?<strong>Chapter 441:</strong>


    Elyse struggled to hold the flowers. As she caught Darren’s yful gaze, she couldn’t help but feel a bit self-conscious.


    Tracy happily wrapped her arm around Elyse’s and eximed, “Since your husband had to go to the Owen Group, I’ll be yourpanion for the day. Let’s head out and have a wonderful time celebrating!”


    Darren eagerly gestured toward himself and eximed, “I finished in third ce. Would it be possible for me to join you all in the festivities?”


    Tracy warmly offered, “Absolutely! Elyse’s husband passed me his card. Let me know what gifts you need, and I’ll take care of getting them for you on his behalf.”


    Elyse, unable to bear it any longer, blushed as she quickly gave Tracy a push on the shoulder and whispered, “Hey! Keep a low profile!”


    Tracy, with an even more self-satisfied expression on her face, found herself unable to resist the urge to unt the multi-million-dor card in her hand.


    Just as they were engaged in a lively conversation about their dining options, a luxurious white Rolls-Royce Ghost gracefully arrived and parked in front of them. Elyse and Darren stood inplete disbelief, their jaws dropping in shock. Tracy’s face turned to stone as her eyes locked onto the car in front of her.


    Shaun stepped out of the sleek, white car, clutching a delicate bouquet of flowers. With purposeful strides, he made his way over to Elyse. “Congrattions, Ms. Lloyd, on your outstanding achievement of securing first ce in the semi-final,” he said with a smile.


    Elyse stole a nce at Shaun and then turned her gaze to Tracy, who remained silent. Uncertain, she deliberated over whether to ept the flowers or not.


    “I’ll take the flowers for Elyse since she isn’t avable.” Darren swiftly reached out to grab the beautiful bouquet of flowers from Shaun’s outstretched hand, a warm smile spreading across his face.


    Shaun stole a quick nce at the quiet Tracy, and a small smile tugged at the corners of his lips. “I would be delighted to extend an invitation to all three of you to join me for dinner and celebrate.”


    After saying that, he graciously opened the car door and gestured for them to enter.


    Elyse and Darren were at a loss for words. They both looked at Tracy with dropped jaws.


    The next second, Tracy looked up at him and yelled, “Not a chance! All you want to do is take me away! Why the hell should Ie with you? Give me a break!”


    Shaun, with a quizzical expression on his face, gently took hold of Tracy’s arm and guided her toward the car. With a sense of urgency, he carefully ensured she was settled in before swiftly joining her inside and closing the door behind him. He lowered the window, holding onto the struggling Tracy, and offered a kind smile to Elyse. “Ms. Lloyd, if you’d care to join us, please open the door yourself.”


    Elyse and Darren exchanged hesitant nces with each other before finally agreeing, “We’ll go too.”


    Given that Tracy was essentially in Shaun’s control, they felt it was necessary toply.


    Tracy firmly pushed away the hand that covered her mouth and dered, “I refuse to go with you, jerk! Let me out right now, or I will have to involve the authorities!”


    However, her words fell on deaf ears as Shaun covered her mouth again.


    Elyse, feeling concerned about Tracy’s well-being, hopped into the car and settled into the back seat as Darren took the passenger seat.


    Shaun led them to a viplex. Elyse immediately realized that this wasn’t the familiar neighborhood where she and Jayden resided.


    Just then, a call from Gavin came in. She answered the call and greeted, “Hey, what’s up?”


    He said, “Sorry I didn’te to you after thepetition; I was busy looking for Fiona. Are you at home already?”


    Elyse cast a quick nce at the imposing vi, her expression filled with a sense of unease. “No, not yet. I’m currently out enjoying a meal with some friends,” she replied, her voice tinged with helplessness.


    “That’s great! Enjoy yourself. After dinner, make sure to head home and keep practicing. It’s important to keep up this momentum for the final and strive for that first-ce finish.”


    With a nod, she asked, “And Fiona? How’s she doing now?”


    “Take care of yourself first,” Gavin said as he turned to look at Fiona, who was quietly sobbing beside him. “She is still ahead of you in terms of average performance, so keep pushing yourself.”


    “I see. Got it!” Elyse hung up the phone after that.


    Gavin put his phone away and looked at Fiona, who was still upset. “I understand that you’re feeling disappointed, but this is the situation, and you have the opportunity to learn from this and improve. Keep a positive mindset and focus on doing your best in the final.”


    However, Fiona didn’t respond to his words. Her eyes only welled up more. She felt ashamed of the fact that Elyse was in first ce while she was in thest. She couldn’t wrap her head around how Elyse, her junior, outperformed her. If Elyse was able to perform at such a high level, what did that imply for Fiona? What happened to her sense of dignity as Elyse’s senior?


    As Gavin observed Fiona’s relentless tears, a throbbing headache began to take hold of him. He couldn’t understand why she was so distraught. If she didn’t seed this time, she could always put in more effort next time. Nheless, he waspletely oblivious to the fact that she only cried out of embarrassment. Despite her distress, he continued to offer words offort, and both he and Irving showed no signs of anger whatsoever toward her.


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