Love Is Not Blind

Cameron was having the time of his life. Three beautiful goddess-like women surround him - a blonde, a brunette, and a redhead. Everyone is competing to get his attention on the dance floor. He couldn't bear to make these pretty women's hearts. Only one of them could be with him tonight.

"So who's the fairest of them all?" asked Reyli, the Latin singer who was a friend of his cousin Shei. Cameron was invited to Reyli's yacht party full of famous people from the entertainment industry. But there were also businessmen like him who were there to relax and enjoy the company of beautiful women. That's the perfect thing to do with Reyli's mega-yacht sailing the Caribbean Sea.

"I haven't decided yet. They are all goddesses."

All types of women were attracted to him. Of course, he was Cameron Duarte of Duarte International Bank. At the age of thirty-two, he was able to grow the bank built by his grandfather. Despite the economic crisis in many countries, he was not sold by other banks. He was able to invest in the right businesses and countries, which is why he grew even more successful. He was almost at the top of the world.

Reyli tapped Cameron's shoulder. "By the way, Shei called from Oslo. She wants you to call her hotel room." Reyli pointed to a door. "There's a phone in that stateroom."

Cameron headed to the elegant cabin. There was no signal in that part of the ocean so they could only use satellite phones. Her cousin was in Oslo, Norway for a conference so she couldn't go to the party.

"Hey, cuz! I heard the girls just couldn't get enough of you over there," his cousin greeted him

"What else is new? That's always been how women reacted to me. Don't tell me you will report me to my mom?" His mother wants him to find a sensible woman to marry. But he was still enjoying his life. So many girls, so little time. Marriage was still far from his mind.

"No. Remember I want to ask you a little favor?

Cameron's forehead furrowed. "Am I not already here at the party? As your representative?" That was probably the best favor his cousin had ever asked him.

"No. I want you to check on Mitos."

"Mitos?

"Yes. Reyli's staff. The cute one."

His cousin just couldn't stop talking about Mitos whenever she came from his friend's yacht. His ears felt like bleeding with his cousin's constant blabbering. Shei said Mitos was handsome, sympathetic, and kind. Even foreigners are attracted to that man because of his exotic beauty thanks to his Filipino blood.

Their handsomeness was almost just at the same level, he would admit. But Cameron didn't Mitos befriending his cousin Shei. Mitos had this arrogant vibe and that looked as if he never took any woman seriously in his life. And Mitos might seduce his cousin. He would immediately object because it will only hurt Shei. Cameron was a man too, he knew how men like him when it comes to women. He was a master player himself after all.

"What do you want me to do with him?"

"Just see if there's a woman hanging around him."

"And...?" Cameron knew his cousin would ask for another favor. She was not just gonna ask to look for that Mitos guy.

"Attract any woman who approaches him."

"What?" He almost dropped the phone. "Are you crazy? Why would I do that?"

Not that he could not snatch a woman from another man. He could do that effortlessly. But why would he do that for Shei?

"I just want to protect Mitos. I don't like women hanging around with him."

His forehead furrowed. "Shei, are you in love with him?"

"No! We are just friends!" she answered immediately. "I'm just really concerned about him."

"He was already old enough to know what to do."

"Cameron, please! Just do me a favor. Do you remember that time you stood up to the woman your mom set you up with on a date? I made a way for Auntie not to scold you," Shei reminded him. "I even lied for you."

"Alright! I'll see what I can do." But he has no plans on interfering in the life of that Mitos guy.

He was about to leave the stateroom when he accidentally kicked something scattered on the floor. Looked like a man's wallet. He picked up the wallet and opened it. He saw a picture of a beautiful girl in it. He thought she was probably less than eighteen years old. Her hair was long and curly. She has a beautiful smile and a pointed nose. She looked like a doll with her large, round eyes adorned with long eyelashes.

He just gasped as he stared at the picture. She looked so innocent, very different from the women he met. This was the type of woman that any man would want to protect. Who was this?

The stateroom door opened and Mitos entered. "Excuse me, Sir Cameron. That's my wallet."

"Yours?" he asked and looked at the picture of the woman.

"Yes, Sir. I left it when Miss Shei called earlier."

Cameron pulled out one of the IDs from the wallet and it was indeed Mitos' wallet. He handed it back to him. "Here."

Mitos' smile reached his ears when he retrieved his wallet and even stroked the picture that was there. "Thank you, Sir."

Cameron nodded. Then he remembered Shei's order. That he would watch if there was a woman hanging around this guy. That woman in his wallet looked very special to him.

Who was the girl in the picture? What is their relationship with each other?

Cameron was hesitant to ask Mitos and as the latter walked out of the room, they heard a loud explosion. The yacht shook.

"What was that?" Cameron asked.

"It's coming from the pantry," Mitos answered and ran immediately in the direction of the kitchen. But a great fire met them. And it quickly spread out on the yacht.

The people were in chaos. Some were shouting and running. The staff can no longer control them. Cameron and Mitos moved swiftly. They immediately went to the location of the life vest. Cameron quickly handed out the life vests to the panicked guests. Others have already jumped into the water, they could no longer wait for lifeboats to be lowered down to the water. The yacht was consumed by fire. There seemed to be no safe place anymore.

There was only one thing on Cameron's mind. To save all that he could save.

"Sir Cameron," Mitos called him and handed over the lifevest. Then he realized that was the last lifevest in the container.

Cameron wore it, and Mitos suddenly pushed him away. He stumbled and heard the metal above his head. Mitos, who was on top of him, winced loudly. He was the one who was hit by the metal that should have hit Cameron.

"Mitos, are you okay?"

Mitos had his eyes closed, intense pain was visible on his face. "I-I'm okay..." But he was obviously hurt.

He got up and Cameron quickly helped him to his feet. "We need to get out of here."

He helped it stand up and was shocked to see that the ship looked like they were in hell. Cameron's heart beat faster. Fire is about to catch up with them. He could feel the intense heat. When he looked at the sea, the waves were big. The blazing yatch was also starting to tilt. It was going to sink. There seemed to be nowhere else to go.

Cameron grabbed Mitos's arm. "Let's jump."

Their lives were in God's hands now.

CAMERON QUICKLY PUT a dry tree branch on the makeshift bonfire he created. He had to keep the fire up to drive the nocturnal animals off the island and to be seen immediately by the people who would be looking for them. That was all he could hope for.

He looked up. The stars were bright tonight. If things were normal, Cameron would have wanted to land on this island that has clean water and white sand. Perfect paradise to take a vacation and escape the noise of the chaotic world he lived in.

But not to be a castaway on that island where food was limited, full of danger with no one to ask for help to bring them back to the city.

Cameron was swept away by a strong current and floated on the water all night. When he woke up, he thought he was dead. Just to discover that he was on an island with no one else. It was just him and Mitos who made it there. Cameron saw him lying not far from him. Fortunately, he landed on the island as well or else no one would take care of him. Mitos' fever was very high.

He heard Mitos crying. "Love. I need to see Love," he said and forced himself to get up.

"Don't move. " Cameron prevented him from getting up.

"But my wallet...Love is in there..."

With a bamboo that served as glass, Cameron poured the clean water on Mitos' lips. "Drink first, Mitos. To lower your fever."

He shook his head. "My fever will not go down. I'm going to die here."

When he woke up earlier and wandered around the island he found Mitos lying on the rocks. Despite the bruising of his body due to his flight at sea, he was able to bring Mitos to a safer place. Mitos was not as lucky as Cameron though. Mitos had burns on various parts of his body due to the explosion. He also has a wound on his head that he was dealing with. He had a high fever and Cameron was afraid that it might be because of the infection. But there was no medicine on the island. There were not even herbs that could help to lower his fever.

"You will not die. Help will come for us. Do not lose hope. I'm making a way to see us. I'm doing anything I can so people who were looking for us would find us here as soon as possible. We are still not that far from where the yacht sank. They will find us."

Cameron didn't want to let Mitos know that he had not seen any boats near the island all day. Probably because this place was not the usual route of those boats. He also did not see a nearby island there. Mitos doesn't need to know that anymore.

They could only lean on each other's strength now. If Mitos was not on that island, Cameron might have gone completely insane.

Mitos shook his head. "What if they don't come? Or even if they did, they might not be able to find me alive. My wound..."

"You'll live a long time," Cameron encouraged him. Mitos shuddered in the cold and he was afraid that the injured man could be right about his own situation. What if Mitos wouldn't be able to make it? He squeezed his hand resting on his chest. "Do not give up. Just pray. You can still survive here. You can do it."

He was not a prayerful person but since he faced death last night, he had since learned to call on God. He realized then that he still has a lot of things he wanted to do. He doesn't want to leave his parents just yet. He was their only happiness because he was an only child. That was why he worked hard, because he wanted to make his parents happy.

Mitos smiled bitterly. "God has given me everything I asked for. More than I asked for. It was okay if it was my time to go. I've made a lot of mistakes to Him so it was really okay if He took me now. I have already apologized. But I hope before He takes me, I can see Love first. I want to apologize to her. So I need to find my wallet. Love is in there. "

"Who is Love?" Then Cameron remembered the picture he saw in the wallet. Was that the woman Mitos was referring to?

"Who is Love?" Then Cameron remembered the picture he saw in the wallet. Was that the woman Mitos was referring to?

"Lovellia Andrada is her real name. That was her picture when she was only seventeen. She is my childhood friend. She is my first love and my first girlfriend. She always supports me when no one believes in me. Because of her, I learned how to fight in life and I also learned to laugh. No one ever loved me, not even my parents. They only love themselves. My parents were both addicts who did nothing but quarrel. Then they just left me when I was twelve years old.

"But they are not like Love. Love is always there for me. She had asked our parish priest on her own so I could have someplace to stay. She didn't have to work hard but she did so I could study. She supported me when I had the opportunity to go abroad. She was never selfish. But when I left her, I became drowned in getting the things that I didn't have before. Things that I can buy now I have money. I have forgotten about her. I never went back to her and hurt her. "

A woman who loves unconditionally. A woman puts others before herself. He had never seen such a woman. All those he met were always waiting for a reward beyond what they had given. The reason why he had no woman who had stayed in his life for a long time. Because he has never met a woman like Love.

Cameron remembered Love's smiling face in the picture. Where else could he find a woman like that?

Mitos was lucky but Cameron also wanted to beat him. Women like Love should never be exchanged for anything or anyone. If a woman would ever give him that kind of love, he would be faithful. He would never leave her.

But he couldn't blame Mitos. The guy did not grow up with a privileged life, unlike him. Cameron always had everything since he was young. Mitos indulged too much in the things he had never experienced and never had before. Success can be overwhelming. But one day you would find yourself all alone, no one by your side. Then you would remember the people who valued you. And oftentimes, it was too late already.

Cameron doesn't want everything to be too late for Mitos.

"I always have his pictures in my wallet because I want to go back to the Philippines and look for her," Mitos said. "To correct my mistakes."

"That's why don't be a pessimist. Just think we'll soon get off this island. You will be taken to a nearby hospital and you will recover. You and Love will meet again. You can apologize to her. You will be together again."

"We may not be able to be together again. I don't really think I'll last long." Tears streamed down Mitos' eyes, his breathing was labored. "Sir, promise me that when you leave this island, you will look for Love. Tell her everything that I wanted to tell her. Tell her I love her. You have to promise me."

"ERON, ARE YOU sure you're okay over there? Your father and I are so worried about you. You didn't have any broken bones, did you? No scars or bruises?"

Cameron forced a smile to his crying mother on the webcam. He was finally back at his condo in Miami, Florida. After being rescued and given first aid at a local hospital in Belize, they were flown to America at last. He was safe and just needed to rest because he still felt so beat up from what happened to him on that island after the plane crash. He decided not to let his mother know about his little wounds and bruises on him. She would just cry even more when she learned he felt worse than what he was telling her.

"I am okay, Ma. You have a very strong son," he said proudly and smiled.

"If you're really okay, then come home. Here in the Philippines. I want to see with my own eyes that you are okay. "

If his mother's body was a little stronger, she probably would have been in America by now. She just recently had lung surgery so she couldn't travel just yet. This was also his thought when he was still on that island. Her condition would have been worse if she knew he had been missing.

"I'll fly home when Mitos' condition stabilizes. He was still in a coma until now, Ma."

The fever had reached his brain and he was convulsing when they were rescued by a helicopter that very morning. If Mitos had not been taken to a hospital immediately, he might have died on the island.

It was still a horrible thought up till now. But according to doctors, there was no certainty if Mitos would wake up. It had been bad enough when he hit his body against the yacht as they were trying to save themselves. Mitos was lucky he was able to stay awake for that long.

Because of their near-death experience, Cameron felt a little bit closer to Mitos. And if he returned to the Philippines, he wanted some good news about his condition.

"Son, there are doctors and nurses in that hospital. There are people who would take care of him. Reyli would take care of him, right?"

"Yes. But I would still get worried, Ma."

"What about me and your Papa? We wouldn't be able to stop worrying about you over there as well. Come back home to us. Do you want me to be comatose or have a cardiac arrest for worrying about you? "said his mother and cried.

His Dad, who had been quietly reading the newspaper, hugged Cameron's mother while he was video-chatting with his mother. It was his father's turn to face Cameron on the webcam while his mother was lying on his father's shoulder.

"Son, go home," his father said softly. "I mean for good. Let your people handle the US branch. We have trusted people there. "

Of course, his parents were fragile. And when his father asked Cameron for a favor, he just couldn't say no.

"Okay, Pa. I will let the office know that I will take a vacation for a month."