Chapter 153

Jonathan had no luck with Cynthia. He finally stopped talking, leading the way, with Ethan following and Cynthia bringing up the rear.

As Ethan had calculated, they reached the beach in under half an hour. The rest of the group was already there. Preston perched in a tree, having climbed it to pluck coconuts. He was using a sharp rock to open one.

Nina sat outside the tent, her gaze fixed on the jungle. Alex sat beside her, attempting small talk. Abby was inside the tent, touching up her makeup. Jessie sat on the sand, drawing circles with a stick and mumbling, "I'm so hungry…"

Everyone was surprised to see three people emerge from the jungle. Nina quickly stood and ran toward Jonathan. "Mr. Bennett, where are your clothes?"

Jonathan's voice was gentle. "I used them to catch fish."

Preston, happily holding a coconut, approached Cynthia. "Cynthia, look! I got a coconut."

Cynthia was surprised. "How did you get it?"

Preston smiled. "I told you I could climb trees, so I climbed up and got it."

Cynthia felt a pang of regret. She had only casually mentioned wanting coconuts. The coconut trees were over sixty feet tall; a fall from that height would have been disastrous.

"Preston, are you out of your mind?" Cynthia blurted out. "Without any safety gear? How could you do something so dangerous?"

Cynthia was furious. She thought of the last time Preston had dashed into the road to stop a car. Teenage recklessness was one thing, but there was a fine line between courage and recklessness.

Preston was stunned by her scolding, his head drooping.

"Cynthia, I thought you'd be proud of me," he mumbled, sounding pitiful.

"Don't be mad at me," he pleaded, his gaze soft and hopeful. Cynthia's heart softened instantly.

"I'm not mad at you. I just worried about you," Cynthia reassured him gently. She thought, Sixty feet up, all because of one casual remark I made—what was he thinking? Or rather, was he thinking at all?

Preston's face lit up. He leaned closer. "Then you should pet me if you're not mad."

Cynthia blinked, surprised, but instinctively reached out, ruffling his messy blond hair with a small smile.

Meanwhile, in the live room chat:

[OMG, head-pat! Take me out now!] [The younger brother knows how to flirt, he went all in on his own!] [Come on, just get married. I'll bring the courthouse to them.] [Who are these lucky girls dating this adorable yet totally swoon-worthy guy?] [He's the kind of younger guy every girl dreams of! He's so into her that he'd climb mountains and cross oceans to be by her side—day or night, nothing's stopping him!]

10:30 Fri, Nov 8

Chapter 153

Jonathan watched, his gaze turning as cold as ice. Even Nina sensed something was amiss. Following Jonathan's gaze to Preston and Cynthia's affectionate interaction, she wondered, Does Mr. Bennett have an issue with Cynthia, so he doesn’t like her being with Preston?

Jonathan said nothing but walked toward the tents with a cold expression.

There were two tents, one for the men and one for the women, facing each other and close together. A small banana-leaf flag marked the women's tent.

Some people had already put their bags inside, but a few still had theirs outside. Jonathan stomped over to his suitcase, grabbed it, and headed straight into the men's tent, clearly upset.

Just as Abby finished her makeup, she saw this. Jonathan wasn't wearing a shirt and had an impressive physique—exactly her type. Her eyes lit up. Luckily, she hadn't packed her suitcase yet.

Abby quickly grabbed her suitcase and walked to the tents, entering the men's tent. Earlier, she had "accidentally" brushed against the flag, subtly shifting it to point the other way.

Abby wasn't concerned about the live room viewers noticing. Even if they did, it would look like she'd accidentally bumped into the flag.

Sure enough, as Abby entered the men's tent, the live room chat erupted.

[Wait, did Abby go into the wrong tent? That's the men's tent!] [Isn't Mr. Bennett changing in there? What is Abby up to?] FlowerSmile [That Abby did it on purpose, just trying to catch Jonathan’s attention.] [Why isn’t FlowerSmile ranting about Cynthia this time?] [Come on, don’t start rumors! You all saw the flag was pointing the other way, right? Our Abby just got misled.]

Inside, Jonathan had just pulled a black shirt from his suitcase and buttoned it, leaving only the top two buttons undone. He heard a noise and saw Abby entering with a suitcase.

Abby's face fell when she saw Jonathan was already dressed. She'd hoped for a more revealing moment.

Stepping further into the tent, she feigned surprise. "Jonathan, what are you doing here?"

Jonathan's expression was icy. "That's the question I should be asking you."

"This is the women's tent. Did you get mixed up?" she asked, trying to look innocent.

Jonathan's eyes narrowed. "I pitched these tents myself. Do you think I'd forget which is which? Get out." Jonathan's patience had run thin.

Abby hadn't expected him to be so cold. She was wearing a fitted, floral mini-dress, but it seemed wasted on him. He hadn't even noticed.

Reluctantly, she tried again. "Jonathan, of the four male guests, you're the one I like—"

"Out!" Jonathan's voice was glacial, cutting her off.

Abby's eyes welled up. "Jonathan, why her? What does Nina have that I don't—"

She took a few steps forward, her tone pleading. "Look at me, Jonathan."

The disgust in Jonathan's gaze was unmistakable. His voice was like ice. "Abby, take one more step, and I'll make sure you're pulled from this show."

Abby faltered. She knew Jonathan could do it. Being on this show was her shot at a better career.

Abby wanted to act, to have bigger opportunities. This show meant everything. Reluctantly, she bit her lip, her eyes brimming as she looked at Jonathan one last time.

"Out. Don't make me say it again," Jonathan warned.

Finally, Abby turned and left. She hadn't gone far when she saw Cynthia walking towards her.