Page 58 of Swipe Right for Stardust

“Zarnak? What’s wrong?”

I took her hand, leaning close to whisper, “We need to talk. Privately.”

VANESSA

Zarnak’s words hit me like a shockwave, leaving me reeling. “Sabotage? Are you sure?”

He nodded, his face grim. “I overheard Caelan and Klix discussing it. They’ve been manipulating the challenges, putting us in danger.”

My mind raced, piecing together the strange occurrences throughout the competition. The malfunctioning nav device, the unstable ice formations, the cave-in - it all made a twisted kind of sense now.

“We need to tell Lysandra,” I said, grabbing Zarnak’s hand. “Come on.”

We rushed through the station’s corridors, dodging crew members and other contestants. My hands shook, stomach churning. This was bigger than the competition now - lives were at stake.

We found Lysandra in her private office, reviewing footage from the race. She looked up as we burst in, surprise flickering across her face.

“Vanessa, Dr. Kolvari, what’s the meaning of this?”

The words spilled out. “Lysandra, we have reason to believe the show’s been sabotaged.”

Her eyebrows shot up. “That’s a serious accusation. What evidence do you have?”

Zarnak stepped forward. “I overheard Caelan and Klix discussing their involvement in manipulating the challenges. They’ve been putting contestants in danger deliberately.”

Lysandra’s face hardened. “Those are my colleagues you’re accusing. I hope you understand the gravity of what you’re saying.”

“We do,” I said, meeting her gaze. “But we also know what we heard and experienced. Please, just look into it.”

She studied us for a long moment, then sighed. “Very well. I’ll have the tech team review the footage. But if this turns out to be false-”

“It won’t be,” Zarnak said firmly.

Lysandra tapped her comm device. “Tech team to my office, immediately.”

The next hour was a blur of activity. Technicians pored over footage, isolating suspicious incidents and enhancing audio. My stomach twisted into knots as we waited, Zarnak’s reassuring presence beside me the only thing keeping me grounded.

Finally, a technician called out. “We’ve got something.”

We crowded around the screen, watching as Caelan and Klix’s faces came into focus. Their voices, tinny but clear, filled the room.

“The ice formation sabotage worked perfectly,” Caelan said, grinning. “Did you see their faces?”

Klix nodded enthusiastically. “And the cave-in? Masterful. They never suspected a thing.”

Lysandra’s face drained of color. She stumbled back, collapsing into her chair. “I can’t believe it. Caelan... how could he?”

I felt a rush of sympathy for her. Finding out someone you trusted had betrayed you - it was a gut-wrenching feeling.

“What do we do now?” I asked softly.

Lysandra’s eyes hardened, a spark of determination igniting within them. “We expose them. On air, in front of everyone.”

Zarnak leaned forward. “How?”

A slow smile spread across Lysandra’s face. “We set a trap. And you two are going to help me spring it.”

As Lysandra outlined her plan, I bit my lip. It was risky, but if it worked...

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