Transmigrated: Stealing the CEO husband-Chapter 63: Legend of Goddess

During the evening of the next day, Ariana was left alone as Gerald went ahead to deal with stuff. Nothing horrible had happened to her despite Gerald being in 100% control. That was enough progress!

She was chilling in her room, enjoying the beautiful view when came an urgent knock at the door. Ariana got up, still in her sleepwear, and made her way to the door.

A female worker in a trembling voice informed her. "Ms. Grey, there’s an important guest who wants to meet you."

"Important guest."

"Yes, he just arrived after an eight-hour flight and is demanding your urgent presence."

"Who could it be?" Ariana’s stomach dropped, and just as she had in mind, the lady informed.

"President Luiss."

"Alright, I’ll be downstairs soon."

Just as the door closed, Ariana ran up and down the marble floor, cursing under her breath. After 10 minutes, she had calmed down. She donned a dress from the walk-in closet. She was ready within thirty minutes. During that time, the lady worker came to knock at her door twice.

She got out and climbed down the stairs in the restaurant area. There she caught the sight of an iceberge. He was radiating cold, and she could feel a chill all the way there.

Gulping down the saliva gathering in her throat and rubbing her arms to chase the chill away, Ariana made her way to this table.

"President Luiss." She called out with an extra layer of sweetness in her tone. "Didn’t expect you to be here considering your busy schedule. What a pleasant surprise." She took a seat opposite him, maintaining a flattering smile upon her face.

In response, she got a silent stare.

"Do you know the island has a private beach and such beautiful scenery?" she said, pouring him and herself a cup of coffee.

More silent stare.

"It’s been such a rollercoaster. I never expected to visit such a beautiful place in my entire life."

Even more silent stare.

"There’s even an old temple, 2000 years old. I’m planning to visit it. There’s even a—"

At this, Luiss finally broke the silence. "With whom?"

"Huh?" Ariana was taken off guard.

"With whom do you plan to visit the temple?"

Ariana gulped. "T-That’s irrelevant."

"Of course, it’s very relevant." If looks could kill, Ariana would be dead a hundred times by now.

"Well, President Gerald offered to keep me company."

Luiss looked like he was about to burst.

"But I can refuse to go!" She quickly added.

"No, what use refusing it? You can go."

"I will tell President Gerald —wait, really?"

"Yes, you can," Luiss said darkly. "And so will I."

What?!

President Luiss and President Gerald?!

What a disaster! Ariana wailed in her heart but kept a serious face on the surface.

....

Clouds gathered along the horizon, but there was no prediction of rain.

Ariana got into her trekking suit, and they started the journey to the temple that was erected at the peak of the valley.

"Wow, the scenery is breathtaking." She tried to break the silence between them. Only failing tragically.

When Gerald learnt of Luiss’s presence, he had been equally dissatisfied. However, since he was here the legitimate way, Gerald couldn’t do anything about him.

Now the trekking they had planned, instead of other guests, Luiss took part in it.

The two men didn’t see eye to eye. It was expected to have such a cold, bitter atmosphere.

Ariana, who couldn’t endure the pressure, was wailing inside, but outside, she was doing her best to melt the atmosphere.

"Look at that, monkeys!" Ariana excitedly pointed out. "Let’s feed them."

She took out a banana from the supplies servants carried for them behind them and fed it to a monkey.

"Don’t do this..." Before the guide could warn, Ariana had already fed the monkey.

What followed was a swarm of monkeys making their trekking hell. Some jumped at the supplies, screaming out in frustration.

As they trekked ahead rapidly, slowly, the monkeys dwindled in number.

Both Luiss and Gerald glared at her.

"I could not have guessed this was gonna happen." Besides, I wanted to break the suffocating silence among us. Even monkeys are welcome.

"Don’t stress. Many new people make the mistake." The guide comforted her.

As they reached the topmost point, everyone was exhilarated. Luiss didn’t break a sweat, Gerald looked a bit out of breath whilst Ariana was panting and full of sweat.

She wiped off beads of sweat from her forehead.

Nestled in the heart of a lush, emerald-green private island, the temple rose like a dream from the dense foliage, its white stone shimmering under the golden sun. Surrounded by whispering palms and caressed by the gentle breeze of the ocean, the temple exuded an air of timeless serenity. Carved from ancient marble and adorned with intricate engravings of forgotten gods and celestial symbols, the structure blended seamlessly into the island’s natural beauty.

At the top of a gently sloping hill, the temple overlooked turquoise waters that stretched endlessly to the horizon. A stone pathway, flanked by flowering vines and delicate lanterns, led to its grand entrance—arched and flanked by statues of mythical guardians. Inside, the air was cool and perfumed with incense. Soft light filtered through colored glass windows, casting kaleidoscopic patterns across the polished floors. The inner sanctum, lit by a skylight, held a central altar—simple, sacred, and ancient, radiating quiet power.

This hidden sanctuary, untouched by time, was a haven for peace, reflection, and whispered prayers beneath the stars.

They found themselves a few rooms. The place was clean because of the flowing air that never let the dust settle.

"Females will be assigned one room. Males will be assigned the second." The guide remarked. Soon, they unbuckled the sleepwear and food.

As Ariana’s head hit the comfortable bedding, she wondered about her position in this world. It seemed like a pretty real, but only she knew it was just a construct of a story.

...

As the flames crackle and the stars blink into view, the guide begins, his voice low and rhythmic, like the waves beyond the trees...

"Long ago, before the temple was built, this island was just a wild jewel in the sea—untouched by man, ruled by spirits of sky, earth, and water. Among them was a sea spirit named Kaelana, the Guardian of the Tides. She was born from the first moonbeam that kissed the ocean, her hair woven from foam, her eyes as deep as the midnight sea.

Kaelana was the protector of the balance—between the rising tides and the setting sun, between silence and storm. But one day, a wanderer came. A mortal. A man named Arel, who was shipwrecked and washed ashore, broken but alive.

Kaelana watched him from the surf. She had seen mortals before—greedy, loud, always taking—but Arel was different. He planted trees, sang to birds, thanked the sky for its rain. Slowly, she revealed herself to him, and they fell into a quiet love, meeting at the shoreline every full moon.

But the other spirits grew jealous. They said Kaelana was forgetting her duty, favouring one heart over the tides. The balance tipped. Storms surged, and the sea began to swallow the island.

To save Arel and restore harmony, Kaelana made the ultimate choice: she gave up her form, binding her essence into a stone at the island’s peak—the very place where the temple now stands. In her last moments, she told Arel: "Build a place where the sea meets the soul, and I will return with the tide."

Arel kept his promise. He carved the temple with his own hands, stone by stone, and placed the heartstone at its centre. Legend says that on certain nights, when the moon is high and the tide is right, Kaelana’s spirit dances through the temple, and her song is carried on the waves.

So tonight... if you listen closely... you might just hear her whisper in the wind."

"Bullshit," Gerald scoffed.

"President Gerald doesn’t seem to believe in legends."

"I believe in what is real and what is in front of the eyes."

"You may say so," said the guide in a storytelling tone. "But tonight’s its gonna be full moon. I would advise you to watch out."

The guide gave food for thoughts for the night. While Gerald didn’t believe in legends, Ariana also didn’t believe in supernatural. But her birth into this world had been a supernatural event on its own. And who knew what might be normal in this world.

As she tried to sleep at night in her sleeping bag, she couldn’t help but turn again and again.

That dammed Guide!

She cursed in her mind. Not wanting to awake other guests, she got up and got out of the room to the main prayer area that contained the statue of the goddess. Unbeknownst to her, she was not alone. There was a figure hidden in shadows.