Island Diaries: My Life with Ten Beauties

Chapter 14

I opened my eyes and saw Stella's angry face.

Getting woken up was one thing, but getting hit? It made my temper flare up. "What's with the early morning madness?!"

"You dare ask?" Stella yelled. "Look at the state we're in, and what are you doing here with Zoe? We were all sleeping here, and you two are doing this in the middle of the night?! Disgusting!"

After Stella's outburst, I realized Zoe and I were hugging. Her mat was empty, and she was clinging to me. My hand was indecently on her butt.

Zoe woke up and, hearing Stella's words, her eyes reddened. She let go of me quickly and explained, "You misunderstood, Stella. Nothing happened between me and Zack."

Stella looked at us with disdain and said, "Who would believe that? Just a reminder to those who can't control themselves, the rescue team will be here soon. Don't regret it later!"

I didn't understand why Stella was being so harsh. My face darkened as I stood in front of Zoe. "Stella!"

Zoe's face turned pale, and tears started to fall. Mandy saw this and thoughtfully glanced at Stella and then at us. Quinn seemed to be enjoying the spectacle, almost gloating.

Seeing me defend Zoe made Stella even angrier. She pointed at me. "Am I overreacting? I haven't even complained about how disgusting you two are!"

I bit my lip, not wanting to argue with this spoiled brat. "I don't have time to explain."

I wanted to comfort Zoe, but when I turned, she had already rushed out of the cave.

"Stella, you went too far today!" I glared at her.

Stella seemed regretful to see Zoe run off, but she didn't argue. She just turned away with a huff.

I didn't want to waste more words on her and hurried out to find Zoe. This island was eerie and full of dangers. It was too risky for Zoe to be outside alone. I ran as fast as I could and finally found her by the shore, squatting and crying softly.

She was curled up, her shoulders shaking with sobs.

I felt guilty. Squatting down beside her, I comforted her, "Stella has always been pampered and never had to consider others. She speaks without thinking, but she doesn't mean any harm. Just ignore her."

"Zack, I didn't try to please you on purpose. I just thought you were working hard, and we all rely on you to survive. I wanted to help you, but she misunderstood me!" Zoe's voice trembled as she cried.

I quickly reassured her, "I know, it's her fault. Just ignore that foolish woman!"

Zoe cried for a while longer, then nodded and looked at me with a sweet, obedient expression. "I trust you, Zack."

I breathed a sigh of relief, hugged Zoe, and comforted her. My eyes couldn't help but wander to the treetops in the sea. Yesterday, Mandy and I had good luck here, and I wondered if we could find something again.

To my surprise, I saw something moving in the distance on the sea.

Could it be a prey?

I rubbed my eyes and looked again. I was horrified to see a snake as thick as a bucket swimming in the sea!

Its cold scales shimmered in the sunlight, sending chills down my spine. The snake was slithering towards the shore, and my heart pounded. If that thing got us, we'd be dead!

I didn't dare make a sound. I picked Zoe up and ran quickly.

Zoe let out a surprised yelp, her face turning red. But she noticed my serious expression and didn't ask questions, letting me carry her like a life-sized Barbie doll.

I sprinted away from the shore, running a few hundred meters before stopping.

"Zack, why did you suddenly pick me up? What happened?" Zoe blushed and looked at me with big, shy eyes. There was a mix of fear and... Was that anticipation?

"I... I just saw a huge sea snake," I explained nervously, putting her down. Zoe was so good to me, unlike Stella. I felt a bit guilty for taking advantage of her.

But to my surprise, as soon as I put Zoe down, her legs gave out from being numb, and she fell forward. Instinctively, I reached to catch her, but we both ended up falling onto the sand.

The distance between us closed quickly, and my lips ended up on her slightly parted ones. We stared wide-eyed at each other, sharing an unexpected French kiss. Zoe's face turned bright red, but she didn't push me away.

Damn it, since we were already kissing, I thought I might as well enjoy it.

I started to close my eyes when suddenly the nearby bushes shook violently. Stella and Mandy emerged from the thicket.

Stella rushed over angrily, pushing me away and slapping me. "Zack, you pervert! You've finally shown your true colors! You’re trying to r**e Zoe!"