The Ruthless CEO's Revenge Wife
Chapter 33: A Venomous Attack

Chapter 33: A Venomous Attack

Branches started swaying violently as the wind picked up speed, carrying the sharp scent of rain and ocean salt. The leaves rattled like warning bells, and distant flashes of lightning illuminated the sky behind the hills.

"Come on," Jean said, already scrambling back down the slope.

The dirt had become loose under their feet, and a few stones dislodged, tumbling downward with dangerous speed. Logan stayed close, occasionally reaching out to steady Jean as she led the way.

Just as they reached the denser part of the forest again, the first droplets of rain began to fall. Light at first, like a warning. Then it came all at once... sheets of cold rain pelting them from all directions.

"Shit!" Logan cursed, shielding his eyes.

"Come on! This way!" Jean grabbed his hand and tugged him toward the direction of the beach.

The wind howled now, bending trees and sending loose leaves flying in every direction. The forest had turned chaotic, like nature itself was raging.

They stumbled into the clearing by the beach, both soaked to the bone. Their small camp was a mess... the leftover firewood scattered, ashes washed away by the rain.

Jean turned in a full circle, searching. "We need shelter!"

"There!" Logan pointed to a cluster of rocks half-covered by thick shrubs. A low overhang... crude, but enough to keep them from the worst of it.

They rushed toward it and ducked beneath, huddling together under the rocky canopy as thunder cracked above them.

Both panting, soaked, shivering, and silent for a moment.

"Well," Logan said after catching his breath, "nothing like a storm to make you miss city life."

Jean let out a weak, breathless laugh. "I’d kill for a crappy hotel bed right now."

He glanced at her. "You can have the bed. I’ll take a hot shower."

"I’d sell my company for one."

"Now that’s desperation," Logan teased, shaking water from his hair.

Jean leaned back against the stone, water still dripping from her nose and chin, eyes closed. "If we survive this island, I swear I’m never wearing heels again. I’m getting used to walking barefoot now."

Logan smirked. "I’d actually pay to see you walking barefoot in the city."

"Shut up."

They both laughed quietly under the roar of the rain, the storm raging around them... but in that moment, the wildness outside seemed just a little less scary.

The storm didn’t pass quickly.

What began as heavy rain escalated into a relentless downpour that lasted through the night. Thunder cracked the sky in intervals, each rumble shaking the ground under their feet.

Jean and Logan remained huddled beneath the rock overhang, the small and crampy shelter barely keeping them dry.

The beach was unrecognizable by dawn.

When the rain finally slowed to a misty drizzle, Logan peeked out cautiously, blinking through the damp haze. "Shit..."

Jean stepped out behind him and gasped.

Their camp was destroyed and gone.

The fire pit was a muddy mess, their storage spot for dry wood was washed away, and some of the bigger rocks they’d used for seating had been moved... shifted by floodwater that had swept through the sand.

Even the small leaves and branches they’d collected to sleep on had turned into soggy pulp.

Jean looked toward the tree line. "It must’ve flooded from that side during the worst of it."

"Yeah," Logan nodded grimly. "And the storm surge hit the beach from the other. We got sandwiched."

Jean ran her fingers through her damp hair, exhausted. "We’re going to have to start over."

Logan sighed. "Let’s salvage whatever we can."

They moved through the wreckage silently at first, collecting what remained of their makeshift supplies. A few coconuts had been tossed further inland by the wind. Some bamboo logs were still intact. The vines they’d collected earlier now lay scattered and tangled.

By midday, the clouds began to part slightly, letting patches of sun shine through... warmth returning just enough to bring some comfort.

Jean collapsed onto a drier patch of sand beneath a tree, stretching her legs with a groan. Her dress was torn at the hem again, clinging to her skin. "Remind me to never complain about my penthouse again."

Logan dropped beside her, equally drained. "Yeah. I’ll never curse my thermostat ever again."

A short silence stretched between them, filled only by the sound of dripping leaves and distant waves.

Jean finally muttered, "We’ll need to rebuild everything. Shelter. Fire. A way to store food better this time."

Logan turned to her. "We will. But maybe... we will also find higher ground soon. Just in case another storm hits."

She nodded. "Agreed."

"Let’s go... we don’t have much time, it’s going to be dark soon."

_______________________________

The forest was calm in the eerie aftermath of the storm. Leaves glistened with droplets, the air smelled of wet earth and moss, and a distant bird call echoed through the trees.

Jean and Logan moved carefully, eyes scanning the ground for anything useful. He glanced at her, "remember to look for anything which can be useful to us but be careful with your foot, Jean."

Fallen branches, edible fruits, vines strong enough to tie things... anything they could use to rebuild what the storm had destroyed.

Jean knelt to inspect a cluster of mushrooms near a tree base, brushing her fingers lightly over the dirt. "We can use this bark. It’s flaky and dry... it’ll catch fire easily."

Logan nodded, about to speak... when he froze.

His hand instinctively shot out and grabbed Jean’s arm, pulling her up roughly. "Don’t move."

"What the hell, Logan..."

"Jean. Just look."

His voice was low and strained, looking straight to the direction where she was just now standing.

Jean followed his gaze down to the base of the tree she had been crouching near.

Coiled in the wet leaves, half-camouflaged in the shadows, was a long, mottled snake... thick-bodied, silent, its beady eyes fixed on them.

Jean’s breath caught.

The snake flicks its tongue, sensing the vibrations of their movement.

"It’s a pit viper," Jean whispered. "Venomous and very lethal."

"How do we back away?" Logan asked, his grip still tight on her arm.

"Slow. No sudden moves," she whispered.

They inched backward, step by step, their feet careful not to snap a single twig.

But just as they were a few feet away, a rustle from the branches above startled the snake. Its head rose, tongue flicking rapidly.

Logan instantly stepped in front of Jean.

"Don’t!" she hissed. "It’s not going to attack if we don’t provoke it..."

Too late.

It has already lunged towards him.

"Logan!"

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