Hired a Gigolo, Got a Billionaire

Chapter 448 Madeline's POV The dining hall was busier at lunchtime, but we managed to get a table tucked into a quieter corner. Just the four of us. Me, Zoey, Mia, and Olivia. Christian, Luke, and Marcus were still in a meeting with the organizers, probably trying to file a formal complaint about the defective materials. Zoey was visibly frustrated, pushing food around her plate without much interest. The orthopedic boot on her right foot was a constant reminder of how badly the morning activity had spiraled out of control.

"How's the pain?" I asked, watching her adjust her leg under the table. "Manageable," she muttered. "But it's humiliating being sidelined from the more intense activities. I came here to compete, not to sit around watching." "But you were incredibly brave and you saved Madeline," Olivia pointed out, taking a sip of water. "It could've been a lot worse." "Exactly," Mia agreed. "And honestly, it's really strange that only our team's materials looked that damaged." "There was nothing strange about it," I said firmly. "Zoey was right. It was sabotage.

I could've been seriously hurt if I'd fallen." Olivia looked at me with that analytical expression I'd come to recognize as her logical problem-solving mode. "But let's think logically for a second," Mia said, gesturing with her fork. "There was no way for them to know it would be you stepping on a bad plank." Zoey nodded in agreement, then added, "But they could know someone would step on it. Maybe Montgomery's goal was to scare us. Create psychological instability in the team." "And is it working?" a voice asked from behind Zoey. All four of us turned at the same time.

there holding a tray, smiling like she'd just stumbled onto the most normal, friendly conversation in the world. Without waiting for an invitation, she dragged over an empty chair from a nearby table and sat down with us. "Girls' lunch?"

were among old friends. "I wouldn't know," I replied, my voice deliberately cold. "Tell me something. Do you usually resort to sabotage to earn respect?" Vivian laughed, a genuinely amused sound that only irritated me more. 1/3 "I've already told you, little Madeline," she shot back with that fake sweetness that made my teeth grind. "Stop thinking everything is

Vivian included. She actually seemed genuinely amused by Zoey's reply. "You're competitive," she said, clapping her

supposed to be competing with." Vivian's expression shifted, just slightly. The smile stayed, but there was something sharper in her eyes now. "Don't brag too much," she said, her tone casual but threaded with menace, "or you won't even notice when you get hit." She paused, letting the words hang in the air, then added with an

open concern. And Zoey looked ready to launch herself across the table, orthopedic boot or not. Vivian stood gracefully, picking up her tray with deliberately elegant movements. "And Madeline," she said, leaning slightly toward me, "there will always be a spot by my side for my best friend, okay?" She