Chapter 423

• Ryder narrowed his eyes as he watched Tedmond carve through the wave with unnerving calm. For the first time, the thought of losing crossed his mind. It struck like ice in his chest, but he shook it off instantly, teeth gritting.
• ‘No. I can’t lose. Not after Axel and Derek already embarrassed themselves. If I fall too, then what’s left of our reputation?’
• His jaw tightened as he cut sharply across the swell, spray stinging his face. Yet what unsettled him most wasn’t Tedmond’s skill—it was the look in his eyes. Those calm blue eyes that never wavered, never cracked under the weight of the crowd or the challenge.