Chapter 878
Wendy smiled. “No wonder we haven’t seen much of you lately, Julliard. So you’ve been working here in Listoria City.”
Julliard returned her smile. “Mhm. Most of my family’s businesses are based here. Carter’s business, on the other hand, holds the majority of their industries in Amstern City. Because our companies cooperate on many projects, I spend most of my year running back and forth between the two cities.”
“This competition will probably last a month,” Wendy said. “We’ll be troubling you during this time, Julliard.”
“There’s no such thing as trouble between friends,” Julliard replied, his voice warm. “You and Sharon are both my friends. Listoria City is a tourist city. Tomorrow, let me take you
sightseeing.”
“That sounds wonderful,” Wendy said brightly. “Sharon hasn’t had much chance to relax lately. It’s either competitions or her concert, one after another.”
She turned to Sharon. “Sharon, you’ve never been to Listoria City, have you?”
Sharon shook her head. “No, I haven’t. In fact, there are many cities in Zachemaine I’ve never visited.”
Before she turned eighteen, her life had revolved around studying. Then she went abroad to Marcentine for university. After graduating and returning to Amstern City, she had barely settled before she met Carter.
One thing led to another-pregnancy, a hurried marriage, and soon after, a life devoted entirely to being wife and mother.
She had never once gone traveling for her own sake.
Julliard said, “Don’t be fooled by how often Carter traveled for work. He flew all over the world, to every city you could think of, but he never really experienced those places. He would finish his business and head straight home, rarely lingering. Later though… with Kelly, he visited plenty of places…”
His voice trailed off as if he realized too late that he’d said the wrong thing.
The brightness in both Sharon and Wendy’s faces dulled instantly.
Wendy, in particular, felt the faint spark of goodwill she had grudgingly developed toward Carter vanish without a trace.
Quickly, Julliard shifted the topic. “By the way, where’s Thomas? He’s always by Sharon’s side. Why didn’t he come this time?”
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Chapter 878
+15 Bonus
“He asked for leave,” Sharon replied evenly. “He needs some time to rest.”
Julliard chuckled. “Don’t tell me he’s off falling in love?”
“I don’t think so,” Wendy interjected. “He told us not long ago he’s still single.”
Julliard looked genuinely surprised. “That’s strange. Not too long ago, he seemed very close with Johanna-meeting almost every day, going out together. I thought the two of them were dating.”
Wendy’s expression soured. She had never liked Victoria, and she liked Victoria’s best friend Johanna even less. Whenever Johanna spoke to Thomas, she seemed to look right past Sharon, as if Sharon didn’t exist.
Even the few times she addressed Sharon, it was always in the context of prying Thomas away.
It was the sort of shameless behavior Wendy found utterly distasteful.
“Eww!” she said sharply. “Thomas would never go for someone like her.”
Not wanting to gossip about others behind their backs, Sharon cut in smoothly. “Alright, let’s get back to the hotel. We still need to check in at the competition venue later this afternoon.”
The group let the matter drop.
Listoria City wasn’t far from Amstern City-barely a two-hour flight.
After lunch, Julliard personally drove Sharon and Wendy to the competition site.
Contestants had three days to check in, but many had arrived on the first day. It gave them time to adjust to the environment, recover from jet lag, and even squeeze in a bit of sightseeing.
The venue was packed, buzzing with chatter as competitors from all over the world mingled and exchanged greetings.
But the moment Sharon and Wendy stepped inside, the lively hum of conversation faltered. One by one, voices fell silent.
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