SHARING EMMA [18+]

25. Penny of Investment

|EMMA|

As the days passed by, I began to notice a peculiar pattern on the island.

Among the entire staff at the villas, the people working on Carlos' project, and even the other guests, I was the only woman. It was an oddity that I couldn't shake off my mind. The more I observed, the more it seemed like a deliberate decision rather than a coincidence. The male staff would talk in hushed tones as I passed by, their eyes darting furtively towards me. It was a nagging feeling that made me uneasy.

The few women I did see on the island were natives or locals from the neighboring islands, and they seemed to keep to themselves. Whenever I caught a glimpse of them, they were either hurrying to complete a task or disappearing into the dense forest that surrounded the island. Carlos had warned us to steer clear of the forest, and I couldn't help but wonder if he knew more than he was letting on.

However, the island wasn't my only concern. There was something about Carlos that had been gnawing at me ever since Ryker's visit. He had become increasingly reclusive and distant, and I couldn't shake the feeling that something was amiss. Whenever I dropped by after dinner, he always had some excuse ready, and he never made an effort to come and see me. It was as though a switch had been flipped inside him, and the person I knew and cared for was nowhere to be found.

I couldn't help but wonder what was going on with him. Was he deliberately avoiding me? Or was he indeed consumed with the work on the island development project? I had no idea, and it was driving me crazy. All I knew was that something was wrong, and I had to get to the bottom of it.

The day after we had lunch, Carlos set up a tour for me and once again cautioned me against venturing into the forest with any of the locals. I found it strange that he kept repeating the same warning, almost as though he was aware of something I wasn't.

But maybe that was the point.

Maybe he did know something that I didn't, and if his reluctance to be open about it was anything to go by, he wasn't planning to share it with me either.

I couldn't shake off the feeling of unease that settled in my gut. What was Carlos trying to hide? And why was he being so secretive about it?

Anyway, whatever his reasonings were, I decided not to press him on the matter. I feared that he might cancel the tour if he thought I wasn't prepared for it—after all, Carlos strongly believed in the adage that "curiosity killed the cat." And no way, I was risking this one opportunity to learn more about this island.

However, my excitement was short-lived when I skipped out of the villa to get to the jeep waiting on me and realized I wasn't the only one up for the tour.

There were three more people, excluding me and the driver.

A lanky and towering man leaned casually against the vehicle, sporting a camera slung around his neck. His khaki pants were complemented by a billowy white shirt that danced in the breeze, while his chestnut locks were swept back and his piercing emerald eyes sparkled with confidence, setting him apart from the rest of us.

In the backseat of the jeep, sat a younger man in his early twenties, donning thick-rimmed glasses and gripping a diary, poised to jot down every detail of the tour. He appeared studious and solemn, as though determined to learn all he could from the experience.

And then, there was Ryker. At first, I didn't recognize him. He was clad in a simple T-shirt and cargo shorts, a far cry from his usual sleek and high-end attire. He seemed to be avoiding me, hastily shuffling into the back seat and ensuring a distance between us. It was clear he didn't want to be anywhere near me, or perhaps he wanted to ensure that I was nowhere near the other men.