Chapter 175
Cynthia suddenly flashed back to seeing Jonathan in the water earlier. He’d only been diving for a couple of minutes before he acted like he was in trouble, so desperate that she had to share her air with him.
Out of the water, he looked like he was on death’s door, so weak from lack of oxygen that she had to help him dress.
But the truth was, he was a free diving pro, even better than her, is near–drowning act had all been a sham, just to take advantage of her.
A wave of anger surged through her, hot and intense.
“Cynthia, what’s wrong?” Preston asked, noticing her distant gaze
Cynthia snapped back to him with a fierce glare. “None of your business!” she barked.
She huffed as she walked back, holding the conch shell. She wasn’t expecting to run into Jonathan, who was coming back from the forest. Without hesitation, she marched straight for him.
Jonathan watched her approach with a hint of surprise. Cynthia’s face was a mask, her strides quickening as she covered the
distance.
She strode up to him, grabbed his arm, and with a sharp twist, threw him over her shoulder in a perfect judo throw.
Jonathan hit the ground on his back, his eyebrows knitting together in shock.
Even after the throw, Cynthia wasn’t done. She kicked him hard, dusted off her hands, took a deep breath, and walked away in one fluid motion.
Jonathan sat up, completely bewildered. Cynthia’s throw had packed a punch. He finally understood how Filip felt when he’d been tossed around.
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, Jonathan heard Preston’s voice. “Uncle Jonathan… you’re not dead, are you?”
Preston sounded uncertain. He’d just seen Cynthia throw his uncle over her shoulder. If it hadn’t been on the beach, there would have been broken bones for sure.
Jonathan stood up, frowning. “I’m fine.”
“What did you do to tick off Cynthia so bad?” Preston asked.
Jonathan had noticed Cynthia’s behavior. It seemed he’d figured something out. Jonathan brushed the sand off his arm. “Were you with her just now?” Jonathan 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 at a loss for words.
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09:49 Sat, Nov 9
Chapter 175
The sky brightened quickly, marking the start of day three on the deserted island. The show crew hard 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 bearh
It didn’t take long for the cast to guess what was coming. Sure enough, a drone buzzed over to announce the day’s comple 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 lets 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 draw results. 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 when he heard that. “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 off, turned his back, and dramatically stared up 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 didn’t even acknowledge Alex. She was more curious about who Jonathan would be paired with, as the show hadn’t announced it yet.
The drone continued, announcing the third temporary couple: Preston and Abby.
Preston was visibly unhappy, his eyes on Cynthia. Abby was no happier.
She couldn’t stand Preston. Among the guys, he was the least impressive. She was a popular influencer with millions of followers, while he was just an unknown model trying to make it.
Yesterday, he’d given her snake meat, which had her feeling sick all night. She’d barely managed to eat some leftover grilled crab before bed to regain her strength.
But now, her stomach was still uneasy, and the mere thought of the snake meat made her want to gag.
The last temporary couple announced was, of course, Jonathan and Cynthia. Neither showed much emotion about it.
The couples were supposed to stand side by side, but the gap between them was as wide as the Grand Canyon
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 around and announced, “Today, it’s all about competition. Each couple needs to whip up a signature dish.
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Chapter 175
and our guests will vote: The winners get a prize, and the losers lace a penalty. Couples, start your cooking adventure
Jessie and Ethan were already deep in a “Triendly” debate.
“I can eat, but I can’t cook. You can cook, right, Ethan? Jessie askeri.
Ethan looked a bit 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 tore her gaze away from Jonathan. She didn’t sense any chemistry between him and Cynthia.
Nina 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 t
