Hired a Gigolo Got a Billionaire (Zoey and Christian) novel Chapter 449

Chapter 449

Madeline’s POV

The third activity was the most physically demanding one yet. Rock climbing on natural cliff faces, followed by a zip line. Three massive rock formations rose in front of us inside the forest, their gray surfaces coated with a thin layer of ice that shimmered under the weak Valentian winter sun.

The air was razor-sharp, our breath turning into small clouds with every exhale. I was bundled in a thick coat, yet the cold still seeped straight into my bones. I couldn’t even imagine climbing those frozen rocks with nothing but safety gear keeping someone alive.

“The activity works in stages,” the organizer explained, his voice echoing through the silent forest. “Each team will choose three representatives. The first climbs to the initial checkpoint and switches with the second. The second continues to the next checkpoint and switches with the third. The final representative completes the climb and descends via zip line to mark the team’s finish.”

Marcus, Luke, and David, one of the most athletic employees from Kensington Valentia, were chosen as our representatives. The plan was simple. Luke would start, David would handle the middle section, and Marcus would take the final stretch and the zip line down.

Christian had decided not to participate, both to give others a chance and to stay close to Zoey, who was still limping slightly.

“All the equipment was checked down to the millimeter this morning,” Christian assured me when he noticed how nervously I was watching the ice-dusted ropes and carabiners. “After what happened yesterday, we’re not taking any risks.”

Even so, my heart raced every time I looked at the steep rock faces. The icy surface made everything more dangerous. A fall here would be nothing like slipping off a bridge with a safety net underneath.

Olivia sat beside me on one of the large stones being used as makeshift seating for spectators. Our coats were so bulky it was hard to move properly.

“Breathe,” she said gently, noticing how tense I was. “It’s okay.”

“I know,” I murmured, unable to stop picturing Marcus slipping on the ice. “It’s just that…”

“It’s normal to be worried,” Olivia continued, rubbing her arms to keep warm, “but what you’re feeling goes beyond normal concern.”

“Of course it does!” I snapped, my voice cutting through the cold air. “Did you see what happened in the last challenge? What if they sabotage Marcus in this one too? He could die, Olivia. A fall from that height=”

Olivia looked at me with concern, vapor puffing from her mouth as she spoke.

“I won’t pretend I’m completely comfortable either,” she admitted. “But Christian personally supervised every equipment check this morning. Everything was secure.”

“Competitors, get ready!” the organizer shouted, his voice echoing through the frost-covered trees.

I saw Marcus adjusting his specialized climbing gloves, checking every buckle on his harness with meticulous care. When our eyes met across the clearing, he gave me a confident nod, but I could tell he was taking this very

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seriously too.

The cold only made my nerves worse. Every breath burned my lungs, and the thought of Marcus exposed to that temperature high up on the rock made my stomach churn.

“The first stage begins… Now!”

Luke sprinted toward the rock face and began climbing, his movements careful but determined. The stone was clearly slick with ice, and every handhold had to be tested before he trusted it with his full weight.

I watched our team’s progress, but the higher Luke climbed, the worse my anxiety became. The icy wind sliced across my face, but it wasn’t just the cold that had me shaking.

When it was time for the first switch, I saw David take over the second stage. He was more experienced than Luke, but the middle section of the rock face looked even steeper. And more frozen.

“Madeline, are you okay?” Olivia asked, noticing how I’d curled in on myself, arms wrapped around my knees, rocking slightly.

“I’m… I’m fine,” I lied. Even to my own ears, my voice sounded off.

When David reached the second checkpoint and Marcus started climbing the final stretch, it felt like my heart was trying to escape my chest. He was now on the highest, most dangerous part of the wall. And he would be the one taking the zip line down, suspended over a deep, forest-filled valley.

The dizziness hit out of nowhere. The world tilted, just slightly, and my hands began to tingle even inside my gloves.

“Olivia…” I managed to say before my legs went weak.

“Medic!” Olivia shouted instantly.

Within seconds, one of the medical staff assigned to the activity was at my side, helping me sit on a more stable rock and slipping a blood pressure cuff around my arm.

“A little high,” he murmured, watching the numbers with concern. “Is this normal for you during pregnancy?”

“I… I don’t know,” I said weakly, trying to focus on breathing. “I’ve never felt this before.”

“The cold and altitude could be contributing,” he said gently. “Let’s keep you warm and monitor you.”

I tried to focus on the competition, but everything felt distant through the fog of anxiety. I could hear cheers echoing through the forest, but I couldn’t tell what was happening.

Then I heard Olivia shout,

“He did it! Marcus reached the top first!”

My vision snapped into focus. I grabbed the binoculars and saw Marcus preparing for the zip line, a cable that seemed to stretch endlessly over the frozen valley below.

Without thinking, I ripped the blood pressure cuff off my arm.

“Hey, you need to stay-” the medic started.

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“I’m fine!” I said, already on my feet, running toward the zip line’s landing area.

The ground was uneven and slick, but I managed to reach the platform just as Marcus completed his descent. I watched him control his speed, every movement precise despite the brutal climb he’d just finished.

Marcus landed perfectly on the wooden platform, his boots thudding against the frozen boards. A second later, I was running straight into him.

“Marcus!” I shouted, throwing myself into his arms.

He caught me instantly, pulling me close as I kissed him right there, feeling how cold his face was from the wind.

“I was scared,” I whispered against his lips, hot tears spilling and clashing with the cold on my cheeks.

Marcus slid his hands into my hair, pulling back just enough to look straight into my eyes. His lips were nearly blue from the cold, but there was something fierce in his expression. A seriousness that cut through all the adrenaline and celebration.

“I will always come back to you,” he said, his voice low, steady, and filled with an absolute certainty that warmed me more than any coat ever could.

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