Chapter 311
The car ride back was filled with Adrienne's endless complaints. "Evelyn, we may have avoided disaster today, but your actions were completely reckless. Your impulsiveness nearly ruined everything we've worked for."
Evelyn had anticipated Adrienne's lecture, but not its relentless persistence. She offered a faint smile. "Was it really that bad?"
Adrienne's expression darkened. "Evelyn, I don’t understand how you can be so casual about this. Do you think it was nothing? You just happened to know Mr. Whitaker’s daughter. What if you hadn’t? What if she hadn’t shown up? What if she didn’t consider you a friend?"
Her voice grew sharper. "When we're in someone else’s territory, we play by their rules. Yes, the organizers were at fault, but there were better ways to handle it than publicly humiliating them. If they had disqualified us over this—"
"But they didn’t," Evelyn cut in, exasperated. "Honestly, your endless 'what ifs' are exhausting."
Adrienne fell silent, momentarily stunned.
Evelyn sighed. "Adrienne, I know you’re looking out for Phoenix Labs, and I appreciate that. But can’t you see? Competitors from Veridia and other smaller countries don’t matter here. Whether we qualify or not is irrelevant. Even if I won, they’d claim it was because of my connection to Serena."
Discrimination was already rampant, and now that everyone knew she was friends with Harrison Whitaker’s daughter, any victory would be tainted by accusations of favoritism.
Vanessa’s earlier remarks were proof enough.
Not everyone thought like Vanessa, but enough would. Evelyn had seen this coming long before she entered the competition.
Adrienne hesitated. She hadn’t considered that.
When Evelyn had confronted Harrison Whitaker, Adrienne had only feared the repercussions—that Phoenix Labs might never break into the international market.
Now, Evelyn’s words made sense.
"So... we’re trapped?" Adrienne asked cautiously.
If Evelyn competed, there were two outcomes: lose and return in disgrace, or win and be labeled a fraud.
If she withdrew, people would assume she was intimidated.
Either way, she couldn’t win.
"Exactly," Evelyn confirmed, though she wasn’t overly concerned.
Still, it was better to distract Adrienne with this dilemma than endure her endless scolding.
The tactic worked. Adrienne fell into deep thought, her earlier frustration replaced by strategic contemplation.
Back at the hotel, Adrienne retreated to her room, likely to draft a report and brainstorm solutions.
Evelyn welcomed the silence.
She changed into something comfortable and checked her phone.
A cheerful emoji from Serena greeted her. Evelyn smiled and sent one back.
There were also messages in the company group chat—Victoria and Isabella checking if she’d arrived safely.
Evelyn replied briefly, omitting the banquet drama. She claimed jet lag had knocked her out.
Then she checked Alexander’s messages.
Nothing.
Her fingers hovered over the screen, itching to text him. But after a moment’s hesitation, she deleted the draft.
If he couldn’t be bothered to message her first, why should she?