Draco made arrangements for Diana's future and gave Diana enough money to start her life anew.
Diana didn't take the money; she simply thanked Draco and Hermione with the envelope containing the divorce papers.
However, just as Diana, guided by the crew, stepped down the gangway and onto the boardwalk leading to the connecting boats,
Suddenly, the roar of an engine echoed from the distant sea. A silver-gray private speedboat shot towards them like an arrow, cutting a white trail across the water.
With a clear objective, they sped toward the enormous cruise ship, eventually coming to a stop beneath it with a drift, right next to the small boat that was preparing to take Diana away.
On the speedboat stood a man, someone Diana thought she would never see again—that man was David.
David looked somewhat haggard, but his spirits were unusually high, and a strange light shone in his eyes. He waved frantically at Diana on the gangway and shouted loudly:
" Diana! It's me!"
Upon seeing David, Dian felt no joy, only coldness.
Seeing her stop, David became even more excited, shouting rapidly. His voice was somewhat ethereal in the sea breeze, but clear enough for those on deck and near the jetty to hear:
"All those things I said before were lies to that rich man!" David explained urgently. "I pretended to back down and sign the divorce papers to coax him into agreeing so we could get away!"
"He said as long as I sign and let go, he'll handle the rest! This was all a trap I set from beginning to end! Now we have money! He gave us a huge sum!"
"Let's take this huge sum of money and fly away! Let's find a place where nobody knows us, start over, and live a carefree and happy life!"
On the deck, Hermione and Draco also came out and stood by the railing, watching the farce below. Draco laughed:
"You're not just trying to scam the rich, you're trying to rip me off!"
"You think a rich man's money is so easy to swindle? If it weren't for Draco, that rich man definitely wouldn't have let you off so easily if you dared to pull this trick," Hermione thought with a cold laugh.
Hearing the voice, David looked towards Draco on the deck. He narrowed his eyes, sizing up the distinguished-looking young stranger, and asked in an unfriendly tone, "Who are you?"
Before Draco could speak, Diana decisively replied, "You don't need to know who he is, David, we're finished."
" Anna? What nonsense are you talking about!" David's excitement vanished. "How can we just end this relationship we've shared for so long? I came back so you'd understand my good intentions. Everything I've done is for our future!"
"For our future?" Diana laughed, a laugh filled with desolation and irony. "Your so-called 'good intentions' are to use me as a bargaining chip to trade with others? David, you can sell me once, and you can sell me a second time. I think you had this plan in mind from the very beginning when you brought me onto this ship, didn't you?"
"What nonsense are you spouting!" David instantly flew into a rage, his face flushing red. "I had no choice but to do it!"
"No other choice?" Diana glanced at her former lover one last time, her voice eerily calm. "The facts are clear. From the moment you had that thought, from the moment you signed that agreement, there was nothing left between us."
"No, perhaps even earlier, from the first time you valued the stakes more than I did, you were left with nothing."
" Diana!" David shouted angrily from below. He hadn't expected things to take such a dramatic turn, completely deviating from his plan. "You really... you really don't know what's good for you! You're so kind of me to come and get you, and you..."
Keep the good fortune for yourself!
"Let's go!" David roared angrily at the man driving the speedboat.
The speedboat abruptly turned around, its engine roaring as it cut a white wave through the air, and sped away in the opposite direction from the cruise ship.
It eventually disappeared into the vast sea and sky.
The sea gradually returned to calm.
Only the faint ripples left by the distant boat.
Just as Diana was about to step onto the last step of the gangway leading to the small boat, she heard footsteps behind her.
Draco followed her from the deck and stopped beside her, a thin card between his fingers.
Diana refused to accept the money that had been offered earlier.
Diana was taken aback when she saw the same card as the wealthy man's.
"Take it," Draco chuckled. "You might need it later. If you run into trouble you can't solve, or can't find a job, you can try contacting them through the methods listed above."
Taking the card and looking at Draco, Diana was extremely puzzled. "We've only just met, why are you helping me!"
"Because of Collard." Draco smiled, giving Diana an answer that left her even more bewildered.
" Collard? That gentleman? What... what does this have to do with him?" Diana was even more puzzled, her brows furrowing.
"Not understand?"
Diana shook her head honestly.
"If you don't understand, you don't understand. Just consider it fate." Draco waved his hand dismissively without offering any explanation.
Seeing that he was unwilling to elaborate further, Diana wisely refrained from asking any more questions. She clutched the business card tightly, tucked it into her pocket, boarded the yacht, and slowly sailed away from the cruise ship.
As the small boat sailed further and further away, Diana's figure gradually shrank into a tiny black dot and disappeared into the vast blue sea and sky.
The noise subsided, and on the deck, only the gentle sea breeze and Draco and Hermione stood side by side.
"Now that everyone's safely gone, you should be satisfied, honey, right?" Draco said, putting his arm around Hermione's waist.
"What am I satisfied with?" Hermione turned her gaze away from the sea, glancing at him sideways. "This trouble is all your fault for being so helpful, and now I have to clean up after you."
"You make it sound so easy now. I won't name names who was sulking all night last night because of jealousy."
In broad daylight, with the sea breeze blowing, Hermione hardened her stance again, determined not to admit she was so jealous.
"Jealous?" she scoffed. "What I did was a reasonable questioning, protecting my legitimate rights from potential threats."
"Alright, alright," Draco said with an expression that said, "Whatever you say is right." "Anyway, our Miss Granger's mouth is harder than the newly reinforced Dragonhide Gloves in the store."
"You're the one who's being stubborn."
The sea breeze dispelled the last traces of the somber atmosphere of parting. Draco looked at the clear sky and the shimmering sea, and suggested, "The weather's nice, how about we play tennis this afternoon?"
"No," Hermione refused without hesitation. "I have things to do this afternoon, unlike some idle guys who just want to kill time all day."
The comment about being unemployed momentarily stunned Draco, who then pressed on, " Miss Granger, what brings you this afternoon? Something more important than accompanying your future husband for some healthy exercise?"