Chapter 6 Gathering of Like Things
1612 Words
Happy Valentine's Day. South Wind, the single dog, keeps writing. Almost everyone froze. No one expected that slap to land so suddenly on Ashley's face.
Many people present knew the relationship between Ashley and Estelle, and they knew Simon's primary motive. Estelle's action undoubtedly had Simon's tacit approval.
For a moment, the air was completely still.
A sneer curled Simon's lips. This was precisely the outcome he desired. He wanted to see what Dilan would do now!
"What are you doing?" Ashley gritted her teeth, looking at Estelle in disbelief.
Apart from the five bright red finger marks, all color had drained from Ashley's face. Tears welled up in her eyes.
More than the pain on her face, Ashley felt confusion and resentment. Estelle was her mother, yet she had slapped her in public, in front of so many people. Moreover, she hadn't done anything wrong!
"You have the nerve to ask me what I'm doing!" Estelle didn't care what Ashley was thinking.
"Mr. Harris took you out, gave you an opportunity. As long as you follow Mr. Harris, you'll have everything you want!"
"At a time like this, you're still clinging to this good-for-nothing. Have you thought about what will happen when you go back?"
"This is the biggest thing in your life. Come here quickly now. Mr. Harris is still willing to give you a chance!"
"Otherwise, you won't even have the chance to regret it later!"
Estelle knew this was her last chance. If she couldn't bring Ashley back, she could already imagine Simon's reaction.
"I'm doing this for your future. If you still acknowledge me as your mother, come with me now!"
"Impossible!" Recalling the final incident on the boat, Ashley shouted almost hysterically, "That bastard! He doesn't deserve it!"
"You wretch…" Terror flashed across Estelle's face. She raised her hand to slap Ashley again. Not only had Ashley refused, but she had also insulted Mr. Harris in front of everyone. If Mr. Harris got angry, everything she had wanted, everything he had promised, would be gone!
"Slap!"
The same sound, the same shock. Only this time, it wasn't Ashley who was struck. Estelle's hand was frozen mid-air. Five large fingerprints now marred her face.
Estelle stared in horror at the person before her. It was the good-for-nothing, Dilan!
No one had expected Dilan's sudden appearance, much less his aggressive action. The stunned expression on Estelle's face lingered.
"This slap is for Ashley!" Dilan's eyes held only disgust.
"You keep saying it's for Ashley's sake, but you don't even respect her choices. Let's be honest, it's all for your own selfish desires! Do I really need to spell out what you've done?"
"Selling your own daughter for money, and you have the audacity to say it's for her own good?"
"You're not fit to be a mother!"
Dilan's forceful response caught everyone off guard. But amidst the shock, they seemed to grasp a new detail.
*Selling her daughter*? Dilan had made it quite clear; it would be strange if they didn't understand.
"You dare hit me!" Estelle pointed at Dilan. "She's my daughter! I can sell her to whoever I want!"
Estelle had completely lost her reason, oblivious to the stares around her.
"I'll fight you…"
Ashley became anxious: "Dilan…"
"..." Estelle lunged at Dilan like a madwoman.
Dilan didn't give her the chance to get close. Another slap, landing squarely on Estelle's other cheek. This time, he showed no mercy.
Estelle was knocked to the ground. Two matching handprints now adorned her face, a ludicrous sight.
"This slap is for myself!" Dilan said coldly. "Someone like you doesn't deserve to be a parent."
"I lived with your family for a few years, but I repaid everything I owed on the boat."
"From now on, I owe you nothing."
"Don't let me see you near Ashley again!"
This was Dilan's only thought. During the years he lived with the Sidney family, he had worked diligently, shouldering all the housework and handing over all his earnings to Estelle. He owed her nothing. He only owed Ashley.
Only Estelle, sprawled on the ground, remained stunned. She couldn't believe that the good-for-nothing Dilan, whom she had always looked down upon, was now so assertive.
Simon's face darkened. He waved his hand, and two of his men dragged the still-cursing Estelle away.
"I hope you won't regret this when you get back!" Simon couldn't stay here any longer. He was the one who had lost the most face today. As the saying goes, even a dog has its day.
Dilan's two slaps and forceful responses were a clear declaration that he didn't take Simon seriously. Coupled with Trey and Xavier's support, Simon knew he had no hope of reclaiming what he had lost.
He had arrived with a menacing entourage, only to leave defeated and humiliated. Simon was not reconciled. He memorized every single person who had supported Dilan. None of them would have it easy when he got back!
*****
One day was enough for them to accept the reality. All the electronic devices they could find were damaged. Even if some worked, there was no signal. They could only survive on the island and wait for rescue.
"Since you've chosen my side, don't expect to get something for nothing. Next, we'll assign tasks." Dilan's demeanor shifted, resembling a commanding authority, his tone brooking no argument.
His previous display of strength had established his authority within the group. Following Dilan's arrangements, the group was divided into two teams.
Living off the land and sea. The island was densely forested, so seawater alone wouldn't sustain them. Eventually, not far from the cave, Dilan found a small waterfall. The freshwater problem was solved.
Dilan assigned all the able-bodied men to fish using the gear he had gathered the previous night and to build shelters for the night. The women were responsible for collecting materials for the shelters.
"Can you show some chivalry? Have you ever seen women doing this kind of work?"
"Look at my hands, they're all scratched! I spent a fortune on these hands!"
Several women protested Dilan's arrangement. They were used to being pampered; they'd never done this kind of dirty work. The filthy mud and leaves disgusted them; the mere sight made them shudder.
"You don't understand how to treat a lady! Chivalry, you hear me?"
"This hurts so much!"
"It is pretty serious!" Dilan, maintaining a gentlemanly facade, nodded gravely. "If you don't bandage it now, it'll scab over and heal."
He couldn't stand it anymore. Those were minor scratches, barely breaking the skin! Did these young ladies do nothing at all in their daily lives?
"So, we don't have to work?" The women immediately brightened. "I told you, dirty work is for men. Women just need to be beautiful!"
"You're right," Dilan agreed. "So, according to the initial agreement, distribution is based on labor. Later, there will be no food or shelter for you. You can just stand there and be beautiful."
"You…" Dilan's words doused their hopes like a bucket of cold water. They hadn't expected him to be so unyielding.
They quickly hatched a new plan: they would convince Ashley to join their strike. No way were they doing this work. They didn't believe Dilan would refuse Ashley food and shelter. Then, they would see what he had to say.
However, Ashley's actions disappointed them. After the incident on the boat, she seemed like a different person, diligently following Dilan's instructions. Even though her hands were covered in mud, with some blood and scratches, she showed no sign of stopping. She even worked more efficiently than the men.
"..." This sight made Dilan's heart ache. This was his wife; he hated to see her doing this. But there was no other way.
Soon, Dilan discovered that it wasn't the women who were driving him crazy, but the men as well. No matter how clear and detailed his instructions, they always managed to make a mess of things.
"Stop, stop, stop!"
"Everyone stop!"
"Look at this fishing net! Do you think you can catch anything with holes that big? Are you trying to give the fish some fresh air?"
"And this shelter? How did you even build this?"
"This thing has no foundation! A gust of wind will blow it away!"
"Yours has a foundation, but you need to dig deeper! A toddler could flatten this with a slap. Are you afraid someone will steal your house while you're sleeping?"
"..."
Dilan's words drew muffled laughter from the women who had been complaining earlier. Their laughter only fueled his frustration.
"What's so funny? This is no laughing matter!"
"Redo everything!"
The women rolled their eyes at him, stuck out their tongues, and continued working with the disgusting materials.
Dilan was on the verge of a breakdown. He couldn't understand. The women being pampered was one thing, but weren't these men supposed to be capable?
He began to worry that he would die of frustration before they starved to death.
Trey and Xavier were equally exasperated. They were men of status, the elite of Claude City. They never touched this kind of manual labor. Asking them to do this was pure torture.
In the end, Dilan had no choice but to guide them step by step until their work resembled something remotely functional.
"What a bunch of idiots." Just as everyone was hard at work, Simon's mocking voice rang out.
"There's so much readily available food and caves on this island, but you choose to do this instead?"
"Birds of a feather flock together."
"People like you are only fit to do hard labor with this loser!"
- Writer
