired immensely to notice them.

Alex tilted his head as he crossed his arms, the bouquet of roses gripped into his hand under his elbow. His mind recollected any information on the women that smiled gleefully at him. Once again, their cheeks gained a red hue from his blues specks roaming on their body, studying them.

The blondies are identical in the colour of their hair to their attire. Pale cheeks stretched out into shy smiles. Emerald eyes gazed at him in admiration. Their bust was exposed, sleeves slipping from their shoulders, each in different coloured dresses hugging their curves.

"No," He answered, taking off his hat for his dark curls as a small gust made waves through it. "Have you seen Rue?"

The three women's faces fell at his response, but they didn't give up. Small delicate fingers gripped his wrist, "I'm Paulette!" the youngest smiled, hair in a low ponytail tied in a green bow. "These are my older sisters, Laurette and Claudette." Each of them gave him their best charming smiles.

Alex stared blankly at the triplets, "Don't waste my time." He shook Paulette's hand away from his wrist, "I will ask again, where is she?"

The sisters frowned once again at the man's dismissal of their presence. Ever since Rue, the new girl's appearance on the island, it was as if the captain was trapped in a trance as if under a spell. They watched from the shadows the man they had their affections for become so enticed, entranced by the silver-haired woman like a siren enchanting every man at sea.

"You know she has a kid," Claudette told him, resentment in her voice as she clenched the fabric of her red dress. Laurette's green specks softened at her sister's tone while she rubbed Claudette's back in a circular motion in comfort. Though the triplets loved Alex, Claudette's love for him was the deepest compared to herself and Paulette.

They've─Claudette has known him longer. She has loved him longer. Yet, here he was, the man who conquered her affection after another woman he had just met. He attempted to seize the impossible, but Claudette knew attaining the impossible was something Alex enjoyed most.

A good challenge would always set his heart aflame. Once he began a conquest, putting the flames within him was unachievable.

She understood Rue's beauty wasn't an everyday occurrence, but usually, when a woman already had a child, her chances with men went down the drain. He had many women who were more than willing to be his wife. Of all the women on the island, why did it have to be her? Why a woman with a child? Laurette rubbed her temple, brows rising in worry at her eldest sister's situation.

"B-besides, she's busy with other men," Paulette exclaimed, her sisters nodding, "We saw it with our own eyes." She mentally patted herself on the shoulders; surely, the thought of her being with another man allowed him to give up. Her eyes sparkled at his frozen form, thinking the captain finally realized the woman wasn't who he thought she was.

Instead, she created a bigger mess.

In a quick motion, the fluff of the discarded flowers hit the earth's soil as Alex's hands gripped her shoulder. Her smile dropped, and Paulette's eyes widened in fear at his furious gaze. The sun was completely hidden by Alex's stature, making his gaze seem colder. Her sister tried to pry his hands away, yet shoved them to the ground.

Their shaken ashen green met furious specks of blue. The more he squeezed her pale skin, the redder she became. The sun's heat couldn't dominate Alex's wrath that seethed through him. The triplets have never seen this expression on his face before, not once in their lives. His size towered over them like an enraged animal.

Alex's brows furrowed deeply, livid at the unthinkable. Rue and men shouldn't even be in the same sentence. The fact that she entertained other men didn't sit well with him. A surge of anger that he couldn't quite control.

"You must be mistaken..."He gritted his teeth, gripping Paulette tighter as her whole body shook at the ferocity of his rage. Rue was his woman; she couldn't meet another man besides himself. "You're lying!" Paulette flinched at his tone, a voice that promised violence would ensure if she pushed further. Glands of sweat began to build up on her forehead, glistening her skin.

Laurette's pupils shook, her golden attire now sullied with the road's dirt. Her eyes never left the interaction between Paulette and Alex. Poor Paulette rattled like a leaf, lips whimpering in silence while pools of tears brimmed through the surface at Alex's fiery gaze. Wheels turned in Laurette's head to form ways to get Paulette out of harm's way.

"It's true..." Laurette twisted her neck to her Claudette. Like her, Claudette's attire was riddled with the earth's soil as she stood to dust herself off. Calm and collected, Claudette's rosy lips tugged into a sweet smile. However, Laurette's pupil shook at what held beneath it. To others, her smile would be as sweet as candy, but they would never guess that such a smile would have a tinge of malice, "there's three of them; we saw them enter a restaurant─"

Not letting Claudette utter another word, Paulette yelped as Alex shoved her to the side, stomping away, leaving them with a concerned expression unnoticed. The sisters followed behind him in silence, unsure of what would occur next. The triplets mind's thinking the worst.

Paulette gulped, hoping that this time Alex would give up on Rue once and for all. Following close behind her, silently, Laurette prayed for her rival's predicament.

Paces away, a frown on her face, Claudette's mind began to fill itself with darkness. Her heart clenched at the thought of the man she loved being snatched away by another woman. She shook her head at the thought of it. She would never let that happen.

The glow and lush of her green eyes soon became a dark emerald. Her specks were as murky and icky as poison, just like the thoughts consumed her. She would never let him be taken from her, not ever!

And she will make sure of that.

꧁꧂꧁꧂꧁꧂꧁꧂꧁꧂꧁꧂

Since you made it through to the end without throwing up...Guess who Alex represents...

Hint: The title of this book!

I hope you enjoyed reading this chapter! Let me know what you guys think in the comments! XD