Chapter 194 National College Art Competition

Her free-spirited confidence and perfect figure dazzled everyone the moment she stepped out of the Cayenne.

Heads turned. Men could not help staring.

No wonder—Tilda steering the Porsche one-handedly was just too cool.

Simon was already waiting at the entrance.

“Professor Linscott.”

“Tilda.”

She walked up to him, sliding her sunglasses off. “I’m not late, am I?”

“Of course not—you’re right on time. Let’s go in.”

Tilda opened her mouth to reply, but a familiar, teasing voice cut her off.

“Well, well… Tilda. What a coincidence running into you here.”

She turned and saw Alfie approaching, tall and sharp in a deep red tailored suit.

At nearly 6’3”, he made the designer cut look like it had been created just for him. His short, neat hair and gray eyes glimmered with a sharpness that made people wary.

He was the kind of man who drew attention no matter where he went, like a rose with thorns. Women knew they would get hurt if they touched it, but still couldn’t help but lean closer.

Tilda’s voice was cool. “What are you doing here?”

Alfie leaned closer, lowering his voice so only the two of them could hear. “The Woodward Group is sponsoring this competition. My dad sent me to check things out. What about you? Don’t tell me you’re competing?”

He put on a fake look of surprise.

But of course, he already knew.

As a sponsor, he had seen the finalist list long ago.

A name like “Tilda” stood out like a firefly in the dark—impossible to hide.

The moment he saw it, he volunteered to attend.

Otherwise, he would never waste time on something as boring as a college art competition.

Professor Linscott blinked curiously. “Tilda, you two are… friends?”

Before she could answer, Alfie flashed a grin.

“Of course. Friends.”

He gave Tilda a sidelong look, silently begging: C’mon, we’ve met a few times. I treated you pretty well at Sky Dining. Don’t ruin my cover here.

Tilda’s lips twitched.

“Oh, I see.”

Professor Linscott’s eyes flicked between them, the corners of his mouth curling like he had figured something out.

“So Tilda’s boyfriend came to cheer her on at the finals—welcome, welcome! Son, your girlfriend’s a rare painting talent. This national championship is basically hers already.”

Alfie nearly choked.

“Professor, you’ve got it wrong! I’m not her boyfriend. We’re just friends. Really, just friends!”

“Oh, not official yet? That’s fine. You two look great together. Tilda’s in college, so dating’s perfectly normal…”

“No, no, no! I have zero romantic intentions toward Tilda! Please, Professor, don’t say that. If people hear, I’ll get myself killed!”

He was not exaggerating.

If Jude heard anyone mistook him for Tilda’s boyfriend, he would be beaten to a pulp, brotherhood or not.

This was the first time Jude had shown feelings for someone, and he was already doing shocking, out-of-character things for her. Alfie had noticed.

He was not about to become collateral damage.

“Alright, that’s enough,” Tilda cut in, massaging her temple. “Let’s just go inside.”

She did not bother clarifying further.

Not when she had just seen the calculating gleam in Alfie’s eyes.

Let him stew in fear for a while—served him right.

The three of them headed into the venue.

Not long after, a fiery red Ferrari pulled up outside.

Preston stepped out, then walked around to the passenger side and opened the door with exaggerated gallantry.

Out came Kyla, dressed in a pure white dress, looking every bit the delicate princess.

“Preston, I’m so happy you invited me. But…”

Her voice was soft, hesitant. “I didn’t have a piece chosen for the competition. It’s Tilda who made it in. If I go in, she’ll just laugh at me. Maybe… maybe we should leave.”

She looked timid, fragile—like Tilda had schemed her way into stealing the competition slot that should have been Kyla’s.

Of course, this was exactly how Kyla always played it with Preston, disguising her scheming as something innocent. She had whispered enough of this act into his ear while he was abroad that he had nearly lost his temper countless times at Tilda.

By the time he flew back to Cetherland, Preston had already sworn he would set things right—help Kyla reclaim her honor and make Tilda pay.