Chapter 75: A Game of Wits
When Evelyn ended the call, her face smoothed back into polite arrogance as she turned away.
Gabriel let her walk off, pretending he had never been there.
For now, he said nothing. But he knew.
And knowing meant he had leverage.
-The Second Challenge-
Diane was ready.
She had barely dried off from the first disaster when the announcer called everyone back to the main event area.
"Welcome back, contestants!" he called. "Now that we’ve all had a chance to recover from our swim, it’s time for Challenge #2!"
Diane folded her arms. ’Alright. Time to redeem myself.’
"This round is all about strategy," the announcer continued.
"You will be given a set of locked boxes, each containing an important item for your final survival task. To open them, you must solve a series of puzzles and challenges. But beware—only the first five teams to open all their boxes will advance to the final round."
A ripple of tension spread through the competitors.
Diane’s lips curled into a smirk. ’Finally, something I can win.’
Riot stretched. "Okay, so, what’s the plan?"
Diane rolled her shoulders. "Simple. We think faster than everyone else."
Tessa arched an eyebrow. "I hate how vague that sounds."
"You’ll see," Diane said, already moving toward their station.
Each team had a table with three locked boxes, and a list of riddles and puzzles that would give them the combinations.
The challenge began.
Outsmarting the Competition...
Gabriel’s team immediately fell into action.
Evelyn grabbed the first riddle and read it aloud.
"I have cities but no houses, mountains but no trees, and water but no fish. What am I?"
Gabriel didn’t even blink. "A map."
Evelyn glanced at him, mildly surprised. "Well, that was fast."
Mark, their quiet third teammate, entered the combination into the first lock. It clicked open.
Evelyn smirked. "Alright, let’s keep going."
Meanwhile, Diane was miles ahead.
She didn’t even hesitate as she snatched the riddles off the table, reading through all of them at once.
Riot blinked. "Uh, shouldn’t we—"
"Rope," Diane muttered, inputting the code into the first lock. It clicked open.
Tessa frowned. "What?"
"The answer to the second riddle," Diane said absently. "Next one’s ’shadow.’"
Another lock popped open.
Riot’s jaw dropped. "Are you psychic?"
"No," Diane said, moving onto the last puzzle. "I just pay attention."
Across the field, Evelyn noticed.
She narrowed her eyes. "She’s too fast."
Gabriel, who had been watching Diane the whole time, smirked. "I told you she wasn’t hopeless."
Evelyn scowled. "Let’s pick up the pace."
Diane reached the final puzzle...a maze that had to be solved to unlock the last box.
She studied it for three seconds, then reached out and spun the pieces into place like she had done it a thousand times.
The lock snapped open.
The announcer’s voice went across the field.
"Unbelievable! Team Diane is the first to finish!"
A stunned silence fell over the crowd.
Then Riot exploded into cheers. "THAT’S MY BOSS! WE’RE GENIUSES!"
Tessa just stared at Diane. "You scare me."
Diane smirked. "Good."
She turned toward Gabriel’s table, locking eyes with him.
She didn’t say anything.
She didn’t have to.
Her smirk said it all.
Gabriel chuckled under his breath. "Of course."
Evelyn, meanwhile, looked livid.
Diane had just made this personal.
And Evelyn hated losing.
As the sun dipped below the trees, the event organisers wrapped up the day’s activities.
The second challenge had left some teams humbled, especially Evelyn, who still hadn’t quite hid her irritation over losing to Diane.
Diane, on the other hand, was feeling fantastic.
She had outsmarted everyone—especially Gabriel. She wasn’t going to let him forget it anytime soon.
The announcer clapped his hands together, addressing the remaining contestants.
"Great work today, everyone! You’ve completed the first two challenges, but tomorrow is a whole new day! For now, get some rest—your tents have been assigned. Sleep well, because the real fun begins at sunrise."
Diane stretched, letting out a satisfied sigh. ’Finally, a break.’
Tessa ran a hand through her hair. "Ugh. I swear, if the next challenge involves more water, I’m quitting."
Riot grinned. "No faith in our raft-building skills?"
"I have faith in physics, and physics says we’re doomed," Tessa muttered.
Diane chuckled. "Let’s just get to our tent."
She, Tessa, and Riot made their way toward their designated tent—a medium-sized canvas shelter pitched under a cluster of trees.
The inside had three sleeping bags, and thankfully, it wasn’t too cramped.
Just as Diane dropped onto her sleeping bag, ready to relax, the flap of the tent unzipped aggressively.
Gabriel stepped inside like he owned the place.
Diane blinked. "...What the hell are you doing?"
Gabriel ignored her, tossing his bag onto an empty spot and casually sitting down.
Tessa, watching the interaction, raised an eyebrow. "Uh. I think you have the wrong tent."
Gabriel stretched his legs out. "No, I don’t."
Diane scowled. "Gabriel, leave."
"No."
Diane rubbed her temples. "Gabriel, this isn’t your team’s tent."
Gabriel leaned back against the tent wall, looking perfectly comfortable. "It is now."
Tessa exchanged a look with Riot. "Should we... uh... give them a moment?"
"Absolutely not."
Diane groaned. "You have a perfectly good tent with Evelyn. Go there."
Gabriel’s smirk didn’t vanish. "No."
"Why?"
"Because you’re my wife. And I’m not letting you share a tent with another man."
Diane stared at him. "Are you serious?"
"Completely."
Riot snorted. "Man, I love this show."
Diane turned to him. "You are not helping."
Riot shrugged. "I’m just here for the drama."
Diane exhaled slowly, turning back to Gabriel.
"First of all, we both know this marriage is not real. Second of all, you chose Evelyn over me when it came to this stupid competition, so you can sleep with her."
Gabriel’s smirk faded slightly.
Tessa’s gaze flickered between them. "...I feel like this is a bigger conversation than just tent assignments."
Diane ignored her, crossing her arms. "You’re the one who decided to be on her team. So why are you here now?"
Gabriel tilted his head slightly. "Maybe I don’t feel like sharing a tent with Evelyn."
Diane narrowed her eyes. "...Why?"
Gabriel didn’t answer.
He couldn’t answer.
Because telling Diane the truth—that he overheard Evelyn talking to Adrian, that he knew something was coming—wasn’t part of the plan.
Not yet.
So instead, he leaned in slightly, voice low. "Does it bother you that I was with her?"
Diane’s fingers twitched. "You are unbelievable."
Gabriel smirked. "And yet, you still let me stay."
Diane wanted to argue. She wanted to throw him out.
But she also knew that Gabriel never did anything without a reason.
And that made her uneasy.
So she huffed, rolled over in her sleeping bag, and pointedly faced away from him. "Fine. Stay. But if you snore, I will smother you."
Gabriel chuckled, settling in. "I wouldn’t expect anything less."
Riot leaned back, grinning. "Man, this is the best camping trip ever."
Tessa sighed. "I should’ve signed up for a different team."
As the night settled over the camp, Diane stared at the tent wall, listening to Gabriel’s slow, steady breathing.
Something was going on.
And she intended to figure out what.