She's Too Busy Winning to Watch Him Cry novel Chapter 155

Lyra slept deeply, waking up a little after nine in the morning to a call from Caleb.

"You flew back in the middle of the night on the third day? We agreed it was a four-day trip. What were you thinking, catching a red-eye? Someone as gorgeous as you alone in a shady cab at that hour, do you have any idea how dangerous that is? Secretary Montgomery woke up in a panic because she couldn't find you. Honestly, you rushing back like that stresses me out."

Lyra realized her brother was becoming more of a nagging over-thinker by the day.

"I'm perfectly fine, Caleb."

She cut in smoothly. "I need to head over to Madeline's place. Since I finished the project early, I'm taking the rest of the day off."

She hung up before he could argue.

She had breakfast with Delilah, who had clearly been debriefed by Caleb and chimed in with her own scolding about midnight flights. Arthur had already left for the office and didn't even know she was back in town.

After patiently soothing her mother's worries, Lyra hopped back into Madeline's sports car and drove to a gas station.

She filled up the tank but couldn't help noticing how filthy the car was. In the pitch black of night, it had seemed fine, but under the harsh daylight, the interior was an absolute disaster.

Deciding to do her friend a solid, she drove to a nearby car wash.

Pulling into the washing bay, she rolled up the windows and stepped out, waiting for an attendant.

Glancing up casually, she froze.

The man standing there in a grease-stained uniform and heavy rubber gloves was Calvin. The former Sinclair heir, the same playboy who used to cruise around in supercars and relentlessly pursue Jasmine.

The arrogant, flashy swagger he once carried was completely gone, replaced by the hollow, defeated silence of a man crushed by the real world.

Calvin spotted her, too. His hands stalled for a fraction of a second, but he quickly ducked his head, pretending he didn't recognize her as he silently lathered the hood of her car with soap.

"What are you doing here?"

A heavy knot formed in Lyra's chest. She never expected to find him here. Everything that had destroyed him in her past life was happening again. But hadn't she intervened? Hadn't she saved him at the Jameson headquarters?

She should have fundamentally changed his fate.

Yet, even in this second life, Calvin was still reduced to scrubbing cars for spare change.

Caught off guard, Calvin chased after her, slapping the window. "There's still soap all over the car. At least let me rinse it."

The other workers turned to stare at the commotion.

Acting as if she couldn't hear him, Lyra gunned the engine and tore out of the lot, a trail of white foam flying off the bumper. The crew just stood there, completely dumbfounded, abandoning their sponges.

"What are you idiots doing?" The manager stormed out, enraged at losing a paying customer. "Calvin. What the hell did you say to her? You chased off a client, didn't you? Real smart. Don't even bother showing up tomorrow. You still think you're some hotshot heir running your own daddy's business?"

"I'm so sorry, boss, I swear I don't know what happened to her." Calvin scrambled to apologize, his past arrogance entirely erased. Covered in grease and soap, he looked like a broken shell of a man. "I'll get right back to work."

"Then move it. Get the hell out of my way before I fire you right now."

A new SUV rolled into the bay, and Calvin silently bowed his head, trudging over to start scrubbing again.

...

Speeding down the avenue, Lyra gripped the steering wheel so hard her knuckles turned white, a storm of fury raging in her eyes. She dialed Madeline's number. "Do you have Lucas's phone number?"