Second Chance His Unending Love (Calista Hartwell) novel Chapter 132

Chapter 132

The approaching footsteps made Evander and Connor turn their heads. Recognizing the visitor, they immediately stood at attention.

“Commander Hoffman,” they greeted in unison.

Ryan Hoffman nodded curtly in return. After a brief moment, the dashing woman beside him stepped forward and saluted Evander.

“Commander Hayes,” she said.

Evander acknowledged her with a slight, impassive tilt of

his chin.

“Ms. Jefferson,” Connor added, finishing the formal greetings.

As they started walking, Evander naturally moved to walk beside his former superior.

A hint of exasperation laced his tone. “Sir, you really should stop teasing me about that.”

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“It’s no tease, Evander. With your record, you should’ve been promoted ages ago. This latest feat has the

higher-ups scratching their heads-how do you reward a man who seems to want nothing?”

Ryan replied sincerely, his voice carrying the fatherly concern born from decades of service.

In his sixties, Ryan had played a crucial role in Evander’s early career, and the younger man held him in high regard.

Evander answered without hesitation, his eyes fixed ahead. “Direct any commendations to my team. They

deserve it.”

“Stubborn fool,” Ryan grumbled, giving Evander’s shoulder a firm, frustrated pat.

“You’ve been a Brigadier General for years, Evander. Your single status isn’t helping. You know as well as I do that a stable personal life is a big factor in these promotions. For your own future, you need to settle down. Stop being so picky.”

They continued down the corridor, with Connor and

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Louisa trailing a few paces behind.

As she walked behind, Louisa’s eyes were fixed on Evander’s broad back, her mind wandering for a moment

After a brief silence, Evander responded, a faint, unexpected smile on his face, “Alright. I’ll take your advice.”

Ryan stopped short, thinking he’d misheard.

He’d given this speech countless times over the years, always met with polite but firm refusal.

Just a few years back, a major promotion to Major

General had been almost certain-all he needed to do was

get married.

Most officers would’ve jumped at such a chance, but Evander had let it pass.

“Evander? You’re serious?”

“Yes. With any luck, you’ll hear some good news soon,” Evander said calmly, showing no inner conflict.

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“Well, that is news! So you already have someone in mind? Don’t keep me in suspense-is it Major Jefferson here, or perhaps…” Ryan exclaimed, breaking into a wide approving grin.

He glanced meaningfully back at Louisa, who quickly/ looked down, blushing.

Evander simply shook his head, his expression inscrutable. “All in good time, sir. You’ll be one of the fir to know.”

“I’ll hold you to that. I’ll be waiting for that good news,” Ryan said, his step lighter as they resumed walking.

*****

Before long, the chess tournament kicked into high gear.

Calista stood by her daughter throughout the preliminary and semi-final rounds. Olivia outplayed every opponent, steadily advancing until she reached the finals.

Only ten players were left for the championship.

Given the skill disparities among the qualifiers, the earlier

< Chapter 132

rounds had been eliminations. Now, the finals would

adopt a round-robin system, with rankings based on total points.

Players competed in pairs, scoring for each win.

The highest scorer would be crowned champion, and the rest would be ranked accordingly.

On the leaderboard, Olivia currently held second plac with 16 points. Austin, hot on her heels, was in third w

14 points.

Glaring at the scoreboard, Austin clutched his cane so tightly that his knuckles turned white. His face was set in a determined frown; he was so close to toppling Olivia.

“Austin, come on. Get some good rest tonight. You’ll ace the finals tomorrow,” Nicole said, casually draping an arm around his shoulders as if their prior friction had vanished.

Austin’s thoughts were consumed by one thing: how to defeat Olivia and claim the title.

Leading up to the tournament, he’d pulled out all the

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stops. The Frost family had spared no expense, hiring top-notch chess coaches for him and making some discreet arrangements behind the scenes. All that had landed him in his current position.

But the finals would be broadcast live, a true test of skill.

“The family has done a lot to get you here. The titles of SSAT valedictorian and chess champion will boost the Frost Group’s reputation. Don’t let me down.” Killian issued a firm directive.

Austin gave a quiet grunt of acknowledgement.

Nicole linked arms with Killian, a confident smile on her face. “Don’t worry, Killian. Austin will win,” she said, then leaned in to whisper to the boy, “I’ve got it covered. Leave

it to me.”

Austin wasn’t sure what to make of her sudden support, but nodded anyway, choosing to believe her outburst at the hospital had been a momentary lapse.

All the while, Calista and Olivia had been standing right behind them.

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