Chapter 206

The whispers reached Dylan, who was live-streaming the event on his phone. His fingers tightened around the device, knuckles turning white as tension coiled through his body.

Meanwhile, in the CEO’s office of Triumph Consortium, the mood was starkly different.

"Nathan, did you catch that?" Alexander nudged Nathan’s arm with a smirk, watching him closely for any reaction. "Those doctors are saying Evelyn actually has a chance to win this time."

He looked smug, thrilled that the odds were tipping in Evelyn’s favor. Today, Alexander had one mission—to force Nathan to watch the competition with him. He had even gone as far as bribing a nurse at Grand Oaks General Hospital to set up a live feed.

Despite Nathan’s obvious disinterest, Alexander had planted his tablet squarely on Nathan’s desk, refusing to take no for an answer.

Nathan’s expression remained unreadable, his gaze cool and detached, as if Alexander’s enthusiasm barely registered.

Then—BANG!

A sharp noise erupted from the live feed, slicing through the tension in the room. The sudden sound made Evelyn’s hands jerk, causing a small but critical misstep in her procedure.

"Oh no! Evelyn just messed up!" someone gasped in the audience.

"What the hell was that noise?" another voice demanded.

"And why did it only happen on Evelyn’s side? Lila’s station wasn’t affected at all," a third person muttered, suspicion lacing their tone.

The tension thickened as rapid knocking suddenly pounded against Evelyn’s simulation room door.

"Who the hell is knocking right now?"

Evelyn didn’t flinch. She merely glanced up, her voice steady as she addressed the instrument nurse. "Sophia, go check what’s happening."

Sophia Reynolds hesitated, frowning. "But the procedure—"

"I’ve got it. Go," Evelyn assured her, already correcting her earlier mistake with practiced precision.

Sophia nodded reluctantly before heading to the door.

Outside stood a young boy, clutching a basketball and looking sheepish.

The audience watching the live feed heard him say, "Miss, I’m so sorry! My basketball hit your door by accident. I wanted to apologize."

Sophia barely spared him a glance. "It’s fine. Just leave—we’re in the middle of something."

But the boy shook his head stubbornly. "No, Miss! My parents taught me that if I do something wrong, I have to make it right. I apologized to you, but I need to say sorry to everyone inside too. Please let me in—just for a second!"

Before Sophia could stop him, the boy darted forward, trying to slip past her.

Her pulse spiked as she threw out an arm to block him. "Absolutely not! You can’t go in there. I said we’re busy—now leave!"