NOVPUBLeiza followed his gaze. "You're right. But it looks like we'll need to climb a bit to get inside." She turned to Azzy. "You're the man here. Think you can do it?"
Azzy nodded without hesitation.
As he stepped forward, Rina dramatically sighed. "If only I had a strong, handsome bodyguard like Rael to do all the work for me," she teased.
Leiza shot her an irritated look. "He's my bodyguard, and he's doing this for the team."
Rina chuckled. "Relax, Leiza. I'm just having fun."
Azzy, as usual, ignored their exchange and waded into the shallow water. He found sturdy footholds in the rocks and easily pulled himself up the slippery incline, reaching the cave's opening. Carefully, he slipped inside, the dim light making it difficult to see at first.
After a few seconds of searching, his fingers brushed against a small wicker basket tucked into a crevice. He grabbed it and peeked inside—sure enough, a collection of colorful eggs rested within.
Turning back, he called down, "Got it."
Leiza let out a relieved breath. "Great! Now just be careful coming down."
Azzy climbed down as effortlessly as he went up, stepping back onto solid ground and handing the basket to Leiza.
Rina clapped. "Nice work, hero."
Azzy simply nodded, wiping a few droplets of water from his arms.
Leiza examined the eggs. "That's one down. Let's move to the next clue."
As they left the waterfall, Rina leaned in toward Azzy again. "I have to say, watching you climb like that was kind of... impressive."
Before Azzy could respond, Leiza cut in. "Alright, alright, let's go before the others find more than us."
As they trekked back into the forest, Azzy walked ahead while Rina and Leiza exchanged glances—one playful, the other annoyed.
The hunt was far from over.
As they walked through the jungle path back to the resort, Rina abruptly stopped, making Leiza halt as well. Azzy was walking ahead, unaware of the sudden tension brewing behind him.
Rina crossed her arms. "Alright, what's your deal, Leiza?"
Leiza raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"
"You've been interrupting me the whole day. Every time I try to talk to Rael, you step in. Every time I joke around, you have something to say. What's your problem?"
Leiza scoffed, flipping her hair back. "I don't have a problem. I'm just looking out for him."
"Looking out for him?" Rina narrowed her eyes. "Or do you just not want me anywhere near him?"
Leiza's gaze hardened. "You can have anyone you want, Rina, but not him."
Rina's expression shifted, hurt flashing in her eyes. "Wow. You really think you can dictate that? Just because he's your bodyguard?"
Leiza didn't back down. She was used to speaking her mind arrogantly, but for some reason, this time, it felt different. "It's not about that. He has responsibilities. For that he needs to be focused. And his main priority should be me. He doesn't have time for your little flings. So, stop chasing him and annoy me."
Rina clenched her fists. "I see. So that's how you think of me?"
Leiza's lips pressed together, but she didn't reply. The silence between them grew thick, heavy.
For the first time, Rina didn't have a witty remark or teasing comment. Instead, she exhaled sharply and walked ahead, catching up to Azzy without another word.
Leiza bit her lip, watching her go. A strange feeling twisted in her chest, something she wasn't used to. Guilt? No, she wouldn't admit that.
The rest of the walk was tense and quiet.
As they reached the beach, the sight before them made Leiza gasp.
Azzy's sandcastle—his impressive 10-meter-wide creation—was ruined. Not just slightly damaged but almost completely destroyed. Large portions had crumbled, and footprints trampled what remained. It would take hours to repair.
Azzy stared at it for a moment before simply saying, "It doesn't matter."
Leiza looked at him in disbelief, "Rael, someone clearly did this on purpose. It was Zack, isn't he?"
Azzy shrugged. "It was temporary anyway. Like all things. And don't trouble him. Let it go." Without another word, he turned away and continued toward the resort.
Leiza followed, frowning.
Rina, still quiet from their earlier argument, cast a glance at the wrecked castle but didn't say anything.
Back at the resort, they found Ciesta and her team already there, relaxing in the lounge with their egg basket proudly displayed on the table.
Ciesta grinned. "Took you long enough! We won, obviously."
Leiza clicked her tongue in annoyance, but before she could reply, the doors opened, and Zack and Wendy finally arrived—empty-handed.
Zack looked exhausted, while Wendy just seemed mildly irritated.
"You guys lost," Ciesta announced dramatically, pointing at them. "Which means… you have to help the staff make dinner!"
Surprisingly, neither Zack nor Wendy protested.
"Fine," Zack muttered.
"I don't mind," Wendy shrugged.
Before anyone could react, Rina suddenly spoke up. "I'll help too."
Everyone looked at her in surprise, even Zack.
Leiza frowned but said nothing.
Rina didn't explain herself. She just followed Zack and Wendy toward the kitchen.
As Leiza watched her go, she knew that their conversation earlier had truly upset Rina.
And for the first time, she felt a pang of regret, hurting her close friend like that.
As the darkness loomed over the island, the lights illuminated the place.
The pool area was illuminated by soft golden lights, music pulsed through the speakers, and laughter filled the air. The adolescent boys and girls enjoyed their night, sipping on drinks and splashing water at each other. The boys were shirtless, except for one—Azzy. He was simply sitting there on a chair, enjoying a mocktail.
Max and Nash, noticing this, couldn't resist teasing him.
"Yo, Azzy, what's the deal?" Nash smirked. "Afraid of the water?"
"Or don't tell me—you don't know how to swim?" Max added with a grin.
Azzy sighed, clearly uninterested in their provocation. But seeing how everyone was staring, he relented. With one smooth motion, he pulled off his shirt.
A hush fell over the girls.
Even with the dim lighting, his perfectly sculpted abs and toned muscles were on full display. The way his physique glistened under the lights left an undeniable effect on everyone present.
Rina practically bit her lip, unable to hide the heat rising in her cheeks. 𝙣𝙤𝙫𝙥𝙪𝙗.𝒄𝙤𝙢
Leiza, despite herself, found her gaze lingering.
Even Wendy and Ciesta had their eyes locked on him.
Nash, feeling the shift in the atmosphere, grabbed his girlfriend. "Babe, you have a boyfriend here!"
Ciesta scoffed and smacked his forehead. "Idiot! What are you thinking?"
Ignoring the reactions, Azzy walked to the edge of the pool and dove in.
Max whistled, watching the smooth motion. "Damn, perfect form!"
Azzy emerged from the water, his hair slicked back, water dripping down his chiseled frame.
Max swam up to him with a challenging grin. "Alright, hotshot. You got the form, but can you keep up? Let's race."
Azzy met his gaze and gave a small, knowing smile. "I'm okay."
But the challenge was already set.
As everyone climbed out of the pool to watch, the two lined up at one end.
Ciesta raised her hand. "On my count—three… two… one—GO!"
