Hired a Gigolo Got a Billionaire (Zoey and Christian) novel Chapter 456

Chapter 456

Marcus’ POV

The challenge began with a level of complexity that immediately demanded our full attention. We were locked inside an elaborately decorated room that felt like a cross between an old library and a scientific laboratory. Shelves packed with fake books, vintage equipment, paintings hiding coded messages, secret drawers-it was a sophisticated escape room designed to test both our teamwork and our ability to solve problems under pressure.

But no matter how hard I tried to focus on the task, my mind stayed divided. Madeline had been deliberately keeping her distance from me ever since we entered the room. When we needed to discuss clues, she spoke to the group as a whole instead of looking directly at me. And every time our eyes met by accident, she looked away immediately.

It was unsettling. And frustrating. The last time we’d talked, she’d been completely affectionate. When I fell into the river during rafting, I’d seen real panic in her eyes-genuine concern. And now, just a few hours later, it was as if I were an unwanted stranger.

“Marcus, can you check if there’s anything behind that painting?” Dante suggested, pointing to an ornate frame on the opposite wall.

“Sure,” I replied, heading that way while still watching Madeline out of the corner of my eye.

She was working intensely on a series of number puzzles with Olivia, her brows furrowed in concentration. There was something almost fierce in her posture, as if solving those riddles was the most important thing in the world.

“Find anything?” Christian asked, coming up beside me.

“A hidden safe,” I said, carefully moving the painting aside. “It needs a four-digit combination.”

Christian leaned in to inspect it, studying the old mechanisms.

“It’s impressive how in sync you all are,” he commented, glancing around the room where the team was working together with focus. “This whole camp idea really worked,” he added casually while examining the safe. “Everyone sees you as a real leader now. They’re trusting your decisions without question.”

I watched our team working in harmony. He was right. Despite all the sabotage, the accidents, the complications, the group had come together around my leadership in a way I hadn’t expected.

“Now we just need to win this,” I muttered, more to myself than to Christian.

“You don’t sound very confident,” he observed.

The truth was, I wasn’t confident about much of anything lately. And it wasn’t about the challenge itself. Madeline was clearly angry with me for some reason I couldn’t identify, and I still had to decide how-or even if -I should tell her about her father’s critical situation. Or rather… should I really tell her? Going back to Verdania would put her directly in danger all over again.

How could I tell her that we might have to return to Verdania, putting her in harm’s way, when she was already visibly upset with me for reasons I didn’t understand? It would be like pouring gasoline on a fire I didn’t even know how had started.

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Chapter 456

+25 Bonus

“Yes!” Zoey shouted from across the room. “I think I cracked the code!”

“What is it?” I asked, silently grateful for the distraction.

“In 1716, Grand Duke Cosimo formally defined the borders of the Classico Valley, laying the foundation for the region’s wine legacy.”

The entire room went still, everyone turning to stare at Zoey in surprise. Christian was watching her with unmistakable pride written all over his face.

“How do you even remember that?” he asked, clearly impressed.

“I’ve been studying,” she replied, trying to sound casual, but failing to hide her satisfied smile.

I turned to Christian, chuckling under my breath, and murmured, “You look like you want to grab her right here.

“I

“Of course I do,” he murmured back, never taking his eyes off her. “My wife is a wine nerd.”

I entered the numbers into the safe. It opened with a satisfying click, revealing an ornate key and a parchment with the next clue.

“Excellent work,” I said to Zoey, but my eyes automatically searched for Madeline, wanting to share the small victory.

She was looking-but the second our eyes met, she quickly turned back to her own task. It was as if my presence was physically uncomfortable for her.

“That key probably opens the door in the back,” Luke noted, pointing toward an exit we hadn’t noticed before.

For the next forty-five minutes, we worked methodically through a series of interconnected challenges. Latin codes. Math puzzles. Riddles rooted in wine history. Clues that required knowledge of Valentian geography. It was impressive how our team functioned as a single unit, each person contributing their own expertise.

And yet, through all of it, I remained painfully aware of Madeline’s strange behavior. She participated fully, solved problems with impressive efficiency, collaborated with everyone… except me. Every time I tried to step closer to discuss a clue, she found a way to pull others into the conversation or move to another part of the room.

“Marcus, are you okay?” Mia asked quietly during a brief lull between challenges. “You seem… distracted.”

“I’m focused on the challenge,” I replied-though even I knew that wasn’t entirely true.

“Last two clues!” Dante announced, holding up two parchments. “One on astronomy, the other on medieval alchemy.”

I watched as Madeline immediately headed for the alchemy parchment, deliberately choosing to work with Mia instead of me. It was obvious now-she was actively avoiding me.

What the hell had happened in the last few hours to cause such a drastic change? I replayed our last conversation in my head, searching for something I might have said or done to hurt her. But I couldn’t find it.

“We did it!” Christian shouted when we finally opened the last door leading out of the room.

We all spilled out together, breathless but euphoric. One hour and eight minutes to complete all the challenges.

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Chapter 456

+25 Bonus

A solid time-but without knowing how the other teams had done, there was no way to tell if we’d won.

“Did we win?” Zoey asked the organizers waiting in the hallway.

“The results will be announced along with the final rankings,” one of them replied professionally.

That was when a voice boomed through the complex’s sound system:

“Attention, teams. Please proceed to the main hall in one hour for the final announcement of the competition results.”

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