Chapter 89

Aria Bennett led the two men out of the cave to search for medicinal herbs.

"Did you find their hideout? Is the production crew alright?" Nolan Reed asked as they walked.

Aria briefly explained the situation. "We'll move tonight."

"That's troublesome." Nolan frowned.

"Be careful tonight. If there's a chance, help the others." Aria knew his skills well.

Nolan flashed a grin. "Whatever you say."

Aria: "..."

She wasn’t used to this suddenly well-behaved version of Nolan.

Damian Cross glanced at Nolan—this top-tier celebrity was growing bolder by the day.

"You were the one who made Serena Blake fall from the tree, weren’t you?" Damian asked abruptly.

Nolan shot him a glare. He had been waiting for Aria to praise him.

Seeing Aria’s questioning look, he reluctantly admitted, "I hit her hand with a pebble."

"Didn’t expect her to lunge at Jonah and send him tumbling down the slope."

Aria mused that the protagonist’s plot armor was indeed strong—everyone else suffered instead.

"Keep an eye on Jonah tonight," she said, noticing Nolan’s guilt.

Nolan nodded. "That’s what I was thinking."

They soon found the herbs, and Aria’s sharp eyes caught sight of a wild chicken nearby.

"You two, go catch it," she directed, pointing.

The two men moved toward the target in perfect sync.

The moment they were out of Aria’s sight, Nolan lowered his voice. "Stay away from Aria."

"Says who?" Damian raised an eyebrow.

"Her boyfriend." Nolan lifted his chin.

Damian smirked. "Ex-boyfriend, you mean."

"How do you know that?" Nolan stiffened.

"None of your business," Damian replied coolly.

Nolan narrowed his eyes. "What’s your angle with Aria?"

"Not yours to ask."

"I’m going to win her back," Nolan declared like a vow.

Damian chuckled. "You’ll never have another chance."

Before Nolan could retort, Damian strode ahead.

"..." Nolan gritted his teeth in frustration.

Damian swiftly knocked out the chicken with a well-aimed pebble and carried it back triumphantly.

Nolan, lagging behind, cursed under his breath—once again, this guy had stolen the spotlight.

"Damian caught it?" Aria saw right through them.

Damian smiled. "Mhm. You’re sharp."

"He was just faster," Nolan muttered defensively.

Aria laughed. "Meaning Damian’s better."

"Yeah, yeah, he’s so impressive," Nolan huffed, stomping ahead.

Watching his sulking retreat, Aria thought this was more like the Nolan she knew.

He didn’t get far before regret kicked in.

Stopping, he turned with a pitiful look. "Hurry up, you two!"

Aria sighed. "Coming."

Back at the cave, Aria assigned them tasks—one to tend the fire for medicine, the other for stewing the chicken.

As the others returned, they winced at Jonah’s pained state.

"Feeling any better, Jonah?" Caleb Monroe asked with concern.

"Waiting for Aria’s remedy," Jonah said weakly.

"Need help?" Caleb glanced at Aria.

"No, it’s almost done." She focused on brewing the medicine.

Audrey Lane reassured, "Aria’s potions work wonders. Mine stopped the pain right away last time."

Jonah nodded. "I trust her."

When they heard Aria had even asked Damian to hunt a chicken to nourish Jonah, everyone praised her thoughtfulness.

Serena, standing at the cave entrance, looked livid.

She hadn’t meant to hurt anyone, yet they all blamed her. Meanwhile, Aria merely boiled some herbs and was suddenly a saint.

Worst of all, both Damian and Nolan orbited around Aria like satellites.

Noticing Serena’s hostility, Aria flashed her a taunting smile in a camera blind spot.

Serena trembled with rage before storming out.

Thinking of the men on the island, a vicious glint flashed in her eyes.

"You brought this on yourself, Aria," she hissed.

Making sure no one was around, she pulled a wooden whistle from her pocket.

Unbeknownst to her, Cole Turner watched everything from the nearby bushes.