Why was Meghan stopping Kendrick from saving Sam? Bethany trembled with anger, glaring at Meghan, who was visible on the screen holding Kendrick.

“If anything happens to Sam, I won’t spare her!” she hissed.

Bethany loved Meghan, but Meghan wasn't her biological daughter; Samson, however, was her biological son. Meghan was indirectly endangering Samson by preventing his rescue.

George frowned unhappily. “Didn’t you see Meghan was terrified? She was so scared she thought Kendrick was Sam, so she didn't let him go. She didn't mean to stop Kendrick from saving Sam. We've seen Meghan grow up. Do you not know her character? Don't misunderstand her based solely on her actions after she was terrified. Don't you feel sorry for misjudging her?”

Bethany gasped, “But my Sam…”

Samson was no longer visible in the video. Bethany clutched her chest, fell to the ground, and wept. Her heart was tearing apart. “My son…” she thought.

George clenched his fists and glared fiercely at Evangeline on the screen. “If anything happens to Sam, Evangeline will be the culprit! She pushed Sam into the water and hurt him! If she hadn't hurt Sam, he could have swum to shore! She injured him, abandoned him, and watched him get carried away. She had no intention of saving him! She's so heartless and cruel she even refuses to rescue her own brother! Thankfully, we've severed ties with her. Otherwise, she would have killed us all sooner or later!” He slammed the table.

Jasper frowned. “Evangeline is indeed cold-blooded. Normal people wouldn't be so indifferent seeing a stranger in danger. But she endangered her own brother’s life and didn’t react at all. It’s disappointing.”

George snapped, “If anything happens to Sam, I'll let her die with him!”

By the river, Jolene stamped her feet anxiously. “I can’t see Samson anymore. It’s over.” Travis glanced at Kendrick, held back by Meghan, then at Evangeline. “Evangeline, Samson is your brother. Please go save him.”

Evangeline looked at him indifferently. “Say nonsense again, and I’ll kick you into the river, too.”

Travis shrank his neck and remained silent. Evangeline went to her backpack, picked it up, and headed for the forest. She found a secluded spot, took out a disposable toilet tent, and changed her clothes. Monkeys had been following her, and there were outsiders who might be looking for her.

After changing, she spotted a monkey in a tree. It hid behind the tree when she looked over. Evangeline hesitated, then addressed the monkey king. “Hey, Kingka, can you dive? My dagger fell in the river. Can you take your minions and help me look for it?”

There were many weeds, so she didn’t dare dive herself for fear of getting entangled. She also worried Meghan would throw a stone at her.

There was no response. Evangeline shook her head. “What the hell was I thinking? Even if the monkeys can dive, they can’t understand human speech, let alone what a dagger is,” she thought.

She turned and walked back. The monkeys followed. She sensed no hostility and ignored them. Back at the river, she saw the monkey king approaching the water with several monkeys. The king looked at Evangeline inquisitively.

“Could the monkey king understand me and come to help? Is it asking where I dropped the dagger?” she wondered.

Evangeline pointed to a spot. “That’s where it fell. It’s this long, silver-white, and has a sharp blade. Be careful.”

Splash! The monkey king and five monkeys jumped in and dived. Evangeline was surprised. “No wonder it can be the king of monkeys! It’s smarter than ordinary monkeys!” she mused.

The others were dumbfounded. Even Meghan stopped crying, staring at Evangeline in astonishment. “Evangeline can command monkeys? This is insane,” they thought. The live audience was also stunned.

[Damn it! How can a monkey understand human language? Evangeline can command monkeys!]

[It seems someone guessed correctly. The monkeys see Evangeline as the new monkey king.]

[I didn't see this coming! It's so unbelievable!]

[Evangeline, you're awesome!]

Meghan sharply scolded, “Evangeline, do you care about monkeys more than your own brother? You pushed Sam into the water and injured him! You murderer! When we get back, I will go to the police and have them shoot you to avenge Sam!”

She looked at Kendrick and the others. “You’re going to testify that Evangeline killed Sam!”

Kendrick frowned. “If you hadn’t stopped me, I would have saved Samson.”

Jolene nodded.

Meghan’s face darkened. “What do you mean? Are you suspecting I deliberately stopped you? He’s my family! How could I not want you to save him? I was so scared I thought you were Sam!”

Kendrick said, “I’m stating facts. I didn’t say I suspected you. Your hurried explanation makes you look guilty, as if you’re covering something up.”

Travis said sarcastically, “You picked a great time to be scared. When Kendrick tried to save Samson, you became clueless. We were right here, yet you mistook Kendrick for Samson, hugging him and refusing to let go. Samson has been washed away by now. He probably drowned. But then, you suddenly seem better…”

Meghan’s face turned red. “You… you’ve gone too far! How dare you smear me? After we leave here, I will sue you!”

Jolene said weakly, “Can we walk downstream and see if we can find Samson? Even if he’s dead…”

Travis said sarcastically, “See, Jolene is an outsider, but she cares more about Samson than you. After getting over the fright, you didn’t even consider searching for him. He truly loved you for nothing.”

Kendrick said, “Okay, stop talking. Let’s look downstream.”

Travis nodded. They walked ahead; Jolene was about to follow.

Slap! Meghan slapped Jolene, glaring at her resentfully. This bitch talked too much, Meghan thought, causing me to be suspected.

Jolene covered her face. “Sorry, I shouldn’t have said that.”

Travis grabbed her arm. “What are you apologizing for? You didn’t say anything wrong.”

Jolene lowered her head and followed silently. She knew she looked like a coward, but those without power couldn’t fight back. She didn't want to lose her celebrity status.

Meghan gritted her teeth, suppressed her anger, and followed them. If she didn’t, it would make her seem uncaring.

Shortly after they left, the monkeys surfaced. The monkey king held Evangeline’s dagger; they had even caught three fish, each over three pounds. The king gave Evangeline the dagger, and the other monkeys presented the fish. They had killed the fish to prevent them from thrashing back into the river.

Evangeline smiled. “Thank you. You’ve helped me a lot.”

The monkeys seemed to understand; their cries were cheerier, and they jumped into the forest, taking the remaining hare meat left by Meghan and her team.

[Holy shit! The monkeys really understand Evangeline’s orders! Not only did they help her find the dagger, but they also caught three fish!]

[Evangeline is awesome! She has tamed a group of wild monkeys!]

[I really admire Evangeline. She's doing so well in the wild!]

[From today on, I will learn from Evangeline and strive to be an excellent woman like her!]

[Does Evangeline really not care about Samson? She's so cold….]

[Why should Evangeline waste her time on a bad and stupid guy who always targeted her?]

[Don't be ridiculous. Have you forgotten what the Gallagher family did to Evangeline!]

[Evangeline was already kind enough not to laugh out loud. Are you suggesting she cares about an enemy who makes trouble for her?]

[How noble of them to ask others to forgive their foes. I'm sure that will solve everything!]

Two factions debated Evangeline’s actions online. Some believed she was right to be tough; others believed Samson didn’t deserve to die, especially since he was her brother. Evangeline was unaware of this.

She gutted and scaled the fish. She couldn’t eat three herself, but they were dead and needed to be grilled. As she grilled them, Kendrick and the others returned.

Samson wasn’t dead; he was just weak. Evangeline wasn’t surprised. Though her kick was hard, it hadn't crippled him. He couldn't swim until the pain subsided, but he managed to stay afloat and breathe. He could have saved himself if he hadn't encountered rapids.

Their eyes fixed on the fish. Their stomachs rumbled; their saliva flowed. Evangeline caught fish? How does she know everything? they thought. She lost hare meat but easily got three fish! They were filled with jealousy.

Samson glanced at Evangeline with disappointment. It seemed she really wanted him dead. She kicked him and left him; now she was cooking fish.

He withdrew his gaze and went to change with Meghan’s help. After walking awhile, Meghan began sobbing.

“Why are you crying?” Samson asked.

“You scared me,” she cried. “I thought Evangeline killed you. I almost wanted to jump into the river and die with you…”

Samson was moved. He caressed her head. “Silly girl, don’t do anything stupid. Even if something happened to me, you have to live well. Mom, Dad, Eddie, and Jas are still waiting for you.”

Meghan sobbed, “But when I saw you in danger, my mind went blank.”

Samson said gently, “All right. I’m fine now. Don’t cry. I promise I will be more careful.”

Meghan nodded and smiled through tears. After a while, she pouted. “Sam, when you were washed away, I was so scared my mind went blank. I mistook Kendrick for you. I grabbed him tightly. I didn’t expect them to think I deliberately stopped Kendrick from saving you. They ganged up on me, and I didn’t know how to explain myself. I really feel bad. I’m not afraid of being targeted, but I can’t accept their slander. I wish I could die with you. How could I deliberately stop others from saving you?”

She began to cry again. She was afraid Samson would suspect her, so she decided to explain first. If she brought it up, he wouldn’t suspect her.