Betrayed by the Father Reborn in His Rival's Arms novel Chapter 355

How could Madeline not see right through those intentions?

Penelope's eyes were practically overflowing with adoration and worship as she stared at Quentin.

But Quentin acted as if he didn't notice her at all. Instead, he smoothly handed the tennis racket over to Madeline.

"You've been resting ever since you came back with me," he said to her. "You need some exercise. You play."

Madeline paused for a moment.

Taking the racket, she smiled warmly. "Sure."

Tristan was visibly surprised. "Quentin, does Ms. Monroe know how to play?"

He wasn't looking down on Madeline, nor was he mocking her. He was genuinely worried for her.

After all, he knew exactly how much Penelope despised Madeline, blaming her for the ruin of their marriage arrangement.

In Penelope's eyes, Madeline wasn't nearly good enough for Quentin.

A woman's jealousy was as corrosive as acid, and Tristan feared Penelope would target Madeline maliciously.

Madeline smiled calmly. "Just a little bit."

Penelope's expression soured immediately. "You either know how to play or you don't. There's no 'just a little bit.' Quentin built this court, so he clearly plays. I was hoping to learn a few things from him."

She was highly dissatisfied with Madeline stepping in to take the racket.

However, Quentin smoothly intervened, "I'm just like Tristan—I don't really play. I built this court because my wife plays a little, so it's for her."

With one sentence, Penelope's face darkened with rage.

Suddenly, a voice chimed in from the side.

"Quentin, you're here!"

Though the newcomer wore a bright smile and spoke in a sweet, overly familiar tone, it made Madeline want to gag.

The person was none other than Liliana Lansbury.

Liliana had been ordered by Eleanor to snoop around and find out what kind of deal Quentin and Tristan were cooking up.

The pending acquisition of twenty-five German Automated Systems by the York Group hadn't been opened for public bidding yet; they were currently in the pre-negotiation phase.

However, higher-ups had already earmarked the York Group as the winning bidder. It was an open secret among top insiders.

Tristan had been invited here to finalize the deal with Quentin, which meant the negotiations required absolute discretion.

Once the bid was officially won, the stock would surge, allowing Penelope to rake in a massive profit.

That was why Eleanor couldn't dig up any details no matter how hard she tried.

Under the matriarch's pressure, Liliana had shamelessly crashed a meal and immediately set to work.

She glued herself to Penelope and Tristan.

Penelope was a true aristocratic heiress, whereas Liliana was a total fraud. Liliana seamlessly slipped into the role of an eager servant to win Penelope's favor, constantly complimenting her, fetching her stray tennis balls, and running to grab her drinks.

The one-on-one match began.

Without a proper warm-up, Madeline let Penelope take the first few points.

While Liliana smugly cheered Penelope on, Madeline suddenly spotted a glaring weakness in Penelope's form and launched a relentless counterattack.

The tide of the match turned in an instant. Penelope went from arrogantly scoring easy points, to getting locked in a desperate struggle, to finally being completely outmatched.

Tristan noticed the shift immediately.

He turned to Quentin. "This definitely isn't Ms. Monroe's first time playing. And she definitely knows more than 'just a little bit.' She's incredibly skilled."

Quentin just smiled without saying a word.

In truth, Madeline was an excellent player who had trained rigorously in the past.

During her freshman year of college, the university hosted a tennis tournament with a grand prize of a few hundred dollars.

Madeline desperately wanted to win that money so she could buy a birthday gift for her grandmother.

She practiced relentlessly and ultimately took home the championship.

Once she started working, she rarely had time to play, but her foundational skills were solid, and the familiar rhythm of the racket quickly returned to her.

Penelope's reaction was entirely different. Her face was flushed, but not from the heat—it was pure humiliation.

Originally, Penelope had planned to utterly crush Madeline, intending to sweep every single point without letting her score once.