The Mafia Heiress's Comeback: She's More Than You Think novel Chapter 228

Chapter 228 Fighting A Tiger For Its Cave

Knowing his argument didn’t hold much weight, Gerald turned to his last resort. “Mr. Marshall, don’t you think Nadia shows stronger ability than Maren?”

The second he pulled Calvert into the conversation, unease rippled through the room.

Every judge there understood exactly why Calvert had shown up. He had come with a target in mind–Maren.

And from the looks of it, he wasn’t planning to let her off easy.

Going against Calvert’s stance wasn’t something any of them had the power–or courage–to do. If he ended up making the final call, any hope of fairness. would vanish.

Gerald knew that. He had asked the question on purpose.

If Calvert said the word, Nadia’s score would soar. Maren’s? Crushed.

One of the judges hesitated, then tried to speak. “Mr. Marshall, if I may-

He wanted to defend Maren. This was supposed to be a fair competition. None of them had signed up to rig the

results.

“Mr. Marshall, please make a decision,” Gerald said, cutting them off sharply before they could get another

word in.

Frustration rippled through the judging panel as several of them exchanged uneasy glances.

It didn’t take much to recognize the setup–Gerald wasn’t judging fairly; he was manipulating the outcome.

Truth was, Calvert couldn’t stand Maren. Her connection to the underworld made his blood boil.

The Marshalls had always drawn a hard line when it came to people like her.

But that line came from principle–a deep–rooted belief in justice and doing what was right.

And because of that belief, bending the rules–no matter the target–was out of the question.

“Maren’s skill set is far stronger than Nadia’s,” Calvert said without hesitation. He wasn’t eager to praise her,

but lying just to drag her down? That wasn’t happening.

“What did you say?” Gerald froze in disbelief. How could this be? Didn’t Calvert have a reputation for despising anyone tied to the underworld? Wasn’t his whole reason for being here to stir up trouble for Maren? So how did things flip like this?

The other judges were nearly glowing with relief. “Mr. Marshall, your insight is truly remarkable.”

Every breath they had been holding finally slipped free.

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Chapter 228 Fighting A Tiger For Its Cave

Gerald was the only one sitting with a stormy expression, quietly seething, his anger bottled up with no place

to go.

There was no chance he’d voice that anger. Not in front of Calvert.

“Nothing to say now, huh, Gerald?” The other judges weren’t letting him slide, no matter how hard he tried to brush it off.

“If Mr. Marshall says so, then of course I have no objections. I fully support his decision,” Gerald replied, forcing a smile that looked more like a wince.

On the surface, he seemed to concede. Internally, though, he was still convinced Maren had only gotten this far thanks to Morris.

To him, hunting was just one checkpoint in a longer race. Other challenges were still ahead.

His plan, when the moment arrived, was to tear into Maren’s performance–maybe even find a reason to slap her with a zero.

And if he could boost Nadia’s results in the process? Even better. He’d credit her success to his own brilliant

instruction.

“So, Maren, you mentioned something important. What is it?”

Deep within the island’s inde

terrain, Morris walked forward, dragging the cheetah carcass behind him. He’d

tied one of its legs with a vine and held the other end like a leash.

He spoke around a mouthful of meat, chewing as he walked.

“This place is way different from the edge of the island. Wild beasts roam everywhere. That cheetah wasn’t even one of the real threats. Once it gets dark, those simple leaf–and–branch tents won’t cut it anymore.”

Up ahead, Maren moved in a specific direction.

Her words finally sank in.

“You’re right. If another cheetah–or something worse–shows up while we’re sleeping..

Just the thought made a chill crawl down his spine.

“Should we build a house or something?” Morris asked, glancing around at the dense trees. With enough effort, maybe they could piece together a small shelter.

“No.” Maren shut the idea down instantly.

“Why wouldn’t we?” Morris asked, raising an eyebrow.

Walking over to a nearby tree, Maren knocked on its thick trunk. “You planning to take this down with your

bare hands?”

“Uh… right. That’s fair. Forget I said anything.” Morris gave up on it.

Even if they managed to chop the trees down, that was just the beginning. They didn’t have nails, rope, or even