Chapter 146

Trying to reassure them, Jonathan said, "Don't worry. I'm here." Cynthia stood across from them, clearly observing the scene. For some reason, she felt a bit sad. Naomi told her, "Nina has been the woman Jonathan cherishes and protects dearly for many years. Everyone knew that Nina was destined to marry Jonathan. He had been waiting for her to grow up. Now, it seemed Jonathan treated her differently from everyone else. Before her, he'd act like a playful puppy; but around Nina, he turned into an all-powerful, fearless lion." Cynthia said it was all just for fun, not about feelings. However, Jonathan often showed a sincere, loving demeanor. She almost fell for it, but her sadness was brief. She wasn't someone who lingered on the past. It was over. They could just be strangers.

Jonathan stepped forward. "Now, I suggest we split into two groups. One group will build a shelter here, and the other will look for water, food, or any other supplies the show might have left behind." Jonathan's suggestion was met with unanimous agreement. "So, who's going to gather supplies and who's going to set up the tents?" Alex asked.

Jonathan bent down and picked up a few sticks from the ground. "Let's draw lots. If you get a long stick, stay and help with the tents. If you get a short stick, go look for supplies." Everyone drew sticks. In the end, Jonathan, Nina, Cynthia, and Preston stayed to work on the tents. The rest headed into the nearby woods to find water and food.

There were two tents. Cynthia grabbed a package and took out the contents. She then skillfully began assembling the frame. Preston approached, saying, "Cynthia, let me help." Cynthia responded coldly, "I can handle it myself. I don't need your help." However, Preston acted as if he hadn't heard her and quickly started working. Since the main part of the tent was so large, it was indeed hard for one person to manage alone, so Cynthia didn't push him away. Working together, the two set up the tent in just half an hour. Meanwhile, on Jonathan's side, the main frame wasn't even up yet.

Of course, it wasn't Jonathan's fault. Since Nina had no idea how to do any of this, Jonathan was setting everything up by himself.

Preston leaned in and whispered into Cynthia's ear, "Jonathan hates doing all these hands-on, tedious things. At home, he won't do any housework, but he's willing to do all this on his own for Nina."

Cynthia was a bit surprised. Does Jonathan dislike these tedious tasks? Yet for the past three years, he had practically taken over all the household chores: cleaning, mopping, doing laundry, and cooking. He was good at everything. She never saw even a hint of impatience or resistance from him. That was precisely why she never doubted his identity. When Jonathan looked up, he saw Preston whispering something to Cynthia. He frowned slightly. "Preston, come here and help." Preston ran over. "Mr. Bennett, what do you want me to do?" Jonathan looked at another package and said, "You and Nina go inflate these air mattresses." Besides the two large tents, there were eight small air mattresses in the package. They needed to be inflated manually. Since Nina didn't know how to set up tents, she had been inflating the mattresses all along, but so far, she'd only managed to inflate one.

Preston understood and couldn't help but tease, "Mr. Bennett really cares about Nina." Inflating the air mattresses was originally the simplest task, but Jonathan still wanted him to help. Preston knew the relationship between Jonathan and Nina: if Nina married Jonathan, she would technically be his aunt, but she was also his half-sister. The complicated relationships were too much for him to even consider. Although Nina was his half-sister, they hadn't met or interacted for more than twenty years.

When Nina saw Preston coming over, her eyes grew cautiously alert. Preston casually walked over and said, "Nina, do you need any help?" In Preston's view, there was a family connection between him and Nina. Although he wasn't close to his relatives from the Sullivan family, seeing a face somewhat similar to his own was quite remarkable.

Hearing him call her, Nina stiffened for a moment. She always knew she had a brother, a golden child of both families destined to inherit the Sullivan enterprise. She had always been worried he might reject her because of Whitney. But hearing him affectionately call her name was a surprise and filled her with joy.

Nina nodded slightly and said, "Thank you, Preston."

Jonathan watched as Preston and Nina got along well. Suddenly, he straightened up and called toward Cynthia, "Cynthia, could you come over here for a moment?" Cynthia frowned. What does Jonathan want? But she knew that in the live room, countless eyes were on her. She didn't want anyone to notice anything unusual. With a blank expression, Cynthia walked over. "Mr. Bennett, what do you need?" Jonathan replied calmly, "I need help."

Cynthia started helping to set up the tent without saying a word. Neither of them spoke, and they soon had the tent up, finishing with the ropes and stakes. There were twenty stakes in total, and Cynthia moved quickly. The stakes were all in the backpack. As soon as she finished with one, she reached into the backpack to grab another. But her fingers suddenly brushed against something warm. Cynthia turned her head and saw that Jonathan had also reached in to grab a stake.

Cynthia was about to pull her hand out, but Jonathan caught it in his grip. Cynthia remained calm, gazing steadily at Jonathan. She didn't understand what Jonathan was doing. The large black backpack obscured the hand that was tightly holding hers. At that moment, Jonathan seemed to be holding onto something important, unwilling to let go. He thought, What on earth am I doing?

Cynthia tried to pull her hand away, but Jonathan was still holding on tightly. At that moment, Jonathan was also a bit bewildered. He had just reached for something, and his fingers unconsciously brushed against Cynthia's arm. He was familiar with the smooth sensation and her warmth. Almost instinctively, he held onto her hand, like a person adrift at sea suddenly clutching a piece of driftwood. At that moment of skin contact, a jolt of electricity coursed through his body. Only heaven knew how much he missed her.