Hadley, feeling slighted, shot Effie a displeased glance.

"Drink some water. It's just a show; don't take it so seriously,"

Lilah advised, handing her a glass of water and chuckling as she noticed the sweat on Effie's forehead.

“It's your turn next. Are you nervous?" Effie wiped away her sweat and teased Hadley.

Initially, she and Briseis had been wary of Hadley, suspecting that she was still loyal to Ruth. But seeing her get along with Lilah now made Effie feel more at ease.

"I'm still nervous," Hadley confessed, clinging to Lilah. "Lilah, you'll have to coach me a bit later."

Lilah dismissed the concern with a wave of her hand. "Don't worry Your opponent might look intimidating, but he's not as agile as you."

Hadley's opponent was Kieran Duncan, a young male star over six feet tall with a muscular build. He appeared strong but somewhat slow on his feet.

In contrast, Hadley stood at just 5'3'', petite and slender, almost childlike.

Lacking confidence, Hadley repeatedly asked for advice. Lilah, somewhat resigned, offered her some quick tips on how to maintain a stable stance and dodge effectively.

"Just focus on defending and dodging to wear him out. Once he's tired, use the back kick I showed you last night. Got it?" Lilah instructed patiently.

Hadley, still looking up to Lilah with great admiration, missed some of the advice.

Meanwhile, Effie captured the moment with her phone and sent the video to Gerard, playfully cautioning, "Gerard, your girlfriend is charming to everyone now. Be careful, or you might have competition."

During a meeting, Gerard's phone buzzed.

He glanced down to see a video featuring Lilah.

He tapped on the video, which showed Lilah intently coaching Hadley, who gazed at her with clear admiration.

As Gerard watched, his expression darkened, casting a somber mood around him.

The executives, sensing the shift, looked at Calvin for cues, thinking they might have misspoken.

Calvin, also misunderstanding the tension, bowed his head in confusion.

Suddenly, Gerard stood up abruptly. "Meeting adjourned," he announced and then quickly vanished, leaving everyone with puzzled expressions.

Calvin scrambled to catch up, asking anxiously, "Mr. Harris, where are we going? What happened?”

His mind raced, pondering if it was related to Darian.

Just two days ago, they had spotted Darian at the capital airport and dispatched a significant number of people to track him. However, Darian had vanished as if he had never existed.

This incident had led to Calvin facing severe criticism from Gerard, making the past few days particularly difficult for him.