She's Too Busy Winning to Watch Him Cry novel Chapter 165

Fortunately, Rowan's team didn't make any further contact with Quentin or York.

The aggressive corporate poaching she had been dreading never materialized.

What Lyra feared most was Quentin discovering that Rowan was actually 'James'. If he found out, he would blindly follow him just like he had in her previous life. Thank god Quentin still had no idea the CEO was his idolized tech god.

Two months later, the Harrington family came to the Fairchild estate for dinner.

Kayla Harrington had an older brother and two nieces and nephews who were in elementary school. Her uncle, David Harrington, also brought his two kids, both in high school. To the older generation, Lyra was just a young girl fresh out of college, so her parents quickly tasked her with keeping the kids entertained.

After dinner, the adults stayed behind to talk business. Caleb Fairchild and his wife were busy entertaining her in-laws, and Lyra, worried the kids would die of boredom, volunteered to take them to the local arcade.

The kids were at an energetic, restless age, so they eagerly agreed. As Lyra packed them into her car, she realized it was the first time her backseat had ever been this completely full.

The moment they stepped into the arcade, the kids' eyes lit up like Christmas. Lyra loaded up a few gaming cards and watched them scatter.

The two younger ones were struggling to grasp the controls. Lyra offered a bright smile, pulling up a stool next to them. "Here, let me show you."

The little ones thought this older girl smelled incredibly nice, and she was so stunningly pretty—easily the most beautiful person in the entire arcade. They happily made room for her.

Lyra reached out, gently gripping the joystick. Her voice was soft. "You press this button to attack, use the directional pad to dodge their skills, and wait for the perfect opening to strike. See... it's super easy."

Despite the instructions, their little hands were still hopelessly uncoordinated.

Lyra demonstrated it for them one more time. Her movements were incredibly sharp—the joystick clicked furiously while her fingers flew across the buttons with pinpoint accuracy, executing flawless combos and speed runs until she easily secured the high score.

"Wow, you're amazing!" the high school girl chimed in, leaning over the console. Any awkwardness from earlier had completely vanished.

Lyra chuckled softly. "It's been a long time since I've played."

Years ago, in an arcade just like this one, a cocky, teenage Lucas had been by her side. They would crowd around a single machine, laughing and aggressively trash-talking each other to win. Back then, she could never beat Lucas, so she would always drag Rowan over to help her. She must have been fifteen or sixteen at the time. Rowan used to actually smile at her back then, before the suffocating reality of their arranged marriage turned him into...

Lyra violently cut the thought off. She smiled and played a few more rounds with them before standing up to let them have a turn.

About half an hour later, Lyra heard someone calling her name from behind.

Noticing the kids had just finished their game, she spoke warmly to them. "Alright, I think we've played enough for today. Time to head back... give your eyes a rest."

The Harrington kids were surprisingly obedient. At her words, they eagerly scooped up piles of prize tickets and rallied around her.

Lyra didn't spare Maisie another glance, leading the kids to the redemption counter for their prizes before driving them home.

Left standing alone in the buzzing arcade, Maisie bit her lip, a wave of inexplicable disappointment washing over her. The current Lyra was devastatingly cold to her.

She remembered a time when they used to play games together. Whenever Maisie lost and threw a tantrum, Lyra was always the one who stayed behind to comfort her.

And now...

Two days later, Lyra and her family attended Theodore Grayson's eightieth birthday gala.

Quickly overwhelmed by the suffocating noise and endless networking inside the banquet hall, Lyra slipped away, walking out onto the terrace alone to catch some fresh air.