Chapter 66
Chapter 66: “500 million.”’ Madisyn’s eyes widened in surprise, but she quickly recovered, flashing Belinda a thumbs up. “Alright, 500 million it is!”’ she declared. Without missing a beat, she turned and walked toward Kristopher and Cathy. Belinda, suddenly realizing Madisyn was serious, quickly jumped out of the car to try and intervene. “I was joking! Don’t”””’ But her words were lost as Madisyn continued on. Before Belinda could finish, Madisyn had already reached Kristopher and Cathy, raising her hand and holding up five fingers with unwavering confidence. “We’ve settled on it. If you lose, you owe Belinda 500 million,”’ she announced. She gave Kristopher a challenging look. “Well, what do you think? Up for the bet?”’ Her words hung in the air, dropping into the silence that followed, punctuated only by an audible gasp from the crowd. Behind her, Allen frowned and instinctively pulled on Madisyn’s sleeve. “Madisyn, this is too far.”’ Today was supposed to be about making up for their past minor gambling losses, the most valuable of which had been Allen’s wristwatch. Now, Madisyn was demanding 500 million from Kristopher. Was she out of her mind, or was it Belinda? “500 million?”’ Kristopher paused, his gaze shifting indifferently from Belinda, who was approaching from a distance, to Madisyn. “Who came up with this idea, you or her?”’ Madisyn’s brow furrowed as she instinctively stepped in front of Belinda, blocking her from Kristopher’s view. “Does it really matter who suggested it? Just tell me if you’re in or not.”’ Kristopher gave a mocking smile. “Why not?”’ fuels your imagination “Exactly,”’ Cathy added sharply. “It’s not us who are going to lose, after all.”’ Under normal circumstances, if Cathy were up against Madisyn, who was well-versed in the ways of high society, she might not have been so bold. But Belinda was another story. It would be quite the feat for the country girl just to start the race car. Belinda had intended to intervene and stop Madisyn, but as she drew closer, she overheard Cathy’s boastful remark. “Miss Thomas, you shouldn’t be concerned about”””’ Whether we’re brave enough to take this bet. You should be worrying about what you’ll do if your friend loses.”’ A slight smirk played across Belinda’s lips. She maneuvered past Madisyn and walked straight up to Kristopher and Cathy, her tone casual yet confident. “Then, Miss Miller, I’d like to know. What do you expect me to do if I lose?”’ As Belinda gestured dramatically, raising her hands, she laughed lightly. “Imagine asking me for 500 million! Even if you auctioned me off, you wouldn’t fetch that amount.”’ Cathy’s smirk broadened. Stepping forward, Belinda quickly broached the subject of the consequences of losing, confessing she was broke. Was this not an obvious display of her reservations? It seemed Belinda was already bracing for defeat. A satisfied gleam settled on Cathy’s face. With a strategic cough, she softened her voice to appear kind and empathetic. “Miss Nelson, relax. I realize you come from a modest background, and such an amount isn’t within your reach. There’s no need to involve money to prove a point”¦”’ She arched an eyebrow in victory and proposed, “Let’s set the stakes like this, Miss Nelson. Should I lose and you prevail, Kristopher will honor the agreement and transfer 500 million to you. But if you lose and I win”¦”’ After a thoughtful pause, Cathy delivered her ultimatum. “Then, Miss Belinda, you must pack your bags, leave Nawrin immediately, and vanish from Kristopher’s and my life forever. Do we have a deal?”’…