?Chapter 548:


    Sandra practicallyunched herself into Ste’s arms. “Sylvia, you’re amazing! I knew you’d win! You’re my idol—I swear I’m going to learn from you and work harder!”


    Ste chuckled, caught off guard by Sandra’s enthusiasm, but she smiled warmly.


    Meanwhile, chaos was brewing over on Nina’s side.


    “Wasn’t Nina supposed to be some top-tier returnee from abroad?” someone muttered. “I mean, I get losing on speed, but even uracy too?”


    “I used to think Nina was more brilliant… and she kept acting like Sylvia’s work was all fluff. But now? Yeah, we were wrong. Sylvia’s the greater mind.”


    Nina sat frozen in her chair, fists clenched tight against the table, her face pale with humiliation.


    She couldn’t believe it. She’d lost to Sylvia.


    She’d run that kind of data countless times—her margin of error had never gone beyond 0.02%. But today? She was off by 0.08%. That couldn’t be right.


    There had to be something wrong. Something was off. It couldn’t be her.


    Frustration burned through her. She suddenly pushed back her chair and stood up, ready to storm out without another word.


    But Elbert stepped in front of her, arms spread casually, blocking the way. His voice was calm, almost amused. “Miss Carter, aren’t you forgetting something?”


    Nina red at him, eyes cold and sharp with resentment.


    But Elbert didn’t flinch. He wasn’t about to let her walk off that easy.


    From behind, Jamir added, “You both signed an agreement before thepetition. The terms were pretty clear, Miss Carter. You haven’t fulfilled yours yet.”


    Nina’s face turned stormy, but she froze on the spot.


    Just then, William came down the stairs and walked over to Ste.


    Nina spotted him immediately and quickly forced on a smile.


    “Sylvia,” she said, sweetly now, “I guess I was too arrogant before. You’re really good—this method of yours will definitely save everyone a lot of time.”


    Sandra blinked, surprised by how fast Nina switched tones. But before she could say anything, William had reached Ste’s side. “What’s going on?” he asked calmly.


    Before Ste could answer, Nina jumped in again. “Nothing serious! Just a little friendly challenge between colleagues. Sylvia won, and I totally admit she’s amazing!”


    William raised an eyebrow. “Really?”


    Nina suddenly felt a little uneasy under William’s gaze, but she forced a bright smile anyway. “Yeah, ask Sylvia!”


    She was counting on Sylvia’s usual calm, non-confrontational nature. Surely she wouldn’t call her out here, not in front of William.


    But Ste didn’t even blink. “It wasn’t a friendly challenge,” she said tly. “It was a properpetition—with a wager.” Nina’s smile faltered.


    Sandra crossed her arms, clearly enjoying this. “Right. There was even a signed agreement. What was the punishment again, Nina? You haven’t forgotten, have you?”


    Nina looked like she wanted to vanish on the spot.


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