The water hit his legs with force, but Ethan planted his feet, gripping them tightly and pulling them back toward dry sand.
The moment they were clear, the three of them stumbled onto the ground, sand clinging to their wet clothes.
For a moment, everything was still except for their heavy breaths.
Then —
"That was so cool!" Megan gasped, eyes shining with excitement. "You were like a superhero or something!"
Julia, still holding onto her big brother, clutched his shirt like she had just survived the most thrilling ride of her life. "Big Brother, you saved us!"
Ethan let out a breath, shaking some of the water off his arms before running a hand through his now-damp hair.
"Yeah, well," he muttered, still catching his breath. "Wouldn't have had to if you two weren't playing right next to the water."
Julia pouted. "But the castle — "
"The castle is gone," Ethan pointed out, gesturing toward the shoreline.
The girls turned and, sure enough, the once-proud structure was now nothing but a heap of wet sand.
Megan's mouth fell open in horror. "No! Our castle!"
Julia's shoulders slumped in pure devastation. "We worked so hard…"
Ethan sighed, glancing between the two crestfallen girls.
Then he nudged Julia's side gently. "Hey."
She peeked up at him, still pouting.
"Next time," Ethan said, "we'll build it higher up the beach. A fortress. One that no wave can touch."
Julia sniffled before perking up slightly. "A fortress?"
Megan, recovering from her own grief, gasped. "With towers?"
"And a bridge," Ethan added with a smirk.
"And a dragon!" Julia declared, suddenly excited again.
Ethan chuckled. "Sure, a dragon too."
Melissa, who had been watching the entire ordeal from a short distance away, finally stepped closer.
Her arms were crossed, but there was a glimmer of amusement in her expression.
"You just can't help yourself, huh?" she said.
Ethan raised a brow. "What?"
"Being the hero. Jumping into waves. Saving the day." She smirked. "You're like a walking, talking Webnovel protagonist."
Ethan scoffed. "Hardly."
Melissa hummed, giving him a look before shifting her attention to the two girls, who were now bouncing with excitement over the next sandcastle plan.
"Alright, princesses," Melissa said, placing her hands on her hips. "You two need to dry off before you soak the entire resort."
Julia and Megan exchanged glances before darting off toward the towels they had left near the chairs.
Ethan sighed as he dusted sand off his damp clothes. "You know, I really was trying to relax today."
Melissa grinned. "Yeah, that's not happening."
Ethan shot her a look. "You enjoy watching me suffer, don't you?"
"Oh, absolutely."
Nevertheless they went to clean up the girls.
Ethan ran a towel through Julia's damp hair as she giggled, squirming in his arms.
The little girl was still buzzing with excitement over their sandcastle, her tiny hands animatedly gesturing as she recounted the whole process to Melissa.
" — and then Ethan helped us fix the towers! But then a huge wave came and knocked them down, so we made them even bigger! And the second wave wasn't strong enough to destroy them!"
Melissa chuckled as she finished drying off Megan, who was equally enthusiastic about their achievement.
Ethan smirked. "Yeah, but if we're being real, that castle was way too close to the water. It was bound to lose eventually."
Julia gasped. "Big brother! You can't say that! It was indestructible."
Ethan raised a brow. "Jules, if I go back over there right now, do you think I'll find it still standing?"
"…No," Julia mumbled, looking away.
Melissa laughed as she shook her head. "You really don't hold back on your little sister, huh?"
Ethan grinned. "I like to think I'm preparing her for reality."
Julia pouted, but her mood bounced back instantly when Ethan lifted her up with ease, adjusting her in his arms.
Melissa, not wanting Megan to feel left out, hoisted the girl up as well. "Alright, boss man, your family is upstairs in the VIP section," she informed him. "We should head up before your mom starts wondering where you are."
Ethan sighed, already imagining Margaret giving him that look for staying out too long. "Yeah, yeah, let's go."
They made their way through the resort, weaving past the lingering crowd.
The VIP section was located on an elevated terrace overlooking the beach, offering an exclusive retreat for select guests.
As they climbed the stairs, Ethan could already hear familiar voices.
Melissa spotted Megan's mother, Caroline seated near the entrance and carefully set the girl down.
"Go on, Meg. We'll see you later," she said with a smile.
Megan nodded eagerly. "Bye, Jules! Bye, Bit brother!"
Julia waved back excitedly as Ethan carried her toward the VIP lounge.
The moment they stepped in, Margaret's voice rang out.
"There you are! I was starting to wonder if you had disappeared into the ocean."
Ethan turned, immediately spotting his mother sitting at a lavishly arranged table, a fresh fruit platter and cold drinks in front of her.
Harold sat beside her, calmly sipping a cocktail while Claire scrolled through her phone, seemingly unfazed by everything.
Ethan smirked. "Sorry, got caught up saving a sandcastle from certain doom."
Margaret smiled knowingly. "Let me guess. Julia roped you into it?"
Julia beamed proudly. "It was our castle, and we made it super strong!"
Ethan set Julia down gently as she ran over to their mother, immediately climbing into her lap.
Margaret hugged her before giving Ethan a once-over. "You didn't even text to let us know you were back."
"I was busy," Ethan defended.
Claire finally looked up from her phone. "Too busy to send a quick 'Hey, I'm alive'?"
Ethan rolled his eyes. "I was with Jules. She can confirm I'm alive."
Julia nodded dramatically. "I saw him the whole time!"
Melissa chuckled as she took a seat, and Ethan finally relaxed, sinking into a cushioned lounge chair.
A waiter promptly approached, offering him a drink, which he gratefully accepted.
Harold finally spoke, setting his glass down. "How's business?"
Ethan sighed, running a hand through his hair. "It's… fine. Just been trying a new kind of investment,"
Harold frowned. "What kind are you planning to do?"
Ethan nodded. "Well that's a surprise for later when it actually blows up,"
Claire, uninterested in the business talk, glanced at Melissa. "So, how's the spa renovation going?"
Melissa paused. Then, very deliberately, turned to stare at Ethan.
Ethan, mid-sip, slowly lowered his glass.
Margaret looked between them. "Did… something happen?" Your adventure continues at My Virtual Library Empire