Their Punching Bag Became The Storm novel Chapter 45

Chapter 45 All Hail Whitney

Emily’s team couldn’t wait to get out on the water. Their boat roared to life and sped off across the waves

Nora spat in Emily’s direction. “Hmph! Whitney said there’s no rush. Enjoy it while it lasts. That’s all you guys have going for you right now.”

After Emily boarded the boat, she’d shot them a look dripping with provocation, not a trace of her usual weepy, sweet–girl routine. Nora was dying for the cameras to catch Emily’s real face for once.

“Alright, let’s get ready to fish,” Whitney said, giving Nora’s head a playful pat. Her hair was impossibly soft and smelled amazing.

Whitney knew Nora was tiny but fierce, a real firecracker packed into a small frame. But with that adorable face, she couldn’t help wanting to ruffle Nora’s hair and treat her like a cute little sister.

Nora didn’t mind at all. She leaned right into Whitney’s palm, her face lighting up as her eyes crinkled at the corners.

Whitney was about to ruffle Nora’s hair again when a hand caught her wrist. The fingers were long and elegant, pale and flawless as marble.

“Are you done yet?” Ryan’s deep, cool voice came from above. His fingers tightened gently around her wrist, lifting her hand away.

Whitney looked up and met his face, aloof, striking, almost unreal.

He raised his perfectly shaped brows, his refined eyes holding a faint, misty gleam, giving him that effortlessly magnetic, laid–back air.

“Not

Whitney’s gaze slid from his face up to his hair. “Not yet. How about you let me touch yours?” She thought, ‘His hair looks soft, too.‘

A flicker of mischief sparked in Ryan’s eyes. He released her hand, dipped his head, and said, “Go ahead, then.”

Everyone watching was astonished.

The live chat audience went wild.

Whitney was speechless. She thought, ‘First the abs, now the hair? If I actually go for it, his fans would probably snipe me on sight.‘

Whitney was not about to make herself a target. Ryan had one of the biggest fandoms out there, and she wanted no part of that drama.

She shoved Ryan aside and turned to the three stunned onlookers. “Alright, everyone. Get ready. We’re heading out.”

Chapter 45 All Hail Whitney

She ignored the loaded, half–spoken glances the three of them were trading about her and Ryan.

She gave clear instructions. “Elian, you’re going with Mr. Howard on the small boat. Find a good spot to fish, and if you’re unsure about anything, assist him and follow his lead.

“Nora, I’ll text you a list. Go find everything on the island and bring it all to me.”

With that, Whitney dragged over the raft building kit she’d gotten from Darian, dropped onto the ground without a care for how it looked, and started assembling the raft.

The others responded and scattered to their tasks.

“What about me?” Ryan crouched down beside her, his fluffy head leaning in close.” Did you forget about me?”

“Nope, didn’t forget,” Whitney said, scooting over. “You’re staying right here, waiting on me hand and foot.”

With that frail little frame of his, there was no way he could handle any heavy lifting. If he passed out in some ditch somewhere, she’d be the one stuck cleaning up the mess. Keeping him by her side was the safest option.

Whitney unpacked the raft kit. It was full of scattered parts, small and numerous. She pushed the instruction manual aside, carefully inspected all the pieces, and got straight to work.

[Can Wild Beauty actually build a raft?]

[She’s ignoring the instructions altogether?]

[That looks super complicated. With all those loose parts, can she really put it together without glancing at the manual?]

[Honestly, Emily has a point. They’re here to fish, and a raft is basically useless on open water. Why waste time building one?]

[Feels like Whitney’s stubbornly pushing ahead to beat Emily.]

[Totally. She won’t admit she picked the wrong tools and now she’s scrambling.]

[If she really wants to build that raft, she should let Ryan look at the manual. The guy’s a genius. One glance, and he’d have it figured out.]

[Whitney’s probably going to crash and burn this time. She’ll fail to build the raft and waste a ton of time. Watching her mess with it is boring anyway. I’m switching over to Emily’s stream.]

It was obvious that Chase and Emily’s fans had infiltrated the chat.

.

And of course, there were paid trolls sent by Brandon, the head of the Anderson family.

Chapter 45 All Hay Whitney

Their entire job was to stir up trouble in Whitney’s stream, turn her into public enemy number one online, and make Emily look angelic by comparison.

But as the trolls kept trying to rile everyone up, something dawned on them. The raft was actually taking shape in Whitney’s hands.

In ten minutes flat, it was done.

The chat exploded with awe.

Then Whitney’s fans went wild: [Holy crap! Whitney, you’re an absolute legend.]

The haters were left with nothing to say. So they switched tactics, claiming she’d finished it way too fast. She must’ve cut corners, and the thing was probably a death trap.

But before the haters could even finish typing, a well–known DIY YouTuber with a massive following jumped into the chat.

He said Whitney’s technique was seriously advanced, and she’d even made some smart modifications, like reinforcing the raft’s safety with hemp rope.

He admitted outright that her hands–on skills are better than his.

This creator had nearly ten million fans, famous for setting the internet on fire with his homemade inventions and woodworking projects.

He’d posted videos on building rafts and even crafting boats by hand.

With his comment, the haters‘ newest angle crumbled instantly.

Whitney’s fans were on top of the world, flexing hard and spamming the chat like they owned the place.

Right as Whitney finished the raft, Nora returned with everything Whitney had asked

for.

She dumped an assortment of random items on the ground, and Whitney got to work without missing a beat.

Before long, she’d crafted two harpoons and even put together a hand–thrown net about ten feet wide.

The viewers in the livestream weren’t even surprised anymore. The chat scrolled by at a leisurely pace: [GOAT status: confirmed. She does it again.]

By now, everyone was asking the same question. [Is there anything Wild Beauty can’t do?]

Nora hoisted her harpoon like a spear, struck an action–movie pose, and made a few dramatic thrusts. “Whitney, are we heading out to spear some fish or what?”

“Not yet,” Whitney said, getting to her feet and brushing off her clothes. “Hang tight for

a few more minutes.”

Chapter 45 All Hay Whitney

She turned and slipped into the dense forest.

Two minutes later, she emerged back on the shore with a handful of green–and–yellow grass. No one could quite tell what it was.

Whitney ground the grass into a paste, stuffed it into a bag, then grabbed a small box of bait from Henry.

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Chapter 46 Whitney Shines Again