The Monster at My Feet novel Chapter 40

To be precise, whatever Shepherd was good at, she was good at.

Shepherd wasn't from her home country. He spoke flawless English and French, which meant she spoke them as fluently as her native tongue.

Shepherd was a brilliant chemist and a master of producing lethal toxins, so she learned to do the same.

Shepherd had elite surveillance and counter-surveillance skills, making her incredibly hyper-aware of her surroundings.

And Shepherd's only form of entertainment was playing the piano.

There had been a dilapidated church in their remote village, housing an ancient, pedal-pumped reed organ. The tuning was shot, and half the time, air leaked from the bellows.

It was on that broken organ that Sylvie had followed Shepherd's lead, mastering every classical piece in existence.

Only when she saw the poster did she realize a grand piano really wasn't all that different from a busted organ.

Not only did the champion receive a massive prize, but the top ten all received generous cash rewards.

Who knew? Maybe she could easily build a little nest egg.

Sylvie carefully memorized the schedule. She had plenty of time to prepare.

Class was about to start, so she hoisted her backpack and jogged off.

For Sylvie, this fresh college experience was highly entertaining.

But Lawrence Lawson had been having a miserable time lately.

He still hadn't managed to patch up the massive deficit in his company's accounts.

The funding for their flagship project had been delayed for nearly six months, and word on the street was that the branch managers were losing control of the contractors.

While the crisis hadn't fully detonated on his desk yet, it was a ticking time bomb.

Several interconnected projects were also on the verge of collapse.

Lawrence was practically vibrating with anxiety.

To make matters worse, he was plagued by constant nightmares, and Helena had become entirely neurotic.

He couldn't fathom why his life had completely unraveled over the past two months.

At the dinner table, the pale, exhausted couple inevitably began talking about Sylvie.

Helena brought her up first.

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