Natalia already told Archie before he left home this morning that she would set off today.
With Nancy being with her, Archie was not worried about her safety.
Besides, according to Natalia, she was only going abroad for work.
She would be back in three or four days. This was a short trip, so he had nothing to worry about.
Therefore, he didn't see her off in person. He just asked the driver to send them to the airport and told Natalia that he would go there to pick them up when they got back.
Natalia was tormented by a tinge of guilt, because she somehow felt that she had betrayed Archie's trust.
But if she told him the truth, it would only make things difficult for him.
Thinking of this, she took a deep breath and forcibly fought back the surge of gloom.
After arriving at the airport, she led Nancy straight to the boarding gate.
The flight to Othua would take seven hours.
They both took a nap during the flight. It was already nighttime when the plane landed in Lanceham.
Natalia had contacted someone to pick them up. It was a young, sturdy, gold-haired man who spoke fluent English.
He greeted her, "Hi, Seven, it's been so long."
Natalia smiled and hugged him. She then introduced Nancy to him, "This is a friend of mine."
The man extended a hand to Nancy and said, "Hello, I'm Sam."
Nancy nodded with a smile and replied, "Hi, I'm Nancy."
After exchanging greetings, Sam led them to the parking lot.
"I heard that you're here for the Flying Competition. It's been years since I watched you race. Now, I can finally see your stunning skills."
Natalia grinned. She had told Nancy about her being a racing driver before.
Nancy was completely loyal to her now. She had even told her many things that even Archie didn't know.
Of course, Nancy would not tell those things to Archie.
With a chuckle, she said, "Yes. I haven't raced for years. My skills are getting a little rusty. I can't really tell how this would turn out."
Sam perceptively gave her a pep talk. "Seven, believe in yourself. You were a superstar who won the championship three years in a row. Give yourself more credit. You can do it!"
Imbued by his enthusiasm, Natalia also began to laugh.
"I hope so."
They got into the car, chatting and laughing.
Sam and Natalia went way back. He was not a racing driver, but he had a great interest in racing. He was kind of Natalia's fan.
Since Sam was in the tourism business, Natalia let him handle her accommodation, transportation, and the like during her stay in Othua.
She had considered staying in one of Archie's properties or hotels in Othua, but she might come into contact with the Bissel family during this period.
In addition, she wanted to investigate something in secret.
To do that, she would inevitably associate with those people. Her movements would be exposed then.
Nancy could keep her secrets for the time being, but those people couldn't.
Thus, she preferred not to stay in Archie's real estate. At least, she couldn't let Archie find out the real purpose of this trip before the competition was over.
Sam was talkative. After all, he used to be a tour guide. During the ride, he had a good chat with them.
He was fluent in six languages and knew a lot of traditions and customs in different countries.
So he could easily start a nice conversation with anyone.
Plus, he was a smart guy who knew not to overstep the boundary. He could effortlessly sense that what topics others might be interested in and what they might want to avoid.
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