Chapter 60: i’s Another Secret Sche
Ava should’ve known sothing was up the mont she saw i’s unusually innocent expression over breakfast. It was the kind of look that suggested mischief, hidden under a thin veneer of sincerity. i had been uncharacteristically quiet ever since Ethan’s matchmaking profile stunt, which should have been a red flag in itself. Quiet i was plotting i.
So when i waltzed into the dining area of their suite, wearing a brightly patterned scarf and holding a clipboard with a suspicious number of colorful notes stuck to it, Ava imdiately narrowed her eyes.
"Oh no," Ava said, putting her coffee down. "What is that?"
i smiled sweetly. "Good morning to you too, dear."
Ryan, sitting across from Ava and munching on a bagel, raised an eyebrow. "Let
guess. Whatever’s on that clipboard is going to make us miserable."
"Nonsense!" i chirped. "It’s going to be fun. Team-building fun."
Harold strolled in, sipping his tea and looking far too amused. Ava sighed. Harold’s amusent was never a good sign.
"What kind of ’team-building fun,’ Grandma?" Ava asked warily, already bracing herself.
i clasped her hands together, her eyes sparkling. "A scavenger hunt!"
Ryan snorted. "A scavenger hunt? At a matchmaking convention?"
"It’s brilliant," i said, unfazed by his skepticism. "A bonding exercise to help everyone work together while embracing a little chaos. You two will thank
later."
Ava groaned, sinking into her chair. "I don’t have ti for this. We’re already dealing with sabotage, algorithm wars, and Ethan’s nonsense. Now we’re supposed to run around like children looking for clues?"
"Exactly!" i said brightly. "And to make it even more exciting, there’s a surprise at the end."
Ryan leaned forward, smirking. "Is the surprise that you’re going to make us suffer?"
i winked. "Oh, Ryan, you’re going to love this. Trust ."
Ava and Ryan exchanged a look—equal parts dread and resignation. Whatever i had planned, they were stuck with it.
"Do we at least get snacks?" Ryan asked dryly.
"Snacks? You’ll get glory!" i declared, spinning dramatically on her heel and heading for the door.
"Glory’s overrated," Ava muttered, but she couldn’t help smiling faintly.
---
It turned out that i’s scavenger hunt wasn’t confined to just their team. No, she’d roped in several other participants from the convention. Julian Ashcroft, Astrid LaFleur, and Ethan Chase were all "invited" to join. And by "invited," Ava was pretty sure i had bullied them into participating.
"I have an empire to run," Julian said, adjusting his cufflinks and looking mildly insulted as he stood in the hotel courtyard. His assistant, Claire, impeccably dressed and eternally unimpressed, nodded in agreent. "This is a waste of my ti," he added.
Astrid, clutching her ever-present crystal necklace like it was a life raft, sighed dramatically. "This is foolish. rcury is still in retrograde. Disaster is inevitable. I feel the planets vibrating with tension already."
"Pretty sure that’s just the coffee machine inside," Ryan quipped.
Astrid glared. "Mock the stars at your peril."
Ethan, however, looked entirely too gleeful, already stretching as if this were an Olympic event. "Oh, this is going to be good," he said, rubbing his hands together with theatrical delight. "I love a little friendly competition. And by friendly, I an victorious. I hope you’re ready to lose."
Ava groaned inwardly. "This is going to be a disaster."
Ryan grinned, his eyes sparkling with mischief. "Co on, Matchmaker. Where’s your sense of adventure?"
"My sense of adventure doesn’t involve scavenger hunts with Ethan and Astrid," Ava muttered.
Before Ryan could reply, i blew a shiny silver whistle, startling everyone into silence. She looked far too pleased with herself. "All right, teams! Here’s how it works. Each clue will lead you to the next, and the first team to complete the hunt wins a very special prize!"
"What’s the prize?" Julian asked, his tone as skeptical as ever.
"That’s a secret," i said, her grin widening to Cheshire Cat levels of suspicious.
Ryan leaned closer to Ava, his voice low. "I bet it’s sothing ridiculous, like a coupon for free tea."
Ava smirked. "It’s definitely a coupon for free tea. Or maybe a stuffed animal. Knowing i, it could go either way."
i began handing out the first clue, a folded card with a splash of glitter that instantly stuck to Ava’s hand. "Good luck!" she chirped.
And just like that, the chaos began. Ethan sprinted off before even opening the clue, shouting over his shoulder, "Losers!" Astrid shook her head in disdain but followed, muttering sothing about planetary sabotage. Julian sighed, muttered "This is ridiculous," and motioned for Claire to read the clue aloud while he checked his phone.
"I already regret this," Ava muttered as Ryan held up the card. "What does it say?"
Ryan grinned, reading it aloud. "Your first task is to find the matchmaking mascot... Whiskerworth."
Ava groaned. "Why did I know that cat would show up again?"
"Because chaos is i’s middle na," Ryan said, grabbing her hand and tugging her forward. "Let’s go, Matchmaker. We’ve got a victory to steal."
---
The scavenger hunt seed innocent enough at first. The teams scrambled through the hotel courtyard, deciphering riddles and racing to collect their next clue. But Ava should’ve known better than to trust i’s version of "innocent."
By the third clue, the teams were directed to a secluded corner of the courtyard where a large, suspiciously covered pile waited. As Ava and Ryan approached, the air seed to hum with anticipation.
"What’s under the tarp?" Ryan asked, narrowing his eyes.
"Sothing terrible," Ava guessed.
They lifted the tarp—and imdiately groaned. Beneath it was a massive tub filled with brightly colored water balloons.
"Oh, you’ve got to be kidding ," Ava said, staring at the balloons in disbelief.
Before they could react, i’s voice rang out over a gaphone. "SURPRISE! It’s ti for the water balloon round!"
"Water balloon round?" Julian repeated, looking horrified.
Astrid clutched her necklace. "I knew it. Disaster."
i continued, ignoring the protests. "Your task is simple: protect your team’s clue from the other teams while using the balloons to... discourage your competition."
Ethan imdiately grabbed a balloon, hurling it in Julian’s direction. It hit Claire, Julian’s assistant, square in the shoulder, drenching her perfectly tailored blazer.
"WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU?" Claire shrieked, glaring at Ethan.
Ethan shrugged. "It’s the ga."
Julian’s expression darkened. "You’ll regret that."
"Oh, I’m terrified," Ethan shot back.
anwhile, Ryan grabbed Ava’s arm. "Co on, we need a strategy."
"A strategy? For water balloons?" Ava asked incredulously.
"Yes. Unless you want to get drenched," Ryan said, already grabbing a handful of balloons.
---
The courtyard quickly devolved into chaos. Water balloons flew in every direction, splashing against walls, drenching participants, and soaking the ground.
Julian, who clearly wasn’t used to getting his hands dirty, directed Claire to do most of the balloon throwing. She managed to hit Ethan twice, much to Ava’s amusent.
Astrid, anwhile, seed determined to avoid the balloons entirely, muttering about "planetary interference" and hiding behind a shrub.
Ethan, of course, took the chaos as an opportunity to aim directly at Ava and Ryan.
"Duck!" Ryan shouted, pulling Ava down just as a balloon sailed over their heads.
"This is ridiculous!" Ava said, crouching behind a bench.
"It’s fun," Ryan said, grinning as he lobbed a balloon back at Ethan. It hit him square in the chest, earning a satisfying yelp.
Ava couldn’t help but laugh. "Okay, maybe it’s a little fun."
"See? I told you," Ryan said, tossing her a balloon. "Your turn."
Ava hesitated for a mont before aiming at Julian, who was trying (and failing) to look dignified while dodging balloons. The balloon hit his arm, splattering water all over his perfectly tailored suit.
Julian turned slowly, fixing Ava with a withering glare.
"Oops," Ava said, biting back a laugh.
"Oops?" Julian repeated, his voice dripping with disdain.
Ryan grinned. "Nice shot, Matchmaker."
---
After what felt like an eternity of dodging and throwing, i finally blew her whistle again. "Ti’s up! Everyone back to the starting point!"
The teams staggered back to the courtyard, drenched and exhausted. Julian’s assistant looked like she might quit on the spot, frantically trying to blot water off her tablet, while Julian muttered sothing about sending i his dry-cleaning bill. Astrid, looking thoroughly bedraggled, clutched her crystal necklace like it might ward off further disaster. "This was an assault on my aura," she declared, glaring at i.
i bead at the soaked participants, clearly unfazed. "Well done, everyone! I think we all learned a valuable lesson about teamwork today."
"Yeah," Ethan muttered, wringing out his sleeve. "Like never trusting you again."
"Teamwork and trust, Ethan. Two sides of the sa coin," i replied sweetly, dodging the stream of water dripping from his blazer.
Ava, hair plastered to her face, glared at i with mock outrage. "You call this team-building? My arms feel like spaghetti."
"And my socks are squelching," Ryan added, pointing to his soaked shoes. "Squelching, i. That’s your legacy."
i ignored the complaints, practically glowing as she handed Ava and Ryan the final clue. "Congratulations! You two worked the best together. You win!"
"What did we win?" Ryan asked, pushing his dripping bangs out of his eyes.
i handed him an envelope, her smile impossibly wide. He opened it and pulled out the contents—a single coupon for free tea at the hotel café.
Ryan burst out laughing, holding it up for Ava to see. "Called it!"
Ava snatched the coupon, groaning. "Seriously? All this for tea?"
"Tea is the elixir of life," i said with great dignity. "Show so gratitude."
Ryan grinned at Ava. "Hey, at least it wasn’t a stuffed animal. That’s progress, right?"
Ava shook her head, but despite her soggy clothes, aching arms, and dripping hair, she couldn’t stop smiling. For all the chaos, it had been... fun. And as she glanced at Ryan, who was grinning like a kid on a water slide, she realized sothing surprising: She didn’t mind the chaos so much when he was by her side.
Ryan leaned closer, his voice low and teasing. "Admit it. You had fun."
"I had mild amusent," Ava replied, her lips twitching.
"You laughed at least three tis," Ryan said, pretending to count on his fingers. "Which is more than you usually laugh in a week. So, by my calculations, I’m wearing you down."
"Careful," Ava shot back, tilting her head. "You’re dangerously close to earning a soggy slap."
Ryan stepped closer, holding up his hands in mock surrender. "Or, you could use that energy to celebrate with tea. On . Since, technically, I earned this."
Ava rolled her eyes but handed him the coupon. "Fine. You win. But only because I’m too tired to argue."
Ryan grinned, slipping the coupon into his pocket. "Victory tastes like chamomile."
As the group dispersed, i winked at Ava. "You’re welco, dear."
"For what?" Ava asked.
"For bonding with your ’teammate,’ of course."
Ava opened her mouth to retort, but when she turned, Ryan was already holding the door for her, his smile softer now, warm and easy. For once, Ava decided to let i’s ddling slide.
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