Chapter 814 - 365: Riven’s Heart! (Part 4)

Chapter 814: Chapter 365: Riven’s Heart! (Part 4)

Her tone carried a European aristocratic indifference and pragmatism toward the traditional matrimonial contract.

"I don’t want Riven to miss out on someone who might truly make her happy just because of a married label. Life is short, why not be braver?"

Hearing this, Mike turned sharply, staring at her intently, for the first time with fury in his eyes.

"Hey! Mette! This is not the same thing!" His voice was incredibly low due to suppressed anger.

"We broke up peacefully because we belong to two worlds that cannot merge! We didn’t hurt anyone!"

"But if it’s sweetheart... this is interference! It’s becoming a destroyer!" His hands gripped the railing in agitation, "I don’t care what damn Mormon family that kid is from, how many wives he has!"

"The essence of marriage is tolerance, is merging, is two people building a harbor together!"

He looked at Mette and said word by word, "I will never allow my daughter to become the tidal wave that destroys someone’s harbor! Even if she herself is unintentional!"

"Riven deserves a pure, flawless love, not sneaking around or bearing a notorious name! This is my bottom line as a father!"

Mike’s words were full of the stubbornness and steadfastness of an old-fashioned man, colliding fiercely with Mette’s pursuit of self-sensation.

"Stubborn fool!" Mette was also enraged, "You only think about framing her with your moral standards! Have you ever thought about what she wants?"

"You would rather have her lonely in this damn sea for a lifetime than let her fight for an opportunity?"

"Exactly! I would rather her be freely lonely than fall into a quagmire!"

The atmosphere between the two instantly dropped to freezing point, former partners now confronting each other over differing interpretations of their daughter’s future happiness.

In the air, the rich scent of whiskey and silent gunpowder lingered, only the waves tirelessly slapped the hull.

Crown Princess Mette looked at the man before her, stubborn like a rock, the flames of anger in her eyes gradually faded, replaced by deep, helpless fatigue.

She turned around, her back to Mike, gazing at the faraway Paradise Island’s dazzling lights akin to a mirage, and gently shook her head.

"What’s the point of arguing about this, Mike?" Her voice was light, as if talking to herself, yet also speaking to Mike.

"We’ve already made a choice for her, haven’t we? When she was five."

These words, like a key, instantly opened the most tender and painful floodgate in Mike’s heart.

His fingers slowly loosened from the railing, the fury in his eyes extinguished, leaving only endless complexity.

"Yeah...we chose." He replied hoarsely.

"So this time," Mette slowly turned around, her blue eyes identical to Riven’s exceptionally resolute under the lights.

"Whatever she chooses, whether to continue chasing the storm on this sea, or to choose a controversial love."

"Or perhaps one day, she suddenly tires of it all, wanting to return to the world she once fled from..."

"I will respect her. Always."

She looked at Mike and said word by word, "We made a mistake before, I don’t want to make it a second time."

"I just want her to know that no matter how far she sails, there’s always a harbor she can return to. Whether that harbor... is here with me or with you."

These words were no longer an argument but a mother’s deepest awakening and promise.

It instantly shattered all of Mike’s defenses, as he looked at the woman before him who loved their daughter just as deeply, he could only sigh helplessly.

He finished the remaining whiskey in his drink in one gulp, finding a different answer in his heart.

Just then, the door of the captain’s cabin was gently pushed open. Lin Yu’an and Riven walked out side by side.

They had obviously finished their discussion, with Riven holding that large Bahamas map in her hand.

Both felt the still lingering heavy atmosphere on the deck, but they did not avoid it.

Lin Yu’an spoke first, breaking the silence, "We’ve just updated the latest weather data and reassessed the navigation plan. We have a new idea."

Riven stepped forward, spreading the map on the teak dining table.

She pointed to the vast deep blue sea southwest of the Bahamas Islands, her eyes reigniting with the irrepressible glow belonging to an adventurer.

"Lin and I agree that simply navigating along the Bahamas Islands chain is not challenging enough." Her voice recovered its former confidence and vitality, "Also, we are both very curious about one place."

Her finger finally landed on that island full of cigars, rum, and revolutionary legendary colors.

"We decided to add a stop—Cuba, Havana."

Mike looked at them in surprise, while a flicker of admiration appeared in Mette’s eyes.

She knew her daughter might have found a companion able to sail toward broader, more unknown seas with her.

Looking at Riven’s unmistakable determination on her face and the man beside her supporting all her ideas, she finally showed a relieved smile from the heart.

A smile of a mother feeling comforted that her daughter had found her kindred spirit.

She stepped forward, like when she was young, extending her hand to gently straighten Riven’s wind-blown bangs.