Lost Paradise (The Savages of the Blue Lagoon)

16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

“My father’s Lazzard,” Byron blurts out, and it’s obvious he instantly regrets saying it, but I have no idea who that is.

Judging by the other three Brits here and their sudden surprise, they know who he is.

“You?” Astro huffs a laugh. “I’m calling that bullocks.”

“Who is Lazzard?” Zane asks, interrupting the snide remark I have ready on the tip of my tongue and aimed at Astro, the asshole.

“My mother, fresh out of university, extended her visa to work alongside my father's private secretary,” Byron begins to explain, ignoring Zane's question. “Initially, she had little interaction with my father until his secretary fell ill with infectious TB and was quarantined at home. During the brief overlap, they had an affair, leading to my conception, a secret she kept even from him.”

“Why did she keep it a secret?” I ask, now leaning away from Zane, fully immersed in Byron and his story.

“Coming from a prestigious Hong Kong family, an unwed pregnancy would lead to ostracism. She concealed it, avoiding hospital visits. When her pregnancy became apparent, it was brought to my father’s attention. He knew the tabloids would have had a field day sending a heavily pregnant woman out of the country, especially from his household.”

“Did he acknowledge you as his child then?” I ask curiously, but Astro huffs a sarcastic laugh.

“No, and he’s lying.” Astro sneers at him.

“And how would you know?” I snap at him. Jack should have let Foster and Zane destroy him earlier.

“Maybe I am,” Byron interjects. “There’s a big chance we’ll get off this island, and five people will know England's biggest well-kept secret. There’s also a big chance we’ll never get rescued, or we’ll kill each other or be eaten by the cannibals before anyone realizes we’re stranded here.” He says, grinning at me with amusement.

“England's biggest well-kept secret?” I ask, still confused. “Is Izzard someone important?”

“Lazzard,” Byron clarifies. “It’s a well-known nickname.”

“Because that will mean,” Astro explains, “that the next line for the crown of England has an illegitimate child. And had it with his intern.”

“What!” Zane and I spit out simultaneously, and we stare at him with gapping mouths.

“You’re royalty?” Zane asks, grinning, quickly recovering from the initial shock.

“No, he’s not,” Astro interjects firmly. “Nice story, though, knobhead.”

“Yes, he is,” Jack confirms but doesn’t elaborate.

“Well?” I ask, eager for clarification. There’s no doubt that he’s only part Asian, but that still doesn’t mean he’s royal-related.

“My mother had complications throughout her pregnancy but never saw a doctor about it. She was young and too scared. She suffered from preeclampsia and had to go into early delivery in an attempt to save both of us. I survived she didn’t. My father knew he was the father. He said even if he wasn’t, he would have still provided care for me. A paternity test proved I was his son. But at that time, he was already engaged to his current wife, so I was kept as the secret son from the public.”

“Why?” I ask once more wholly invested.

“Because the Royal family do not need controversial love children,” Byron says bitterly.

“That’s fucked up,” Zane admits.

“Maybe, but my father recognized me as his son even though he has a family with his wife. He always made sure I was taken care of and attended the best schools.”

“But you were never part of his family,” I observe, a little shocked by this latest revelation about Byron.

“No, I wasn’t,” he confirms.

“Does the King know who you are?”

“Yes, I imagine so, but we never met. Given the circumstances of my conception, I wasn't going to be publicly acknowledged," Byron admits.

“England’s dirty, little secret,” Astro mocks.

“What about your mom’s family?” I ask, ignoring Astro’s idiocy.

“They’re a prestigious family from China and want nothing to do with an illegitimate child. It’s considered an embarrassment to their name.”

“But you’re a person, not some thoroughbred horse!” I protest, upset by the way he’s been treated.

“That would imply he’s purebred, but obviously he’s not.” Astro chimes in, earning a glare from me.

I could shove one of the fire torches into his mouth to shut him up for good.

“Emily told me she’s related to the royal family. She knew who you were, and here I thought you were the one with the problem. But the truth is that she didn’t want to acknowledge you,” I remark, connecting the dots. Emily’s attitude towards him was strange, but when I noticed and asked her about the problem she had with him, she refused to elaborate.

“You knew?” I direct my question to Foster and Jack since he’s related to European royalty.

“No,” Foster replies. “It’s not in his file. Plus, students' backgrounds don’t concern me in the slightest.”

“My birth certificate lists Thomas Harding as my father, one of the prince’s staff members who agreed to this and to an early full-salary retirement. I never met him. I see my father a few times a year, but our relationship is somewhat lukewarm. I spent my life hoping one day to win his approval. That’s why I have all those academic awards; I wanted to impress him. Make him notice me. I always put myself under pressure to perform because I felt if I didn’t, he’d lose interest in me and walk away from my life.”

“That’s awful,” I blurt out.

“Well, I’m older and wiser now,” Byron responds. “I spent two years traveling abroad at his request until Hawthornes accepted me. The further he keeps me from London, the easier it is for him to move on with his life. I will graduate in less than two years, and then I'll access my trust fund. It's a payoff for me to disappear so my father can move on from his responsibilities over me."

“You could go public with this,” Zane suggests.

“To achieve what? Humiliate the royal family further? I’m a person, not a product for the tabloids to get rich on. I’m going to access my trust fund and disappear. ”

“To where?”

He shrugs his shoulder.

I glance at Byron, feeling a newfound respect. Despite his apparent dislike for me and his rejection of my advances, I struggle to understand why he holds my background against me. Is this why he hates me so much?

Byron’s story just silenced all of us, and I think despite all the shit we’ve had to go through with our families, he just topped us all with the shock factor.

“That has to be the saddest story I’ve heard all night,” Astro affirms what I’m sure we’re all thinking.

“What about you?” I ask him directly. “What’s your story? Is it true you spent a year or two in a Californian prison?”

Astro shifts uncomfortably, his demeanor suddenly guarded. He avoids direct eye contact, his gaze darting around as if searching for an escape route. His body language becomes tense, shoulders hunching slightly, and his lips press together in a tight line. There's a subtle defensiveness in his posture, a reluctance to divulge anything personal.

“You couldn’t handle it,” he scowls at me. “But Byron isn’t close to finishing. There’s so much he wants to tell you all.” He looks at him with this shit-eating grin. “You took after your pervert dad, didn’t you?”

“Piss off, Astro,” Byron growls at him.

“Come on, mate. You already spilled royal secrets. Why not just come out with the fact that you love wanking behind bushes while watching Eve?”

What?

“Fuck off,” Byron snaps. “I wasn’t wanking you imbecile.”

“So, what were you doing while watching Zane pull a tidy with Eve behind the waterfall earlier today?”

“You know damn well I wasn’t wanking you prat!” Byron scolds angrily.

“But you’re a voyeur. You were watching because your virgin arse was curious!”

It’s dark, but the campfire is bright enough to show Byron’s pale face turning bright red. Is he a virgin? Geez, I honestly didn’t see that coming. He’s got that moody, sexy, brooding geek look down to a T.

“You’re a bully,” I hiss angrily at Astro.

“And you’re a privileged A-class bitch!” he retorts.

Foster and Zane get up fast.

“You want to repeat that asshole?” Zane demands, his fists clenching.

“I won’t allow for that kind of disrespect,” Foster says in my defense, but I don’t need either man to stand up for me.

“Just stay out of my battles,” I mutter to both men. “I’ve had to deal with asshole bullies like Astro my whole life. He's just another street thug, and maybe we should consider throwing him out of the camp.”

“Stop it!” Byron cries out, and he looks like he is one minute away from blowing his fuse. “I don’t need you fighting my battles either! I’m so sick of you, Eve. Acting like you’re someone kind, but you would never turn my way in the real world. The same with Mr. Coldwell and Zane. Both are beneath you in class and privilege!”

I stare at Byron, flabbergasted and completely stunned silent. I watch him storm off into the deep jungle and disappear.

Turning to Astro, who started this mess, I narrow my eyes at him.

“For as long as we’re here on this island, I don’t want to talk to you. From now on, you don’t talk to me.”

“Oh, darling, you couldn’t ignore me if you tried.”

I walk around the fire and stare down at him as he sits casually.

“You mean nothing to me. Too bad California got rid of the electric chair; you would have toasted it nicely.” I mock him.

He stands up to face me. Giving me a stare that I can only say gives me a chilling insight into how dark Astro is. But there is no way I’m facing down now, so I take his death stare and multiply it back.

Suddenly, I’m ripped away from where I stand with him, and Foster interjects himself between us with his back in my face.

“You need to control whatever hate and anger you have. I don’t give a shit what’s going on between you and Eve, but if you ever look at her like that again, it will be your demise.”

“You reckon your pretty Olympic arse can take me down?” Astro scoffs, his laughter dripping with arrogance. "I grew up on the mean streets, where fists met blood and bone. Put yourself back in your fancy arena, pretty boy. You're no match for me." His words are laced with a challenge, his tone daring and defiant.”

Foster stands firm, unfazed by Astro's bravado.

“There will be two hits,” he declares cooly. “Me hitting you. You hitting the floor. Care to put this concept to the test?” Foster’s words hang in the air, dripping with confidence and a hint of menace .

For fuck’s sake, I’m done with all this threat of violence.

“I’m leaving all of you to compare dick sizes. I’m going to find Byron,” I say and take off. Zane comes after me, and as much as I care for him, right now is not the time.

“Stop following me,” I say, clearly annoyed, and roll my eyes.

“Not a chance, not on your own.”

“Stop babying me.”

“I’m not—”

“Just get lost!” I say, immediately regretting it, and I stop walking and put my hand on my forehead.

“I’m sorry,” I say. “It’s just a lot of info dumping that happened tonight despite what everyone thinks of me. I do care.”

Zane tilts his head down and then wraps his arm around me, drawing me in.

“I’d never think anything bad about you, baby.” He says softly, and there’s something about his velvety voice that soothes my fragile nerves.

“But you barely know me,” I croak, suddenly mesmerized by his beauty; even in this pitch black dark, I feel physically attracted to him.

“I’m crazy about you, Eve. I mean it. Everything about you. Including those cute freckles you hate so much. I think you’re perfect.”

“I’m not perfect.” I retort and stop the snort.

“Believe what I tell you. And I know there’s so much yet to uncover about you, but I already know I’m going to love every bit of it.”

I raise a brow, “Love?” I ask skeptically.

“I didn’t say I’m in love with you, but I love things about you.”

“Isn’t that the same?”

“Nope,” he confirms confidently. “But I could fall in love if you let me.”

“Hmm….I can sleep on it. But I really want to go to Byron. He’s upset at me, and I need to sort this out. I don’t care about Astro, but I don’t want Byron to hate me.”

“Then let’s go to him.”

I pull him back. “I need to do this alone.”

Zane looks at me sternly. “Fine, once we find him, I’ll leave you two alone to work out whatever issues you have with each other, but not until we find him.”

I think about his suggestion and smile. “It’s a deal. ”

He grabs my hand, and we stroll through the dark jungle as if we’re wandering a magical forest covered in cotton candy and pretty white unicorns farting rainbows. I feel somewhat emotionally lifted by Zane's declaration.

There have been a few guys in the past who said they were in love with me, but none ever felt as genuine as Zane. Even though he said he’s not in love with me, it’s more real than the blabber other guys have admitted. Not that I’ve ever dated so many guys. In the kind of circles I run in, there is only one guy of choice: the ‘bad boys’ of the Upper East Side, self-centered, sleazy, manipulative playboys.

But with Zane, I feel so comfortable and relaxed. A friend and a lover all in one.

We continue our venture through the eerie shadows of this dense jungle, our footsteps muffled by the thick undergrowth. It's not ideal to be doing this, but Byron shouldn’t be out here on his own.

"Eve, do you really think this is a good idea?" Zane whispers, casting wary glances into the darkness. It’s almost as if he can read my mind.

But my determination makes me press on.

"We have to find Byron. He stormed off in a rage, and who knows what dangers lurk out here alone."

We trek deeper into the wilderness, following the faint sound of rustling branches. We push through a thicket of tangled vines and emerge into a small clearing. There, bathed in the dim moonlight, stands Byron, his silhouette hunched in the darkness.

"Byron, we've been looking everywhere for you," I call out, my voice tinging with concern.

"Byron?" I call out again, this time softly, my voice breaking the stillness of the night.

Startled, Byron turns toward us, his expression a mix of surprise and resignation.

As we approach him, I realize his features are etched with anger and frustration. "I don't need your pity," he snaps, his voice raw with emotion.

"We're not here to pity you," Zane interjects. "We're here because we care about you." He steps forward to stand beside me. His voice is gentle, a calming presence in the darkness.

Byron's shoulders sags, and he lets out a heavy sigh. "I just needed some space," he admits, his voice barely above a whisper .

“I get that, man, but I would like you to rethink what you said about Eve.” Zane looks at me and puts his hand out to stop me from talking, so I give him his platform. "You and I are friends, and Eve is my girl, so I’d like you to respect her as such.”

Byron looks at him and then at me and huffs a sarcastic laugh.

“You do realize she’s also shagging the teacher, right?”

“I’m right here, Byron,” I say aggravated. “You know you can address my business to me.”

“I’m aware my relationship circumstances are different from the norm,” Zane explains, “but I like Eve a lot, and regardless of who else she is seeing, I would like you to regard her with respect.”

Byron remains silent, lost in his thoughts.

“It was Eve’s decision to come looking for you. She ran into the jungle worried, and I tagged along, but I’m glad you're fine. Now I’m going back and trusting you’ll keep my girl safe. You two need to sort it out.”

I gaze at Zane and smile appreciatively. “Will you be okay finding the camp again?”

“Yeah. My sense of direction is pretty good.” He grins wide at me and wraps his hand around my back, leaning down for a quick peck on my lips before departing.

“Take your time, but hopefully, tomorrow, you two are best friends.” He says and takes off before I can ask what he means by tomorrow .