I Walked Away And He Lost His Mind (Zephyra and Steven) novel Chapter 445

I turned to see a woman in a skirt suit with a knee-length skirt, smiling warmly at me.

It was Linda.

It made sense. She would definitely find a way to get into a competition like this. After I left the company, she was the only one left who stood out. Myron would have certainly pulled out all the stops to get her an opportunity.

Linda walked toward me, arms crossed. "It's been a while. You look exhausted. Didn't you sleep well last night?"

I touched my face. "Do I look that tired?"

I was a bit agitated last night, unable to sort out my thoughts, but I'd slept decently in the latter half of the night.

Linda huffed twice, then cleared her throat, trying to make conversation. "I saw your ranking. It's higher than mine."

I couldn't help but glance at her. "Why are you always so awkward when you talk to me? Am I that intimidating?"

Linda finally dropped the act. "Well, it's because of our history! Whenever there's a competition and I see you, I feel so embarrassed. And you're really annoying, you know? You couldn't just admit you were Somania, tell me you were super talented? You had to let me get in way over my head, thinking you were some unqualified hack who got in through connections."

"I hate it most when hacks walk all over me, so of course I tried to give you a hard time. But then I couldn't even beat you. It's so embarrassing to think about."

I was speechless.

Why was she playing the victim?

Linda continued her rant, "And you were married to Mr. Lancaster! Why would you hide something that amazing? If that guy—what was his name, Oliver?—hadn't told me, I would have really thought you were Mr. Lancaster's mistress. You even lied and said your husband was dead! Seriously, you made me think your life was so tough."

"Right. Are you confident about this competition?" Linda shifted her stance. "There are so many pros here this time. I'm definitely not going to place; I'm just here for the experience."

I took the competition very seriously and wanted to do well, but I had never competed against so many professionals before, so I didn't dare make any bold claims.

"Let's just focus on the first round. Want to get something to eat?"

Linda readily agreed.

As we walked out together, with the two bodyguards following behind us, we saw a group of men in suits surrounding a woman in a white dress and a pale yellow coat. She had a fresh, ethereal look.

She was speaking with them, looking utterly composed.