Master of Lust

Chapter 82  $6 Million down the waterfall

And with that, Rick and Evelina came to a halt. Rick looked around him, surveying the surrounding. He realised that following Evelina, they had come quiet a distance. And now they were actually standing perilously close to the edge of a massive cliff. The scene before them was breathtaking and, in a way, terrifying.

Behind them there was a forest and in front of them was a clear area, with nothing that ended up being a dead end. The road lead to nowhere.

And before them, a broad river stretched out, its serene flow guiding it toward the brink. There, the river cascaded over the edge of the cliff, shaping a showstopping waterfall. While the river itself didn\'t span a considerable width, about 15 to 20 meters, the waterfall was on a monstrous scale.

Rick noticed the unique tree in the middle of the river, standing boldly at the brink of the thundering waterfall. With its branches adorned with stunning purple flowers, it presented a mesmerizing spectacle. The tree seemed like nature\'s rockstar, challenging gravity as it danced on the water\'s surface, its branches swaying in harmony with the powerful current.

"Wow, check out that tree!" Rick exclaimed, his voice filled with awe and admiration as he pointed toward the astonishing sight.

Rick and Evelina slowly inched up to the cliff\'s edge with care, lured by the racket of cascading water. When they peeked over the brink, their peepers bugged out, and their respiration held in their windpipes. As they locked their gaze on the sight below, a spine-tingling sensation slalomed down Rick\'s back. The waterfall\'s sheer elevation was just mind-boggling. It seemed to stretch out endlessly, in the ballpark of a jaw-dropping 1000 to 1500 meters. The racket of the water down there was an ear-shattering symphony, and a potent gust ascending from the abyss nearly played human bowling with the duo, knocking them off their feet.

The scene sprawled before him was a showstopper. The waterfall was an unbridled act of Mother Nature, freefalling from a head-spinning altitude. Rick found himself tongue-tied, grappling to fully wrap his head around the colossal magnitude of this natural showstopper. Evelina, too, got momentarily lost in the moment. The height was off the charts. She felt a shiver run through her as a potent updraft surged from beneath, sending both of them teetering backward. But Rick was quick to lend a hand, stopping her from taking a tumble.

"Damn, that\'s a jaw-dropping plunge," Rick commented, the awe apparent in his voice. Without thinking, he took a step away from the brink and gently tugged Evelina back with him. "I sure as hell don\'t fancy a nosedive down there." It was a sight to take your breath away, but its sheer magnitude was enough to give anyone the jitters, a stark reminder of Mother Nature\'s indomitable force.

"You better start your search," Rick finally turned his attention to the surroundings, reminding Evelina.

Evelina nodded, pulled out her map, and scanned the terrain. However, the more she studied it, the more baffled she seemed. Evelina had no clear idea about the precise location of the cave, and their sole guide was the map.

She gestured towards the area marked on the map, scrutinizing their environment, but there was no sign of a cave or any sort of entrance. Frustration etched her face as she furrowed her brow, and she couldn\'t conceal her disappointment.

"I don\'t get it. The map clearly points to this spot as the cave\'s location," she muttered, her voice carrying a tinge of frustration.

Evelina scrutinized the map with a trace of frustration, running her finger across its surface. "It\'s supposed to be here," she murmured, her voice tinged with uncertainty. She gestured to the area around them. "The map indicates this location, but I can\'t see anything..."

Rick rubbed his chin and surveyed their surroundings. The purple-flowered tree still stood as a prominent landmark in the landscape. Unfortunately, the environment offered little assistance.

Rick shrugged as he observed the surroundings. "Maps can be deceiving, especially in a place like this," he noted, his tone practical.

"Let\'s split and look around, " Evelina commanded, striding off without pausing for Rick\'s response.

"She is quite the bossy type, " Rick chuckled, his gaze lingering on Evelina\'s tempting swaying ass, practically daring him to commit a crime.

Without any objections, Rick simply followed her lead, ready to play along with her whims.

Rick traversed the wooden bridge, his eyes flitting around in search of any hint of the elusive cave. The bridge, though not extraordinary, boasted extravagant carvings and appeared to be a sturdy construction.

As he explored the area on the other side of the river, he meticulously inspected every possible nook and cranny, but the cave remained frustratingly out of sight. His relentless quest continued for an hour, but the fruits of his labor were, alas, non-existent.

Rick trudged back to the bridge, the weight of disappointment evident in his demeanor. Crossing over to the side where Evelina was stationed, he couldn\'t help but feel drained.

Seating himself by the bridge, Rick let his feet dangle into the brisk, flowing river. The cool water brought a touch of comfort to his weary body. He glanced over at the girl, who appeared equally disheartened.

The girl joined Rick by the bridge, her expression a mix of disappointment and exhaustion. She had come so far in search of this cave, and the prospect of not finding it was taking a toll on her mood.

Rick, ever the charmer, flashed a grin. "Why the long face, sweet cheeks? Just dip your tootsies in the refreshing water, take a breather, and let\'s put our thinking caps on."

But the girl, in a major sourpuss mood, wasn\'t having it. She folded her arms like an angry librarian shushing a noisy library-goer. "This close, and no cigar," she grumbled, annoyance radiating from her like an angry porcupine. "I could scream, and your wisecracks isn\'t helping it either."

Rick tried to lighten the mood with a nervous chuckle. "Hey, let\'s not get all bent out of shape," he said. "Just think, we dodged a real disaster by not tripping into that monster waterfall, right?"

Rick\'s initial attempts at lightening the mood fell flat, and he realized it was time to be more earnest and supportive. "I get it," he said with a reassuring tone. "You\'ve invested a lot into this, and coming so close only to hit a dead end is incredibly frustrating. But hey, we\'ll figure this out together. Maybe the map isn\'t up to date, or there\'s something we\'re missing."

But the girl\'s frustration seemed to be off the charts, and her comeback was swift and biting, "I didn\'t come all this way to chicken out. I\'m staying put until I dig up that darn cave."

Rick\'s initial attempts at lightening the mood fell flat, and he realized it was time to be more earnest and supportive. "I get it," he said with a reassuring tone. "You\'ve invested a lot into this, and coming so close only to hit a dead end is incredibly frustrating. But hey, we\'ll figure this out together. Maybe the map isn\'t up to date, or there\'s something we\'re missing." n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

The girl, however, remained deeply frustrated, and her irritation was now directed at Rick. "Outdated map? Seriously? I don\'t need excuses; I need that cave! I\'ve been researching it for months, and it was right here."

Evelina\'s frustration with their zilch progress was eating\' at her, and she couldn\'t resist giving\' Rick a little sass. "Hey, you\'re supposed to be a helpful, not chilling\' like a snooze-fest. We gotta locate that cave."

Rick, who\'d been keeping\' his cool \'til now, couldn\'t ignore the sass any longer. He leaned in, voice dripping\' with irritation. "Listen, girl, maybe because I am in a nice mood chatting you up all nice and sweet, you\'ve forgotten that I am not here to be your cave hunter. I\'m here for the money. I got your back, but keep riding that attitude wave, and I might just consider giving you a one-way ticket down that gnarly waterfall."

After getting schooled by Rick, Evelina\'s brain finally kicked into gear. The boy had a point, after all. They had their deal. But what\'s with the attitude. If he was not that strong, she might even considering punching him in the face.

But alas, that was no option. Feeling all bummed out, she was about to drop an apology when suddenly, a light bulb lit up over her noggin. What if that cave was right under the waterfall? The idea hit her like a cosmic disco ball, and she couldn\'t help but blurt it out.

"Whoa, hold up! What if the cave is not here, but hiding out under the waterfall? It might be kicking it behind the cascade of the waterfall," she threw out there.

Rick couldn\'t believe his ears and thought he had to talk some sense into Evelina. "Are you for real?"

Evelina, however, had a spark of hope that just wouldn\'t quit. "No joke, I am dead serious."

Rick, meanwhile, was doing his best to talk her out of it, laying down the logic. "Evelina, this is bonkers! There\'s no guarantee that the cave\'s behind the waterfall. I mean there is a possibility, but it is very risky."

Rick let out a big sigh, trying to stay chill. "Listen, maybe that tree over there holds the key to the treasure hunt. It could be a clue, a sign, something mega-important. Why else would there be a tree smack in the middle of a freaking river, right on the edge of the waterfall?"

Evelina\'s fuse was running short, and she was not on the same page with Rick\'s theory. She shot back with some serious determination, "No, I am telling you, it\'s under that waterfall. I\'ve got this feeling, and I know, I am not wrong."

And with that, without giving Rick a chance to clap back, Evelina bolted towards the edge of the waterfall, paying zero mind to his cautions. Her ticker was drumming a wild beat as she pulled a split-second move and took a leap of faith into the total unknown. The world turned into a total blur as she descended straight into the frothy, wild waters below.

Rick stood there, jaw on the floor, watching Evelina vanish into the roaring cascade, leaving him solo on the cliff\'s edge. He couldn\'t help but mutter to himself, "That stupid bitch."

"Six million bucks down the drain. What a freaking lousy waterfall!"

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