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Chapter 3

Penulis: Doria Dore
The others piled on.

"Yeah, sure. Captain Powell's your brother? Please. No way a guy like that's got a spoiled little sister."

Then Melvin slapped me—loud and sharp. The crack echoed through the tent.

"You're a disgrace," he snapped. "Lying like that—don't you feel pathetic? Say one more word, and I'll toss you into the snow myself."

He yanked my arm like he was about to drag me outside.

I knew they weren't backing down—they wanted me to lead. Fine. I stopped trying to explain and made one last ask.

"I'll go. But Sally needs to give back MY sleeping bag. I've got frostbite—I can't even move right—"

"Shut up," Melvin snapped. "You've got frostbite, which means you're dead weight. Why waste the best gear on you? Sally's new to this—she needs it more."

The way he said it, like it made perfect sense, hit colder than the wind.

I never thought the guy who once swore he'd protect me would trade my life for hers without blinking.

Ever since Sally parachuted into their department, Melvin changed. It was nonstop—"Sally this, Sally that."

I thought he was just being nice to the new hire. I mean, after everything we'd been through—after getting engaged—there's no way he'd toss all that for some girl faking the whole helpless-and-sweet act.

Yeah. I was stupid.

When I didn't move, Melvin stormed over and yanked me up.

"Don't think I won't lay hands on you. Get up and lead."

***

Left with no choice, I grabbed a trekking pole and forced my numb body to stand.

Sally strolled over, all fake concern. "Let me help you, Peyton."

Before I could shut her down, her hand clamped straight onto my injured ankle—hard.

The pain shot through me. My eyes burned with tears.

I shoved her off. "Get off me!"

She let out a dramatic yelp and dropped into the snow, eyes going red.

Melvin didn't even blink—he shoved me hard, nearly knocking me over. "What's wrong with you? She was helping! Why'd you push her?"

Sally jumped in, all sweet and sly. "Don't blame Peyton, Melvin. She's probably just upset I used her sleeping bag. I don't mind the drama. As long as she gets us down safe, that's what matters."

That only fired Melvin up more. He stormed over and slapped me—twice. Hard.

"Don't think you can push Sally around just because she's nice. Try laying a hand on her again and see what happens."

My ears rang. My cheek burned, already swelling.

But even that didn't hurt as much as the crack inside me.

I gave up trying to explain. Didn't even want to anymore.

"I can walk. I don't need her help."

Sally gave me that fake-innocent look. "It's not that you don't need help—you're just waiting to sneak off, aren't you?"

Melvin shot me a glare. "Don't try anything, Peyton. Slow us down, and you'll answer to me."

Then he turned to one of the guys. "Wayne, watch her. If she pulls anything, tie her up. With this blizzard, if something happens, we can just blame it all on the weather."
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  • Betrayed at Forty Below   Chapter 11

    The Caveton Corp press conference blew up into a full-blown scandal—broadcast live.That night, headlines went wild: [Snow Mountain Scandal], [Caveton Exec Tried to Kill Fiancée]—pure chaos.Angry netizens tore into Melvin, Sally, and their crew, digging up every detail. Their careers? Toast. Reputations? Burned.Caveton panicked, dropped a statement fast. Everyone involved—fired. They apologized to me publicly, covered my hospital bills, and threw in compensation for the mental trauma.Then came the court verdict.Melvin got fifteen years for attempted murder and assault.Wayne scored five for playing backup.Sally and the rest? Charged for covering it all up and giving false testimony.By then, I was recovering at a top recovery center in Zweizerland.After a string of tough surgeries, doctors saved both my feet. I lost two toes, but they promised with steady physical therapy, I'd walk fine—and maybe even climb again.Hugh never left. He kept up with my progress, cracked jo

  • Betrayed at Forty Below   Chapter 10

    Flashes went off like fireworks. Reporters, like sharks smelling blood, zeroed in on Melvin and Sally's ghost-white faces."This... This is fake! It's been doctored!" Melvin's voice cracked, weak against the rising wave of murmurs."Fake?" Hugh's cold laugh cut through the noise as the screen shifted.Now it was video—footage from the chopper's aerial cam. Stabilized, zoomed in. Clear as day: Melvin twisting my ankle into a rock crevice while Sally and the others stood by, faces hard and cold.The frame froze on Wayne looping a rope around my neck.The crowd gasped.The audio made them look heartless. The video? Straight-up criminal."Mr. Dunn, Ms. Blom, and the rest of you team spirit legends," Hugh said, voice calm but cutting, "wanna explain this epic 'RESCUE' move with the rope?"Wayne cracked first. Hit his knees hard, finger locked on Melvin."It wasn't me! It was him! Melvin made us! He said if we ditched Peyton, we'd be safe! He told us to help shove her into the creva

  • Betrayed at Forty Below   Chapter 9

    I faced the sea of cameras and started."The story begins with a sleeping bag rated for forty below. My brother gave it to me when I got engaged. It was supposed to keep me alive. But that night, my fiancé, Melvin Dunn, handed it to Sally Blom—the one pretending to be fragile."My eyes flicked to Sally's pale face."He told me I was strong enough to last. But even the strongest body is still flesh and blood. When my feet went numb, when the cold twisted my mind, I begged for help. He called me 'dramatic,' told me to 'think about the team.'"Gasps rippled through the room, curiosity twisting into shock.Melvin snapped, jumping to his feet."Peyton! What the hell are you talking about? Your brain still fried or what? You saw Sally was cold and handed her the bag yourself! Everyone here can back me up!"He cut Wayne and the others a look. They nodded fast."Yeah, Peyton even said she was some seasoned mountaineer. Said she'd be fine."A cool voice cut through the room."Guess we

  • Betrayed at Forty Below   Chapter 8

    I eyed him, curiosity biting. "What kind of gold?"He just smiled, sly. "You'll see. The prey walked right into the cage—now we slam it shut."***Two weeks later, I was stable. My foot needed months of healing, but I could wheel myself around.Meanwhile, Melvin and Sally were basking in their fake glory.Caveton Corp threw together a big press conference and awards show to hype up its whole "team spirit" vibe.Theme? 'Pushing Limits, Celebrating Team Strength.'Melvin and Sally were the stars of the show, ready to spin their "heroic" survival story about how they "never gave up on anyone" and "saved the day."The day before the event, Melvin called.His voice oozed fake charm. "Peyton, you HAVE to come tomorrow. I already told my boss—I'm proposing onstage. After everything, I want the world to see how strong our love is."I clenched the phone, choking down a wave of nausea."Okay... I'll be there."After I hung up, Hugh was beside me, casually peeling an apple.Eyes stil

  • Betrayed at Forty Below   Chapter 7

    When I came to, I was in a private hospital room. The air smelled faintly of disinfectant.Sunlight poured through the window, warm and golden—worlds away from that blinding white hell I'd crawled out of.My foot was wrapped in heavy gauze. Still numb, but the stabbing cold was gone.The door opened. Hugh walked in with a bowl of steaming cream soup."You're awake. How're you feeling?"He set the bowl on the nightstand, then sat down, tugging the blanket snug around me."Hugh..." My voice rasped. "Where's Melvin?"At his name, Hugh's eyes shadowed. He kept his tone calm. "General ward, other building. Don't worry. They're not going anywhere."He lifted a spoonful of soup, blew on it, and held it to my lips."The doctor says the frostbite's bad. You might... lose some toes. But don't panic—I've already lined up the best surgeons out there. We'll fight for every inch."I sipped quietly, tears sliding down—not for my foot, but for the fear, the helplessness, the betrayal."Hugh

  • Betrayed at Forty Below   Chapter 6

    The searchlight hit hard—no shadows, no escape.Melvin and Wayne's twisted expressions hadn't even faded before terror wiped them clean.Wayne yanked the rope off my neck like it burned. "I-It's the rescue team!"The chopper hovered over a flat patch of snow. Doors flew open, and figures in orange gear dropped down fast—like special ops straight out of a movie.Leading them was a tall, broad-shouldered guy. He yanked off his goggles, jaw tight.My brother. Hugh Powell.His gaze swept the scene, landed on my pale face and trashed ankle. His pupils snapped tight.The warmth I used to know? Gone. What was left was the calm before a detonation."Hugh..." My voice cracked, tears spilling.Melvin jumped first, fake panic turned up to eleven. "Peyton! Thank God! We're saved!"Sally played her part, grabbing a rescuer's arm, waterworks on command. "We were so scared! Peyton slipped—we were helping when you showed up!"Together, they nailed the loyal, heroic teammate act like total p

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