Chapter 175

Part 1

Cynthia was suddenly reminded of Jonathan's earlier struggle in the water. He had been diving only a couple of minutes before appearing to be in distress, so desperate that she had to share her air with him. Out of the water, he seemed near death, so weak from lack of oxygen that she had to help him dress. But his near-drowning had been a sham, a ploy to take advantage of her. He was a professional freediver, even better than she was.

A wave of intense anger surged through her.

"Cynthia, what's wrong?" Preston asked, noticing her distant gaze.

Cynthia snapped back at him with a fierce glare. "None of your business!" she barked.

Huffing, she walked away, clutching a conch shell. She hadn't expected to run into Jonathan, returning from the forest. Without hesitation, she confronted him.

Jonathan watched her approach with surprise. Cynthia's face was impassive, her pace quickening as she closed the distance. She strode up to him, grabbed his arm, and with a sharp twist, executed a perfect judo throw, sending him sprawling onto his back.

Jonathan's eyebrows knitted together in shock. Even after the throw, Cynthia wasn't finished. She delivered a hard kick, dusted off her hands, and walked away with a fluid motion.

Jonathan sat up, completely bewildered. Cynthia's throw had been powerful. He finally understood how Filip must have felt. It felt like his bones were about to crumble. For the first time, he truly felt Cynthia's strength.

Lying on the ground with his eyes closed, he heard Preston's voice. "Uncle Jonathan… you're not dead, are you?"

Preston sounded uncertain. He had just witnessed Cynthia throw his uncle over her shoulder. If it hadn't been on the beach, there would have been broken bones.

Jonathan stood up, frowning. "I'm fine."

"What did you do to tick Cynthia off so badly?" Preston asked.

Jonathan, having observed Cynthia's behavior, seemed to have figured something out. He brushed sand off his arm. "Were you with her just now?" he asked.

"Yeah, I was talking with her, watching the sunrise. I even went into the sea to catch some sea snails for her," Preston replied.

Jonathan's eyes darkened, his face growing serious.

"But when I mentioned that you taught me snorkeling, she changed her expression," Preston continued.

Jonathan's eyebrow twitched.

"And when I said you could free dive for eight minutes, she went nuts," Preston added, still looking puzzled.

Jonathan was speechless.

Part 2

The sky brightened quickly, marking the start of day three on the deserted island. The show crew had a different plan for the morning—they didn't bring breakfast. Instead, they airlifted a bunch of ingredients and set up four stoves on the beach.

It didn't take long for the cast to guess what was coming. Sure enough, a drone buzzed overhead to announce the day's challenge.

"Since everyone's not really in the dating spirit, we've got a new challenge for you today: a cooking contest! You'll draw lots to form temporary couples. We hope that through cooking together, you might spark some feelings."

[The show's really going all out. This isn't about fostering couples, it's about breaking them up!] [Come on, just break them up already. Who's better at this than you, Jason?] *[I just hope my PrexC ship doesn't get split, I'm all about Preston and Cynthia!]

Soon, the drone started calling out the pairings. Ethan was paired with Jessie again.

Jessie looked less than thrilled. "This is so boring. Can't I have someone else?"

Ethan's eyes welled up. "Jessie, did I do something wrong?"

Jessie rolled her eyes and slapped Ethan on the forehead. "You're a grown man. Can you stop crying at everything?"

This was only the second day of filming, and Ethan had already cried at least four times. The day before, after finding a phone and calling his girlfriend on Paradise Island, he'd started crying again. She'd comforted him, thinking they'd broken up, only to find out he just missed his girlfriend. It was too much drama for her to handle, and she didn't give him a heart vote the next day.

Ethan sulked, turned his back, and dramatically stared at the sky.

Alex got paired with Nina. He strolled over casually. "Nina, it seems like we're really meant to be. Even the universe is giving us a chance."

Nina ignored Alex. She was more interested in Jonathan's pairing, which the show hadn't yet announced.

The drone continued, announcing the third temporary couple: Preston and Abby. Preston was visibly unhappy, his eyes fixed on Cynthia. Abby was equally unenthusiastic. She couldn't stand Preston; among the men, he was the least impressive. She was a popular influencer with millions of followers, while he was an unknown model trying to make it. Yesterday, he'd given her snake meat, making her sick all night. She'd barely managed to eat some leftover grilled crab before bed to regain her strength. Her stomach was still uneasy, and the thought of the snake meat made her want to gag.

The last temporary couple announced was Jonathan and Cynthia. Neither showed much emotion.

The couples were supposed to stand side by side, but the gap between them was enormous.

The task was clear: the show had flown in a wide array of ingredients, from abalone and sea cucumbers to every kind of seafood, meat, and vegetable imaginable.

The drone circled and announced, "Today, it's all about competition. Each couple needs to whip up a signature dish. And our guests will vote: The winners get a prize, and the losers face a penalty. Couples, start your cooking adventure!"

Jessie and Ethan were already engaged in a "friendly" debate.

"I can eat, but I can't cook. You can cook, right, Ethan?" Jessie asked.

Ethan looked uneasy. "I can cook, but it might not be great."

Jessie's face lit up. "As long as you can cook, make something you're good at."

Ethan thought for a moment. "How about fried meatballs? It's a specialty from my hometown; everyone makes it there."

Alex approached Nina. "Nina, what's your favorite dish? I'll make it for you."

Nina finally looked away from Jonathan. She sensed no chemistry between him and Cynthia. She thought to herself, Mr. Bennett didn't give her the heart vote. Maybe it has nothing to do with Cynthia. Even though they dated, they've broken up. If…

This is a significantly cleaned-up version with improved grammar, punctuation, and flow. The bracketed comments were kept, as they appear to be internal monologues or asides, characteristic of some narrative styles. If you intend these to be removed, let me know and I will edit accordingly.