2026-09-09 22:41:57
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Chapter 77
After the wolf attack and Alice’s tumble from the cliff, her skin was mapped with tiny cuts. Joseph worried. If any wound grew inflamed, they had no proper medicine. No matter what Alice said, he would not let her be reckless.Seeing how adamant he was, Alice gave up, a trace of disappointment clouding her face.“Don’t worry, Sister Alice.”Julia Kelly leaned close to whisper in her ear. “I’ll keep an eye on Mr. Joseph. If he does anything that betrays you, I’ll tell you the moment we get back!”“Ah—no, that’s not what I meant…”Alice flushed scarlet, at a loss for how to explain—though, truthfully, Julia had voiced exactly what she’d been too shy to say aloud.Joseph and Noah Diaz led Naomi Martin and the others to the bathing spot, while Kyle Lee, Bruce Lee, and the rest stayed to guard camp—ready for any trouble.The sun was sliding toward the horizon, and the women weren’t fighters. Joseph felt better leading them himself.He retrieved two towels from their stash so the women coul
Chapter 76
Everything at the kiln was in order. There was nothing more to do for now. The firing would take eight hours. Joseph checked the Patek Philippe he’d won off Charles, noted the time, and decided they would open the kiln when it was due.In the meantime, there was plenty to accomplish. No point wasting the hours.The iron-plate bear he’d just served had lifted everyone’s spirits again. Stranded on an island didn’t have to mean a monotonous diet of grilled fish and boiled meat. With enough care, there were countless ways to make a meal. Joseph was proof.They threw themselves into the work with new energy.If for nothing else, then to raise their standard of living.“Little Joseph, your sister is very pleased.”Naomi took a delicate bite of a pear. “For this roast, I’m giving you another point. You’re one step closer to your reward.”Her red lips traced the fruit, her manner languid yet elegant. The sight alone was enough to keep more than a few eyes lingering.Joseph rubbed his temples.
Chapter 75
Pine resin makes the finest kindling.Joseph fed a lit torch into the gaps around the kiln wall. Only when the bottom layer caught did a hint of relief soften his expression.It still wasn’t enough.He packed the remaining pine along the seams, making sure every clay body inside would meet the flames once the wood took. Only then did he rise.Soon the fire roared, licking up from the pit in gusts. At this point, there was no risk of it dying for lack of air.Ordinarily, the kiln would be sealed, but conditions wouldn’t allow for a proper setup. Joseph had planned for that.With Bruce Lee and several of the stronger men, he hauled over a sheet of metal plating that had washed ashore from the cruise ship. They’d seen it on the beach since the first day, but its size had made it tricky to use. Even when they’d grilled oysters before, they’d chosen a smaller sheet.Now, finally, it had a purpose.A thunderous clang rang out.The panel was far heavier than Joseph had guessed. Five big men
Chapter 74
“Not bad. Consider that a little payback on your big sister’s behalf.”Naomi Martin, very “pleased,” patted Joseph on the shoulder. “Since you used your sister so cleverly this time, I’ll let it slide. In fact, I’ll give you a merit point. Rack up enough, and your sister will reward you.”Her smile made Joseph feel worse than if he’d seen a ghost.A reward?Joseph: “...?”He’d seen that kick she’d delivered to Charles.With Naomi that formidable, how could he be sure her “reward” wouldn’t be a matching kick for him?He wanted no part of it.His future was to live well with his wife, Alice, and raise a brood of strapping sons.If Naomi insisted on inserting herself, then she’d only ever be a concubine at best.Alice would always be the one.Of course, he only dared think it.Naomi’s leg—a widow-maker—genuinely terrified him.Alice rolled her eyes.Who knew what nonsense churned through Joseph’s head all day?She wasn’t someone who couldn’t tell right from wrong.Naomi had saved her lif
Chapter 73
In every plan Joseph had laid, Naomi Martin was the keystone.From Kyle Lee’s account, Joseph already knew her background. And when he’d first rescued her, she’d been hanging from a tree for so long that any ordinary person—let alone a woman stranded alone on a deserted island for days—would have perished. That was when Joseph decided Naomi Martin was anything but ordinary.She was no mere ornament behind fine glass.Why else would the Martin family place such hopes on her?Numbers were a gap no one could bridge.No matter how formidable Bruce Lee might be, he was still just one man.If Joseph didn’t leave, Charles wouldn’t make a move.That was why Joseph had put Naomi Martin and Alice in the same room.He was gambling—gambling that Naomi would act.And he’d won.“Little Joseph, I didn’t expect you’d calculated even me into your plans.”Naomi had pieced it all together. She smiled and shook her head. “I think I like you even more.”“Clever.”With that smile, all her earlier fury and
Chapter 72
Everything Naomi Martin had sacrificed was for her family.She had never truly had a choice.In pedigree or in background, she was second to no one—yet choice had always eluded her.So Naomi Martin simply clenched her teeth and endured.Had it been Alice in her place, she would have shattered long ago.Alice couldn’t even name what she felt; she certainly couldn’t claim to share Naomi’s pain.She stood behind Naomi Martin.In that instant, Naomi’s back seemed to broaden, her figure towering.Alice’s hostility toward her—every last scrap of it—dissolved like mist.Sold out by her own mother for money; married to a man who had once been a complete failure.Alice had always thought her life tragic enough, but Naomi Martin made her reconsider.At least Alice now had Joseph—a man who was changing, little by little.A man who was, slowly, becoming worthy.Naomi Martin was a pitiable soul,a woman everyone envied—and pitied all the same.“Give me a chance?”Charles had already dragged himse
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