It was Tyler.
Leon, who had been about to help Rachel up, was stunned for a second when Tyler cut in. His outstretched hand stopped moving.
Tyler looked up. “What’s the matter? Do you only help women? Don’t guys deserve a hand?”
Rachel was left speechless. Tyler really was the type who refused to take even the smallest loss.
After hesitating for a moment, Leon reluctantly helped Tyler up. Once steady, Tyler turned around and extended a hand toward Rachel.
Rachel pouted and looked at him suspiciously. There was something seriously wrong with him. Still, she reached out and took his hand. His palm was wide and his grip firm. It felt reassuring.
For a brief second, a thought appeared in Rachel’s mind.
Maybe Tyler really could help her get first place.
But the space was tight, and just getting herself onto the platform was already a struggle. To make things worse, she had to stack her left foot over her right.
Rachel felt like her feet were fighting each other for space. Some coworkers were already starting to wobble.
“How long do we have to stay up here?”
“Should be around a minute, I think.”
Someone was already groaning. “You’ve got to be kidding me. A whole minute? I can barely make it to thirty seconds.”
Just as the words were spoken, Rachel almost tumbled off the platform.
It felt like her waist was about to snap. She clung to the platform with all her strength, and her breathing became labored. Everyone was packed together, and the tight air made it hard to breathe.
Her history of respiratory issues didn’t help.
Her mind started to cloud. Her body swayed. She was losing her balance fast, and her upper body was already tipping backward.
Suddenly, Tyler’s arm circled around her waist. He pulled her forward and helped her regain balance.
Standing a full head taller than her, he leaned slightly, his mouth close to her ear as he spoke in a deep voice. “If you want to win, stop holding back. Hold on tighter.”
His breath tickled her ear and sent a shiver straight down her spine
At first, Rachel had only held onto the hem of Tyler’s shirt. She had felt hesitant and awkward. After all, there were people everywhere, and she had been in a rumored scandal with him before.
If something else sparked up again, it’d be another whirlwind of gossip.
But then she looked up and saw Samantha practically glued to William’s front. She was wrapped around him, clinging to him like a koala. William didn’t even seem to care if their coworkers saw. He held her by the waist without hesitation.
Rachel gave a sneering smirk. She stopped hesitating and wrapped her arms firmly around Tyler’s waist.
Just then, the referee called out, “Alright! Now all you have to do is hold that position for sixty minutes!”
The crowd burst into chatter.
“What? Sixty minutes?”
The referee quickly corrected himself. “Oops, my bad, not sixty minutes. I meant one minute. Just one!”
1/2
Chapter 155
Everyone let out a collective sigh of relief.
That scared the hell out of me. I thought I was going to pass out from lack of oxygen!”
“I’m telling you, the way this is going, our company might end up with a few office couples after this event.”
“You’re not wrong. I saw Lukas and Katie from our team practically glued to each other just now.”
“Honestly speaking, this isn’t a bad idea for a company activity.”
Rachel held tightly to Tyler’s waist. She was afraid of falling again.
His scent slowly drifted into her nose. It was the smell of tobacco laced with a subtle undertone of sandalwood.
It was oddly calming.
Rachel grew curious. Why did Tyler, of all people, smell like this?
She looked up and asked, “Why do you smell like sandalwood or something?”
Tyler raised his eyebrows with a slight grin. “You picked up on that?”
+25 BONUS