The Scorned Heiress: No More Mercy novel Chapter 36

Chapter 36

Chapter 36

The dense jungle of Solitude Isle is teeming with wild pheasants, small game, and edible vegetation.

After a quick word with the group, Tara ventures deeper into the thick brush. Spotting her leave, Jade instantly scrambles to her feet and follows. She knows Tara is hunting for food, and if she doesn’t swallow her pride and tail her, she will genuinely starve.

Tara hears the clumsy snapping of twigs behind her but doesn’t say a word. The island is open territory; if Jade wants to play shadow, she can.

Pushing through a thicket, Tara spots a cluster of low-hanging branches heavy with bright, crimson fruit. She recognizes them immediately: Ruby Berries. They are edible and sweet, but highly dangerous in large

quantities. Overconsumption leads to severe abdominal cramping and brutal digestive distress.

Tara remembers a brutal lesson from her past when she ate too many out of desperation and suffered for days. Since food is scarce, she plucks exactly three berries. They are completely organic, bursting with sweet, refreshing juice, making it dangerously easy to lose control and binge.

Finished with her small portion, she turns to leave and catches Jade staring hungrily at the fruit.

‘Want some?” Tara asks, raising a brow.

Jade scoffs, her ego flaring. “As if I’d ever take handouts from you!”

Does Tara think she owns the forest? Jade can pick her own food without begging. She hates how Tara constantly plays the benevolent savior for the cameras. It is nauseating.

“Suit yourself,” Tara says with a shrug, turning back toward the heart of the jungle.

Jade sneers at her retreating back. She marches over to a neighboring

Chapter 36

tree, yanking down a handful of the crimson berries. She bites into one, and her eyes widen as the sweet, rich juice floods her mouth. Ravenous and desperate, she shoves them into her mouth, chewing frantically.

So sweet! It is the best thing she has tasted in two days. Completely abandoning restraint, she devours seven or eight in rapid succession.

Pausing a few yards away, Tara glances back over her shoulder. “If you don’t want to spend the rest of the day in agonizing pain, I highly suggest you stop eating those.”

Jade glares at her, convinced Tara is just trying to hoard the food and force her to go hungry.

Fake bitch! Jade thinks, lifting her chin triumphantly. “Mind your own business! I found my own food, so you can drop the saint act!”

Tara sighs, her tone flat. “Those berries are toxic in large quantities. They

will-”

‘Stop trying to scare me! You just can’t stand seeing me happy!” Jade snaps, aggressively pulling another handful off the branch.

‘Tonight I won’t go hungry,” Jade thinks smugly. “Tomorrow, I get to go home. And the second I do, I am telling Jake and my parents exactly how his miserable bitch tortured me. I will make sure Tara is blacklisted for

ife.”

Realizing Jade is a lost cause, Tara doesn’t waste another breath. She urns and vanishes into the underbrush.

Within an hour, Tara constructs a snare and catches two wild rabbits, then scales a tree to retrieve a clutch of eggs. Returning to camp, she efficiently prepares a hearty, protein-rich lunch. The rich aroma of oasted meat fills the clearing as the rest of the cast eagerly devours the meal.

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