Chapter 73
The crowd once again erupted into applause.
People were already starting to speculate who would team up with whom.
Before Jayden and Isabella could make a move, Alex swaggered over to Stella, took her hand, raised it high, and announced with a grin. “I choose my sunshine.”
Their new drama had just aired, and the two were paired as an on-screen couple. Fans of them squealed in delight, thrilled by Alex’s bold move.
With them already paired up. Jayden and Isabella naturally became the second team.
Jayden, maintaining his calm demeanor, stepped forward to take Isabella’s hand.
However, she subtly twisted her wrist, causing him to only catch the edge of her sleeve.
She did that on purpose” Jayden realized, a hint of dark frustration flashing in his eyes. Does she really detest being near me that much?” Yet, he had no choice but to keep smiling.
George, observing from the sidelines, was barely able to contain his laughter. Jayden got snubbed! If only this wasn’t a public setting. I’d be banging drums to announce it to the world, he thought, nearly bursting out.
Meanwhile, Jayden’s fans, oblivious to the awkward exchange, were buzzing with excitement.
“Our guy is such a gentleman!” one of them gushed.
“Yeah, exactly! He’s so polite that he only tugged at her sleeve, another agreed.
“Of course! His manners are the absolute best in the industry they swooned.
George twitched his lips in disdain. He thought, These fans are hopeless,
His eyes were full of disdain, thinking these people might as well donate their pointless eyes.
Jayden? A gentleman? Please. He felt like vomiting.
Meanwhile, in the CEO’s office at the Howerton Group headquarters, the atmosphere was starkly different. Samuel sat behind his large desk, which was stacked high with documents. The room was silent except for the sound of him flipping through papers.
A knock on the door broke the quiet. Samuel didn’t look up. “Come in,” he said curtly.
Perry quickly entered, holding a stack of documents. He placed them on the desk with a respectful nod. “Mr. Howerton, these are the papers you need to sign”
“OK” Samuel replied, his eyes still on the documents. Perry, however, stood frozen in place, clearly wanting to say something. Samuel finally looked up, noticing his hesitation.
“Well?” Samuel raised an eyebrow, his impatience growing. Perry took a deep breath and blurted out, “Mr. Howerton, your wife is currently filming a reality show.”
Samuel’s eyes narrowed with surprise. “A reality show?”
He thought, ‘She didn’t mention anything about this
Perry cleared his throat, steeling himself for the worst. “Her partner is. Jayden
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Chapter 73
In an instant, the temperature in the room dropped. The air seemed to freeze, as if countless icy blades had sliced through the space. Samuel’s grip on his document tightened, crumpling it into a ball.
Perry swallowed hard, unsure of what to do.
Samuel stood abruptly, his voice cold as ice. “Move the meeting scheduled for three hours from now to fifteen minutes from
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Perry nodded quickly. “Yes, sir!”
Mr. Howerton is furious, Perry thought, rushing out of the office.
He had only fifteen minutes to prepare, and that was barely enough time.
Back at the reality show, the energy was still high as John enthusiastically explained the next challenge.
“Our B
two teams have been decided! Now, the rules are simple: whichever team lifts the most weight wins,” he announced.
This is less a team competition and more a show of strength between the two men.” the audience thought
Stella tugged on Alex’s sleeve, her eyes filled with concern. She leaned closer and whispered. “Think you can win this?”
Jayden is known for working out, and it’s no secret.
Alex, on the other hand, looks like a scrawny little boy, and she does have some doubts about him.
Alex patted his arm confidently, saying, “Just wait and see what I can do.”
Stella rolled her eyes. With that cocky attitude, you’re bound to lose,’ she thought, shaking her head.
The weightlifting contest began, and John wasted no time in calling Jayden to the stage. With steady, confident steps, Jayden approached, and the entire crowd held their breath in anticipation.
Jayden stretched his arms and rolled his shoulders, making sure he was fully warmed up before beginning.
When he lifted eighty pounds, the crowd lost it. Cheers erupted like a tidal wave, voices hoarse with admiration. They thought. Of course, it was Jayden-one of the biggest movie stars in the country
Jayden set the weights down, his face calm, but his eyes found Isabella in the crowd. He smiled warmly at her, as if waiting for her to share in the moment.
But Isabella merely glanced at the weights, her gaze cold, indifferent. She didn’t even look at him.
John, ever the lively host, picked up his microphone and amped up the energy, “That’s eighty pounds from our superstar Jayden! Now, let’s see how Alex does!”
Alex rolled up his sleeves, revealing biceps that looked like they’d been chiseled from granite. It was clear he didn’t skip gym. days.
Stella, standing nearby, instinctively covered her mouth in shock. Who would’ve thought this guy had been hiding all this
muscle
Alex approached the weights with confidence, and without breaking a sweat, lifted ninety pounds. The crowd gasped in disbelief
They thought, This guy… he didn’t look like much, but damn, he had some serious strength.
Jayden’s eyes flickered with a brief flash of irritation, but it quickly disappeared.
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He walked up to Alex, weante a smile, and lightly patted his shoulder. “Impressive, he praised
Alex, being the humble guy he was, scratched his head and chuckled awkwardly. “You were just going easy on me. That’s the only reason I won
Jayden could only smile at that. What else could I do? I wasn’t going to argue with a junior in front of everyone. That wouldn’t exactly at the image of a renowned actor
Stella clapped excitedly, eves sparkling She totally hadn’t expected Alex to outdo Jayden.
John, understanding the subtle tensions in the air, still had to follow protocol “Alright, Alex’s ninety pounds is the highest so far. Anyone else want to give it a shot?”
The remaining contestants were two women, and it was clear from their faces that they weren’t going to try.
As soon as John asked the question, he was already preparing to move on.
But then, unexpectedly. Isabella stepped forward. Her voice was calm, almost gentle, as her eyes landed on the weights. “Til give it a try.”
Her words stunned everyone.
John recovered quickly, his natural charm kicking in as he laughed and tried to keep the energy up. “Queenie wants to give it a go! How much are you thinking?”
The audience buzzed with excitement, but most of them assumed Isabella was just trying to keep things light-hearted.
Isabella raised her hand, holding up five fingers. Her voice was steady, “One hundred pounds.”
Her words sent shockwaves through the crowd.
They thought. One hundred? She has to be joking, right?”
Jayden’s brow furrowed with concern. He stepped forward, his tone low and disapproving. “Bella, don’t be reckless. You could hurt yourself.”
He thought. There has to be a limit to how far this joke goes. She’s being too arrogant.
The only person who didn’t seem worried was George. He sat in the audience, arms crossed, smiling confidently as he watched Isabella.
Down in the audience, someone couldn’t help but whisper, “Bella? What does that mean? Does Queenie have some other name?”
“I don’t know,” another person replied, “but now I’m really curious about her true identity.”
Stella, still staring at Isabella in shock, blurted our. Are you sure you said one hundred pounds? Not forty pounds?”
Stella thought, ‘Even a man would struggle with one hundred pounds. And she’s a girl’
Isabella didn’t bother responding. She simply gave Stella a reassuring look before walking straight toward the weightlifting
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machine.
John thought, ‘One hundred pounds. John was sweating bullets. He turned off his microphone and walked up to Isabella, his Voice low and shaky, “Dr. Lovett, please, don’t be reckless.”
If anything happens to her, we’ll be ruined. John thought, barely able to stay calm.
But Isabella only gave him a calm smile, her tone serene. “Relax. It’s just one hundred pounds.”
John was speechless. He thought, Just one hundred pounds!”
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Chapter 73
Jayden, now completely ignored, was fuming. His eyes locked on Isabella, his expression darkening.
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He thought, “What the hell is this woman doing? Is she really this desperate to outdo me? Is it really worth pushing herself this hard?
In the next moment, Isabella moved, making everyone’s hearts race.
18.05 Mon, 11 Nov MG.
