“Mr. Lancaster, your wife is enjoying her meal.”
Steven stared at the large screen, at the woman happily stuffing her cheeks with food, his expression unreadable.
Beside him, Gordon was a bit confused. “Did she not ask who sent it?”
The staff member replied, “She only said that she knew.”
Gordon was silent for a moment, then waved his hand.
The staff member left, and Gordon turned to Steven, who sat on the sofa, his expression noble and detached.
“Mr. Lancaster, the results for today's competition won't be out until late. Since she has eaten, we should head to Aethelburg for the partnership meeting.”
Steven's deep eyes didn't waver. He tapped his long, well-defined fingers on the armrest of the sofa. “Do you think she really knows who sent it?”
Gordon looked troubled, but he lied through his teeth. “She said she knew, so she must know. The trending topics from last night were taken down quickly, so she might not have seen them. A statement was issued clarifying that you have a professional relationship with your employee. Perhaps she was in a good mood today and accepted your gesture. In any case, it's a fact that she enjoyed the meal.”
Then, he muttered under his breath, “She probably thinks it's from someone else, but whatever. As long as we don't provoke Mr. Lancaster. Mr. Lancaster has been mentally unstable since the craniotomy. Pissing him off is a bad idea.”
Steven stared at the woman on the screen, her cheeks full and her eyes glued to her design. His gaze was dark, his thoughts impossible to guess.
Finally, he stood up. “Let's go. To Aethelburg.”
I finally submitted my design at 3:30 PM. By then, only a third of the contestants were left. I secured a provisional spot, and I breathed a sigh of relief.
I waited outside for the results and saw Linda waving at me. She ran over excitedly.
“How did it go?”
“The final results for who advances won't be out until everyone is finished, but I'm provisionally in for now. How about you?”
“Provisional basically means you're in! It's only the first day, so there's no suspense. Don't be nervous!” Linda said cheerfully. “Of course, I failed, but I gave it my best shot. Next time, I'll have more experience.”
“Mr. Taylor said since I lost so spectacularly, I can stay here for a couple more days to relax. I'll stay until the competition is over to cheer you on! If you win, remember to treat us to dinner, me and Jacob.”
I smiled. Linda was truly a role model, with such a great attitude. “Deal.”

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