Island Intrigue: Survival and Seduction

Chapter 4-for-tat

"Ashley, I'm telling you, even if this guy hasn't done anything yet, there's no guarantee he won't in the future." Bethany whispered in Ashley's ear. "He's shifty-eyed. Doesn't look like a good person at all."

"If you ask me, you should just marry my brother."

"It would be so much better than being with this guy."

"My brother is the one who truly cares about you!"

Bethany was clearly unaware of what Simon had done to Ashley the previous night. Ashley had no intention of telling her either. Spoken without malice, these words, however, were the last straw for Dilan.

"That beast of a brother of yours?"

"You're the beast!" Bethany retorted, ignoring the logic. "I won't let you talk about my brother like that!"

"He knows what he did!" Dilan seethed, barely containing his anger. "I shouldn't have saved you!"

"Should've let that guy have his way with you!"

"Enough!" Ashley interjected. "Why are you arguing with a child?"

"What is this thing you're grilling?"

"Is it even edible?" Bethany sneered as Dilan presented the grilled fish to Ashley.

"Did you poison it? Are you trying to kill me?"

"It must be because my brother humiliated you earlier, and you're too cowardly to take revenge on him, so you're bullying me instead!"

"This doesn't look like anything good."

"This young lady will absolutely not eat such garbage!"

"Suit yourself!" Dilan ignored Bethany. "Let me tell you, you don't even know if that guy is still alive or if you'll ever get back home!"

"If you don't eat now, you won't even have this later!"

"You're yelling at me!"

"Ashley, you shouldn't eat it either!" Bethany continued. "He definitely has ulterior motives. He's just waiting for us to get poisoned so he can take advantage of us!"

Take advantage? Dilan was truly at his wit's end with Bethany. Saying he wanted to take advantage of Ashley was one thing, but Bethany? He wouldn't even look at her twice!

"Dilan." Ashley spoke. "Can you get more of these fish?"

"Wife... Ashley, aren't you full yet?" Dilan quickly corrected himself after catching Ashley's look. "I have one more here. You can have it."

"No." Ashley shook her head slightly. "There are so many other people stranded on this island with us because of this shipwreck."

"They might not have food."

"If you can help them now, it will build some goodwill."

"It won't be so awkward when we go back."

"That's easy." Dilan smiled. "I'll go catch some more for them later."

Others might not understand Ashley, but Dilan, who had grown up with her, knew her well. Ashley had always been soft-hearted, and in this situation, she couldn't bear to see others go hungry. In Dilan's eyes, this really wasn't a difficult task. He had only taken a few of the larger fish from the traps he had set; many smaller fish and shrimp were still there. He was starting to wonder if these people could do anything besides eat.

With the initial fire started, building a second one was much easier. Dilan quickly got a fire going and grilled the fish. Soon, the aroma filled the entire beach. These "upper-class" individuals, having endured a night of turmoil, were already starving and couldn't resist the smell. They all looked at Dilan, swallowing hard, but no one approached due to pride.

Dilan rolled his eyes.

"Don't worry, eat up, it's free!" he said with a grin, flashing his white teeth.

The long, cold first night had finally passed, and the sun was now fully risen overhead. Many parts of the wrecked ship could be repurposed into fishing tools, and there were plenty of coconut trees on the island. The food problem was temporarily solved; the next issue was water.

"Dilan, get your ass out here!" A shout suddenly shattered the peace. Everyone turned towards the source of the sound, even Ashley.

In the direction of the voice, Simon, along with his usual lackeys, marched towards them, looking menacing, as if ready to tear everyone apart. Among them was Estelle, Dilan's "mother-in-law"!

"You're really tired of living, aren't you? You even dared to touch my sister!" Simon roared. "Kneel down and kowtow to me now, hand over my sister, and I'll spare your life!"

Simon's sister? Everyone was stunned, completely confused. Why was Simon targeting Dilan right off the bat? They all had a feeling: this time, Dilan was in big trouble.

"Are you delusional?" Dilan's response shocked almost everyone. He continued working without stopping. "If you're sick, go get treated. Don't go around biting people like a mad dog."

They had all witnessed Dilan kneeling to Simon on the deck. It had only been a day, how had Dilan become so bold? It was completely beyond their comprehension!

Simon was the most surprised. He had come to confront Dilan, expecting him to kneel and beg for mercy, but the reality was the complete opposite. For a moment, even Simon couldn't quite process it.

"What are you laughing at!" Simon's face flushed red. He glared at those who were stifling their laughter, and they quickly shut their mouths. All of his anger, of course, was directed at Dilan.

"You're pretty brave now, aren't you? Not like when you were kneeling to me on the deck!" Simon said, rolling up his sleeves and charging towards Dilan.

"Ah..." As if by instinct, Dilan's foot shot out, connecting with Simon's chin. Simon flew backward, crashing into his lackeys. Blood, mixed with a white solid, spurted from his mouth. His face contorted in pain.

On the ship, Simon had used Ashley to threaten him. Now that Simon had shown his true colors, on this deserted island, Dilan was no longer afraid of him. As for Simon's revenge? Whether they could even leave this island alive was a question; future matters could be dealt with later!

"Am I seeing things?"

"Is this still the same wimp from the ship?"

Simon being beaten was an unprecedented event in their eyes. Compared to before, Dilan was a completely different person, entirely transformed! While worried for Dilan, many secretly cheered. Simon, backed by the Harris family, had always been arrogant and domineering. On the surface, these people obeyed him, but in private, they had long resented him. Now that Simon was getting beaten, it was truly satisfying to them.

"I'll say it again," Dilan rolled his eyes. "If you're sick, get treated early. Don't wait until it's too late to regret it."

Despite his words, Dilan was also quite shocked. He hadn't expected his kick to be so powerful, and the strength in his body seemed inexhaustible.

"Don't you dare hit my brother!" Bethany ran out and hugged Simon, glaring fiercely at Dilan.

"He was the one who came looking for a fight." Dilan was incredibly annoyed.

"Since you're here, tell your brother, when did I kidnap you? And when did I touch you?"

"You're alright?" Simon looked at Bethany in surprise, then turned to one of his lackeys.

The lackey panicked. "Young Master, I saw with my own eyes that this waste dragged Miss Bethany away!"

"With your own eyes?" Dilan narrowed his eyes, scrutinizing the lackey.

"I found this girl last night when she was almost assaulted by someone. There weren't any other people around at the time."

"How did you see it with your own eyes?"

"What do you mean?" With just these few words, the lackey was already flustered.

Dilan continued calmly, "And judging by the build and the voice, it seems like the person who tried to assault Miss Harris was you."

"Slander!" The lackey immediately became agitated. "This is slander... Do you have any proof!"

"Is it true?" Simon's face darkened as he turned to the lackey. In that instant, he felt like he had fallen into hell.

"Dilan!" Simon turned back. "I can overlook you kicking me, but if you slander my sister's reputation, you will pay the price!"

"Whether it's true or not, you can see for yourself." Dilan stretched lazily. "If I'm not mistaken, the cloth he's using to bandage the wound on his leg was torn from Miss Harris's clothes."

"The evidence is there. See for yourself!"