Chapter 218 Can't Keep Up
"Mr. Windsor, it's the middle of the night..."
Nathan yawned, but before he could finish his sentence, Charles interrupted, "What do you think Emily's doing right now? Do you think she's having trouble with the training camp beds? Is she eating properly?"
Nathan rubbed his eyes, biting back his complaints, and could only go along with it, "Mrs. Windsor is so capable, she'll definitely adapt just fine. Don't worry."
Charles didn't respond, just stared at the night sky and muttered to himself, "I should never have agreed to let her go. What if she gets hurt?"
He kept Nathan by the riverside all night long, talking from a sky full of stars until dawn broke, with every conversation circling back to Emily. Nathan was so exhausted that he could barely keep his eyes open and had silently cursed Ollie a hundred times over, just hoping for daybreak.
When Charles finally agreed to head back, Nathan collapsed on his couch the moment he got home, not even bothering to take off his shoes before texting Kate: [Kate, whatever it takes, you have to help Mrs. Windsor pass the training camp evaluation! Even if you need to bend the rules a little, she has to make it through! Mr. Windsor is driving me insane!]
Kate was organizing training equipment when she received the message and froze on the spot. Nathan had always been the most principled and honest person she knew, despising any form of cheating, but he was willing to make an exception for Emily?
She scratched her head and replied, "Nathan, has Mr. Windsor brainwashed you? We can't cheat on training camp evaluations!"
Meanwhile, at the training camp, Emily was sleeping blissfully.
After a full day of exhaustion and the quiet dormitory environment, she'd fallen asleep the moment her head hit the pillow, even dreaming about successfully passing the evaluation. Then at 5 AM, a sharp emergency assembly whistle suddenly blared, instantly waking Emily. She quickly threw on her camouflage uniform and ran toward the training field with Alice.
Alice laughed as they ran, "I didn't expect you to get up so fast! I was worried you'd panic the first time you heard the emergency whistle!"
She'd been training at the camp for three months and was already used to the high-intensity schedule, with stamina far superior to the average trainee.
"I'm used to morning workouts, but this is my first time running twenty miles. I'm honestly not sure how I'll do," Emily answered candidly.
When they reached the training field, most of the trainees were just starting to assemble. Emily followed Alice to the front of the formation.
Soon, the drill sergeant blew his whistle and commanded, "Twenty miles around the field! The last five to finish get no breakfast!"
The moment he finished speaking, the trainees burst forward.
Alice immediately pulled Emily along, coaching her in a low voice as they ran, "Don't rush! Start with a steady pace, adjust your breathing to inhale every two steps, exhale every two steps—save your energy!"
Emily obediently slowed her pace, matching Alice's breathing rhythm, and gradually felt the tightness in her chest ease. They maintained their position toward the front of the pack, with Alice occasionally checking Emily's form, "Don't tense your shoulders so much, relax! Smaller arm swings—it'll save you a lot of energy!"
Just then, Sean suddenly caught up from behind, sidling up to Emily. "Ms. Johnson, didn't expect you to be such a good runner! Want me to lead you? I know a shortcut that'll cut off half a mile!"
He reached out to grab Emily's arm, but was subtly blocked by Alice.
"You'd better worry about yourself. Twenty miles is just getting started; don't fall behind when you can't keep up," Alice said, pulling Emily to quicken their pace slightly and skillfully creating distance from Sean.
Sean's smile stiffened for a moment, but he stubbornly caught up again, continuing to babble in Emily's ear, "Ms. Johnson, let me tell you, all the instructors here have taken gifts from my family. I could easily get you excused from two laps if I wanted."
But he never actually trained his stamina, and after just three miles, he was already huffing and puffing, his pace slowing down. He could only watch helplessly as Emily and Alice's figures grew more distant.
"Ms. Johnson, wait for me..." Sean gasped, trying to speed up, but his legs felt like jelly. Finally, he had to stop and lean on his knees, watching Emily's figure gradually blend into the group ahead until even her silhouette was barely visible.
He never would have imagined that he couldn't even keep up with a new girl.
Meanwhile, Emily maintained a steady rhythm throughout under Alice's guidance. At eighteen miles, fine sweat beaded on Emily's forehead, and her breathing grew somewhat labored. Alice immediately handed her a water bottle, "Small sips, don't gulp! Just two more miles and we'll definitely make the top fifteen!"
Emily took the water, had a couple of sips, readjusted herself, and continued running with Alice. When they finally crossed the finish line, both had made it into the top twelve, leaving Sean far behind.
Alice excitedly patted Emily's shoulder, "That was amazing! I can't believe we ran that fast!"
Emily also breathed a sigh of relief, wiping the sweat from her forehead and smiling, "Thanks to your coaching, otherwise I definitely wouldn't have made it."
As they were talking, they saw Sean dragging his heavy feet over to them. "Ms. Johnson, how did you run so fast... wait for me..."
Emily didn't even glance at him, turning to walk toward the mess hall with Alice, leaving Sean and his lackey behind. Alice glanced back at Sean over her shoulder, "A guy like that thinks he can chase you? Can't even keep up running—that's hilarious!"
Sean watched Emily and Alice's retreating figures, his face alternating between red and pale. In his twenty-plus years of life, he'd never been so completely ignored, let alone utterly outpaced by a woman in physical ability.
A strange surge of fighting spirit suddenly welled up from within him. There was nothing he'd ever wanted that he hadn't gotten, and this Emily—he had to have her!
Back at Windsor Group, Kismet watched Charles looking distracted and began scheming internally.
With Emily rarely away from Charles' side, this was her perfect opportunity to get close to him. So she approached Charles proactively, "Charles, the company must have a lot going on lately. I'm free anyway. Why don't I come help out at Windsor Group? I could take some of the burden off you."
Charles was reviewing training camp materials and didn't even look up when he heard this, directly refusing, "No need. Nathan handles company matters. Just focus on your own affairs."
He'd long been aware of Kismet's intentions but didn't want to create an awkward situation, so he'd always maintained his distance.
Nathan, who overheard this, quickly jumped in with a joke, "Kismet, don't go stealing my job! If I lose this position, I won't be able to make rent!"
His words seemed playful but were actually helping Charles out of an awkward situation, telling Kismet to stop pushing.
Kismet's smile stiffened for a moment before she forced it back into place, "I just wanted to help Charles lighten his load. Since Nathan can handle everything well, I won't add to the confusion."