Chapter 15 The Mysterious Man Behind Susanna
Edward frowned and asked, "Who told them to change the schedule?"
"I heard it was Erica. She had them end it a day early. Feels kinda fishy," Aviana said with confusion.
Edward immediately called his assistant, instructing them to extend the registration deadline to today. Meanwhile, Susanna and Justin had already arrived at the registration site.
Just as they were about to enter, Elaine appeared out of nowhere, sneering at Susanna, "Susanna, you actually showed up?"
Susanna smirked back, "If you can be here, why can't I?"
Turning a deaf ear to Elaine's provocations, Susanna seized Justin's arm and guided him indoors. However, Elaine wasn't ready to concede defeat just yet. "Susanna, in case you weren't aware, the registration deadline was yesterday," she interjected.
Susanna turned back, surprised. "Yesterday? No way. It clearly said today was the last day." She had checked the registration details carefully and was sure today was the deadline.
With a smug expression, Elaine remarked, "If you doubt me, feel free to check."
The prior evening, she had whispered to Erica about the competition organized by the Jones Group. Being next in line to inherit, Erica held the power to change the schedule effortlessly. Elaine came here just to watch Susanna be embarrassed.
Susanna approached the front desk and handed over her documents. The staff verified them and asked, "Are you Susanna?"
Susanna nodded nervously. "Yes, that's me."
The staff stood up and handed her the documents back. "Your registration is confirmed. Please submit your design on time."
"Thank you."
Elaine, witnessing this, was in disbelief. "You must be mistaken! I remember the registration closed yesterday. You should double-check."
The staff calmly replied, "Sorry, we haven't received any notice about an early deadline. Susanna meets the requirements and can register."
Susanna, putting her things away, taunted, "Elaine, it seems like you didn't learn your lesson last time, huh?"
Elaine was fuming but didn't dare step forward. "Susanna, this is a public place. What do you think you're doing?"
Justin took a bold step forward, fixing Elaine with a frosty stare. "What do you think we're up to, huh? Maybe I should give you a little makeover. I'm sure you'd look much better with a broken nose."
Elaine recoiled in fear, hurriedly shielding her nose, too petrified to utter another word.
Susanna turned to Justin. "Let's go."
Elaine seethed with anger, yet managed to covertly capture a picture of their retreating figures. Hastily, she dialed Erica's number. "Erica, didn't you instruct the organizers to halt registrations a day in advance to block Susanna? How on earth did she manage to sign up today?"
Erica frowned. "I did instruct them. It should've ended yesterday. Are you sure Susanna registered?"
"Yes, Erica! I came here just to see Susanna fail, but she not only registered, she also bullied me!"
Erica was shocked. "That's impossible." She had definitely spoken to the organizers.
Elaine, filled with resentment, cursed into the phone, "But it did happen! Anyway, even if Susanna registered, she won't make it past the preliminaries!"
Erica echoed Elaine's sentiments. She had always harbored doubts about Susanna's abilities. However, as a precaution, she arranged for someone to closely monitor the preliminary rounds. Erica was determined to ensure that Susanna never had a chance to stand out and remained in obscurity.
Elaine sent another message to Erica: [Erica, there was a guy with Susanna at the registration. They seemed really close. Maybe he's her new man.]
Erica's eyes lit up as she typed: [What did he look like?]
Elaine: [I only got a shot of his back. He was wearing a hat and mask, giving off this mysterious and suspicious vibe. Interested in taking a peek?]
Erica: [Never mind. Just don't let Aaron see it, or he'll definitely get the wrong idea.]
Ending the talk, Erica was confident that Elaine would understand her hint. Sure enough, Elaine sent the photo to Aaron: [Aaron, Susanna showed up at the registration with a guy. They seemed really close!]
Aaron was engrossed in his work when his gaze fell upon the photo on Facebook. His expression darkened as he scrutinized it, struggling to recognize the mysterious figure. After a prolonged examination, he decided to forward the image to Tyler with a simple directive. "Figure out who this guy is."
Tyler looked at the photo and said, "Mr. Abbott, it's just a shot of his back. It'll be tough, but I'll check the surveillance footage." Catching the intensity in Aaron's gaze, Tyler accepted the mission with determination before swiftly exiting the office to commence his investigation.
After Tyler left, Aaron picked up his phone again, staring at the photo. The smile on Susanna's face as she looked at the man beside her was like a thorn in his side. Could this be the mysterious man behind Susanna?
After registering, Susanna threw herself into preparing her design for the competition. A week of preliminaries and semi-finals later, she finally received the notification that she had made it to the finals of the H.F. International Design Competition.
Flandre immediately sent a congratulatory message: [Susanna, I knew you could do it! Congrats on making it to the finals. This is your reward for leaving Aaron. Your luck has definitely turned around.]
Susanna: [Yeah, my luck's been pretty good lately.]
Soon, Susanna saw Flandre's post: [Breaking news: Our idol is officially back, making it to the finals and is a strong contender for the championship.] She took a deep breath, hoping to win first place. The prize money was crucial for her.
Meanwhile, Aviana received the news and quickly told Edward, "Honey, Master Susan is also in the competition. Susanna might face some challenges."
Edward didn't seem to care. "Then we'll just have two first-place winners."
To him, Susanna had to be the winner, no matter what.
At the Abbott Group headquarters, Tyler knocked and entered Aaron's office. "Mr. Abbott, the finalists for the H.F. International Design Competition are out. Master Susan, who disappeared three years ago, is also competing."
Aaron's long fingers tapped the desk. "Find out her real identity and get her to work for the Abbott Group."
"Got it. I'll arrange it right away. Mr. Abbott, there's one more thing."
"What?" Aaron frowned.
Tyler handed over the finalist list and some documents, cautiously saying, "Mrs. Abbott also made it to the finals. I've seen her designs; they're clever and innovative. Here's her design. Take a look—"
"Take it away! I don't want to see it!" Aaron cut Tyler off coldly before he could finish.
