Mahendra quickly undressed and prepared to enter the lake. However, someone stopped him from behind the bushes.

“Don't!” screamed an unfamiliar female voice that made him stop his steps.

Mahendra abandoned the idea and turned to look for the source of the voice he had heard. He found a woman's voice, characterized by a wet and soft rasp, coming from someone standing close to a mango tree. She had her back to Mahendra, adding to his curiosity.

“Why did you forbid me to enter the lake?” asked Mahendra, frowning.

“The lake is poisonous; though beautiful, it is deadly,” she replied.

Mahendra laughed wryly, not believing her. “How can I trust you? You speak to me in such a disrespectful manner.”

The woman in blue puckered her own fingers and linked them together in front of her body. Sofia realized that she had turned her back on the naked man.

“I can't look at a man who takes his clothes off,” Sofia said.

Mahendra looked at her and immediately picked up the long-sleeved shirt she had taken off. Mahendra put it on and then asked her to face him.

“I've put on my clothes; now you can turn around,” Mahendra said back.

Sofia slowly turned around from the left side until Mahendra was mesmerized by the face of the woman who had forbidden him to enter the clear lake.

Her skin was white and red, her nose was sharp, her eyebrows were thick like ants in a row, and her eyes radiated light.

Mahendra had never seen such beauty as Sofia possessed. Slowly, Mahendra noticed her red-parted lips, which made him swallow saliva.

“Forgive me for turning my back on you. I just didn't want you to get caught up in the charm of this lake,” Sofia said again, bowing her head.

Mahendra smiled, inwardly praising Sofia's beauty, which immediately stirred his conscience. She was inferior to the three women who had visited him in the room.

“Thank you for preventing me from swimming here. I really don't know anything about this island,” Mahendra replied.

“You're welcome; then I'll leave first. Next time, just ask Mr. Bahari about what is allowed and forbidden here so you don't make any missteps.” Sofia didn't want to linger for fear of being caught by the locals and being punished.

“Wait!” Mahendra stopped Sofia, who was already starting to leave.

“I'm sorry, but we can't be alone here. The villagers could punish us for being caught together,” Sofia explained.

“Yes, I know that. I've heard about it, but I don't mean any harm. I just want to get to know the person who saved me from danger,” said Mahendra, still approaching Sofia until they were only three meters apart.

Mahendra was increasingly attracted by Sofia's beauty, which made his heart pound even more. “Is she really human? Or an angel incarnate?” he asked himself silently, astonished with parted lips while holding back a smile.

Suddenly, they heard a sound from the south, and Sofia panicked. “Astagfirullah,” she whispered to herself, then confused herself.

Mahendra pulled Sofia's hand without thinking, then invited her to hide behind a large banyan tree. Sofia was stunned when Mahendra threw her against the tree and covered her mouth with his right hand.

The man tried to look toward the lake and found three men walking with a basket. Luckily, he managed to get Sofia to hide.

Sofia looked closely at Mahendra's face. This is the first time she has noticed Mahendra's good looks, which many people on the island have noticed. It is not uncommon for Sofia to hear Mahendra praised and adored by single and married women.

However, Sofia immediately lowered her gaze for fear of getting carried away.

She quickly let go of Mahendra's hand, smothering her mouth and startling the man.

The man gestured for silence and said something: “There are three men there; don't make a scene if you don't want to end up being punished,” he whispered.

Sofia immediately froze and hoped that the villagers wouldn't catch them. She kept saying her prayers as she closed her eyes. She prayed that Allah would protect them. And, at that moment, Mahendra looked back at Sofia's beauty from the closest distance.

“You're really beautiful,” he whispered to himself, and he smiled up at her.

“What's your name?” Mahendra asked softly as he looked into her light brown irises.

Sofia immediately returned the gaze. They locked eyes without a barrier. The two people were transfixed by each other's eyes.

Unfortunately, Mahendra admires the woman in front of him even more and wants to hug and stroke Sofia's cheek. A fleeting fantasy that came about because of a bad habit of playing with women made Mahendra almost lose control.

”Sofia,” he replied softly.

Mahendra immediately parted his lips, not expecting the woman he was looking for to be right in front of him. “Sofia?” he repeated softly with a flowery feeling.

”You were the one who helped me when I was bitten by the snake yesterday?” Mahendra asked again.

Sofia bowed her head, and then her lips twitched. “The doctor helped you, not me.”

Mahendra was still smiling, and his breathing sounded faint. “It turns out you're my guardian angel here. Twice, you tried to save me, and I really feel very lucky. No, you didn't. You saved me three times.”

Sofia felt that the people walking near the lake had left, and she moved away from Mahendra, who was still talking with the intention of seducing the beautiful woman nearby. However, it seems that Mahendra's attempt failed. Sofia was not interested in the sweet words of the handsome man she met in the forest this morning.

”Hey, where are you going?” Mahendra asked spontaneously, then looked around. The coast was clear, and Sofia left without saying goodbye. His question wasn't even answered as Sofia continued to walk away from him.

Mahendra laughed silently in his current position. He was leaning against a tree, still in awe of Sofia's beauty. As beautiful as her name was, Mahendra was immediately enamored with the woman who had awakened his instincts as a man.

Unfortunately, Sofia is not a cheap woman like other women Mahendra has known so far. It was only Sofia who escaped from his charm and his gaze.

”Sofia, you may still shy away from me now, but one day you'll be brought to your knees by my good looks,” he said with great confidence.