Chapter 169
169 The One Everyone Underestimated
169 The One Everyone Underestimated
The surprise hit him hard–but only for a second.
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Eric forced it down, deep into his chest, where his heart was thundering so wildly it felt like it might burst.
It took every ounce of his willpower just to keep breathing steady.
“Mmm.”
That was all he said.
Thankfully, he wasn’t the chatty type.
If he had been, someone might’ve picked up on how off he was right now.
Alice’s smile froze, just slightly.
Seriously ? That was it ?
Just a grunt ?
Not even a line about how I’m too frail or too busy to take on a mentee ?
Surprisingly, Humbert didn’t seem offended in the slightest. In fact, he looked hopeful as he turned to Eric.
“Mr. Eric, come on now–we’ve worked together before. Don’t tell me you’re really going to turn me down.”
Eric finally came back to himself.
His expression hardened, his voice flat.
“That collaboration was between you and me. It has nothing to do with my wife.”
That answer rendered Humbert speechless.
He clutched his chest, feigning heartbreak. “Heartless! Absolutely heartless!”
Eric didn’t respond.
Humbert glared at him dramatically beard trembling. “Too bad! I’ve already decided–she’s going to be my mentor!”
Alice gave him a long–suffering look.
What a handful !
After thinking for a moment, she relented just a bit.
“If I have time, we can play a game once a month.”
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169 The One Everyone Underestimated
Humbert immediately lit up. That was the best she could do, he could tell.
He was happy with her concession.
“Perfect! Wonderful! That’s more than enough, mentor-”
“Wait, don’t call me that. I’m not used to it.”
Humbert looked conflicted. “But I’ve got to call you respectful.”
Alice sighed. “Ms. Spencer will do.”
“Got it!” Humbert nearly jumped in joy.
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The others weren’t so thrilled.
They looked at Alice with a mixture of awe and disbelief.
She’d grown up in a small, remote town; how did she turn out to be someone remarkable?
There was no other word for it: genius.
The one who looked most pained was Gary.
When he’d first suspected something was off between Alice and Byron, he’d been angry, sure–but he could still justify it to himself. People from the bottom fought dirty to climb the ladder. That was just the way things worked.
But now … everything was out in the open.
Byron had genuinely given her that exclusive invitation.
And with Alice’s level of chess skill, she didn’t need to sell herself to anyone. If anything, Byron would’ve been the one trying to get on her good side.,
Looking back, he could’ve seen the signs.
Byron was famous, but not for being reckless with women.
Still, he hadn’t wanted to believe it.
How could someone who’d never been trained , who’d never even left that tiny hometown , achieve such a feat ?
Then he remembered what Scott had said.
If Alice was the one he was looking for, he might regret not recognizing her sooner.
Back then, Gary had laughed it off.
His only idol–the person he’d dreamed of meeting–was Ghostwing.
He had gone through so much trouble to organize today’s tournament, hoping to finally earn Ghostwing’s
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169 The One Everyone Underestimated
approval.
And yet…
Now he thought back to how he’d treated Alice.
Every insult, every slight, cut at him now like a thousand blades.
He stared at her, eyes burning red.
Damon, standing beside him, had been about to approach Byron.
But when he realized Alice was Ghostwing, the shock turned into something else–joy.
Byron clearly respected her. Maybe even needed her help.
And if Alice was willing to speak up for him–not just Halsey–he could bounce back too.
His artwork could sell at high prices again.
So the man who was about to go beg for help… now stood tall, chin lifted, eyes fixed on Alice. All he needed was for this to blow over–then she’d have no choice but to give him what he wanted.
He was confident.
After all, they were family. And a sister helping her older brother? That was only natural.
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Linda, meanwhile, looked like a ghost.
A
She couldn’t believe what she was seeing–or hearing.
This had to be a dream.
She pinched her arm hard.
It hurt.
Her eyes turned even redder–not from sadness, but from rage.
Alice was supposed to be a nobody. A country girl. A loser.
How could she be the one everyone was praising?
Even someone like Humbert–he practically begged to be her mentee.
And she said no!
Now that this was out in the open, anyone who wanted to curry favor with Humbert would go through Alice first.
That was a level Linda could never reach.
Why?
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169 The One Everyone Underestimated
Her hands clenched into fists, her heart full of hate.
Even with that scandalous video out there, Alice hadn’t fallen.
Now, taking her down would be ten times harder.
And how was she supposed to explain this to Yvette?
The live broadcast had gone quiet for a long moment. Then the chat exploded like a volcano,
“Ghostwing! She’s really Ghostwing!”
“All hail Mrs. Nolan!”
“Am I the only one whose heart is broken for her? Climbing to the top from a tiny hill town? What a climb!”
“No wonder Mr. Eric fell for her. She’s a fighter. How could anyone not admire that?”
08:46 Tue , 29 Jul MO