She's Too Busy Winning to Watch Him Cry novel Chapter 166

The evening breeze, wrapped in the chill of early winter, brought a sense of relief until the glass door behind her was suddenly pushed open.

Lyra turned around, her gaze colliding with Rowan's intense stare.

He had stepped out to take a call, swiftly sliding the glass door shut behind him.

The muffled music and lively laughter from inside only made the balcony feel exceptionally quiet.

They stared at each other in the quiet space away from the noise.

Lyra was the first to look away.

Rowan then moved to the other end of the balcony to make his call.

Having learned her lesson from past experiences, Lyra had no desire to eavesdrop on his conversation and thought about heading back inside.

To her surprise, the glass door gently slid open, and a figure peeked through.

Maisie approached with a sweet smile, stepping right up to Lyra and trying to affectionately loop their arms together. "Lyra, why are you hiding out here? Let's go back to the main hall and grab some cake."

Lyra shifted slightly, dodging her touch. Ignoring the flash of awkwardness on Maisie's face, she looked toward the party inside and spoke in a flat tone, "No thanks, I'm leaving soon."

Maisie's smile froze, the light dimming in her eyes. Undeterred, she took another step forward, her voice dripping with artificial sweetness. "Lyra, let's chat about that game you were playing the other day. I'm actually pretty good at it too..."

Lyra didn't reply. Without a single word, she simply turned on her heel, pushed open the door to the main hall, and walked back inside.

Maisie was left behind, standing there foolishly.

A suffocating wave of disappointment washed over her.

She bit her lip, on the verge of tears, when she suddenly noticed a man standing in the shadows. It was Rowan.

Maisie swallowed her tears and sniffled, looking completely miserable. "Rowan, she... she really doesn't want anything to do with me."

Rowan glanced up from his phone, his indifferent gaze sweeping over her slightly red eyes before returning to his screen. "Did you piss her off?"

Maisie bitterly thought to herself, "Aren't you the one who pissed her off?"

But she didn't dare say it out loud.

Maisie knew that perfectly well and felt even more wronged, but she didn't dare argue with him. She just mumbled a sullen agreement.

Just then, Rowan's phone rang again. He glanced at the screen, ignored Maisie, and took the call.

Intimidated by Rowan and unwilling to test his patience, Maisie quietly slipped away and headed back inside to find her mother.

Seeing her daughter return, Vivienne grabbed Maisie's hand, lowering her voice so only the two of them could hear. "When you went out to the balcony, what were they doing?"

Maisie blinked. "Rowan and Lyra? They were standing on completely opposite ends of the balcony."

Vivienne nodded approvingly. "You did well. I didn't stop you when you went out there because Lyra shouldn't have the chance to be alone with Rowan. It could ruin his reputation."

Maisie remained speechless.

"Mom, you don't actually think Lyra is still into Rowan, do you? She got over him ages ago."

"You're just a kid, you don't understand how these manipulative girls operate..." Just then, someone approached them, and Vivienne instantly plastered on a polite, high-society smile, cutting the conversation short.