Everyone eagerly turned their heads towards Kelsie to hear her reply.
She raised her eyes to meet Laura's eyes and almost scoffed seeing the smugness in them.
Accepting this challenge would be no different than asking a 5-year-old to compete in a race with an athlete who had been training ever since he was born.
She had stayed with her mother a lot back then. As a result, she subconsciously picked up a lot of things.
Lois Fletcher, when she realized this, made it a habit to have her daughter see and practice the codes she ran.
Although she didn't practice what she knew for some years, it was easy for her to recall the everything and even add more knowledge thanks to her great photogenic memory.
Kelsie was just about to turn down the offer when Deborah turned to Laura and pretended to chide her, "Don't pressure your sister like that. She didn't take those computer classes with you in the past, what makes you think she knows anything about computers?"
"Hurry up and tell her she doesn't have to accept. All she has to do is agree with the rest of us that you're the best representative Lumen Group has."
Laura continued smiling smugly and leaned back on her seat.
"I'm not going to force you or laugh at you if you turn me down. You didn't attend any classes back then so It's only right that you do so since you know nothing about computer."
"I'll let you back out now, but if you insist that you're on par with me, then I have no choice but to challenge you again."
The corners of Kelsie's mouth spawned and she gently tapped her fingers on the armrest.
"Back out? Stop spouting nonsense. I never attended the lessons back then because the computer science teacher kept coming up with long codes on how to get things done."
"It was too boring and annoying to learn, so I refused to attend any more of his classes."
Hearing her, Laura laughed out in contempt.
"Ha! I know you're eager to maintain face, Kelsie, but do you have to come up with such an unhealthy lie?"
"All of us, mother, father and I, lived with you back then and can attest to the fact you never got one question right whenever the teacher asked you any question."
Kelsie scoffed lightly.
Of course she never got any question right because the teacher thought her way of approaching any topic was too short and straight to the point.
He refused to believe something he spent decades trying to perfect could be done in a simpler, better way.
Hence, he always failed her and only awarded marks to Laura who answered his questions the way he taught it.
It was sickening and a stress she didn't want to go through for something she already knew.
So she sat back and let Laura take the classes and immerse herself in the long list of ways to write better codes.
She glanced at the time on her wristwatch, recalling she had something else to attend to.
She didn't have any more time to waste arguing with Laura. So she hummed dismissively, "As you said, I didn't study computer back then, hence, I have no business with your challenge."
"But if you're as capable as you say, then Lumen Group has nothing to worry about. As a shareholder and a board member, I look forward to our company getting this contract since I'll be enriching my pocket after all."
After Kelsie said this, Laura couldn't think of what to retort with as she there was no fault in her words.
Deborah pressed her lips into a thin line when she realized this as well.
Jerry was the only one who smiled broadly and proudly announced.
"So Laura Sutton will be the representative for our Lumen Group. Once we click this deal with Jett Adler, she'll select experienced hackers from the company to help her with whatever problem he has."
"Since we've come to that conclusion, we've come to the end of this meeting. Thank you so much for coming."
Kelsie felt her phone buzz in her pocket almost immediately and took out it out to answer the call.
"Kelsie, forgive me, I failed once again." The person on the other end was silent for more than three seconds before he sighed warily.
Her eyelids immediately drooped and she pushed her chair backward to get up.
Unaware that everyone in the room had their eyes on her, she briskly walked out of the room with her eyes lowered to the floor.
"That weasel! Walking out on her elders. How rude and unruly!" Jerry, who has been planning to keep her behind and pressure her again into quietly giving him her shares, gritted his teeth and cussed her out in anger.
Clinton Smith stared at the door for several seconds before he strolled out of the room as wel.
As soon as he did, every other board member followed suit. When they were all gone, Deborah turned to Jerry and complained bitterly.
"How long will you keep Clinton Smith in this company?"
The man sat down and sighed angrily.
"What would you have me do? He was the only one by that Lois' side when she started Lumen Group. In the company's deed, he's a co-owner."
At the mention of her name, Deborah gripped the side of her chair tightly and her eyes burned angrily.
She had been dead for so long, but the mention of her name always reminded her how incompetent she was compared to Lois Fletcher.
"He has never been on your side. Now that Lois' daughter is back, she didn't even need to do anything for him to take her side."
"That woman was intelligent. That's why he remained in-love with her and stood by her side all those years even when she rejected him and married you."
It was at this moment that Laura confidently butted in, "I don't think you have anything to worry about, mother. Kelsie is a dullard. She only knows how to clean up good, but there's nothing in that head of hers."
"Once I get the contract from Jett Adler, Clinton Smith will naturally see who the future of this company is and make the right choice of being on father's side."
While they were having this conversation, a panicked Kelsie boarded a cab outside Lumen Group to Haven Medical Center.
When she alighted in front of the hospital, she took out her phone and called the person again.
"I'm in front of the hospital. Where did you say you are? I'll be right there."
A minute after she walked into the building, a familiar black BMW stopped right where she had been standing. .
Eric Lance hurriedly rushed out of it to open the door for Jett Adler. Then they both rushed into the elevator.
Inside the VIP room on the 11th floor, an elderly man and woman who looked to be in their 60s sat opposite each other.
The woman peeled apples and passed it over to her husband who was putting on the hospital's gown.
The man kept collecting and chewing the apples distractedly.
After staying silent for several seconds, he lowered the apple from his mouth and called out to his wife fondly, "Patty, the woman who helped me earlier today, although I only saw a glimpse of her, but she was a beauty."
"Not only does she have a good home training unlike the people who were there, but she's also a beauty, Such a pity I was fighting for my life to ask for her name."
The woman paused and glanced up at him suspiciously, "You've been talking about her ever since you woke up. Do you want to meet her so bad?"
The man nodded immediately.
"There were so many people there who kept chiding her for trying to save me. But she ignored them."
"The nurse who treated me even said they remembered to do a full body scan because she told a paramedic to make sure they do so."
"Helping a feeble old man escape death, If that's not a good woman, I don't know what is."
The woman paused again and squinted her eyes at him, "Honey, you want to say something. Go ahead and say it."
The man dropped his half eaten apple on the bowl and inched closer to her.
"Our grandson isn't too bad himself. With a woman like that by his side, we won't have to worry about him too much."
The words had just rolled off his tongue when the door was suddenly kicked open and a panicking Jett Adler rushed into the room.
"Grandfather!"