Chapter 220 The Champion is Liam
As soon as those words came out, the whole room erupted in commotion.
"You scared me! Turns out he's here to give out an award."
"I know Mr. Nelson, he's the director of Phoenicia's Cybersecurity Bureau. For such a big shot to personally come here to present an award, Mark's got a bright future ahead!"
"I told you, the Young family has good judgment. They wouldn't just randomly pick some ordinary guy to be their son-in-law."
Mark wasn't exactly ordinary.
It's just that in their upper-class circles, he seemed a bit mediocre.
But in the regular world, Mark was still in a class most people could barely reach.
"This competition must be really prestigious if Mr. Nelson himself came to present the award."
"I think it's more than just presenting an award. Didn't you see he brought so many people? He's probably here to take him directly to Thornfield to start the job."
"What an honor! Mark's name is going to be even bigger than the Young family's soon."
"Tessa sure knows how to pick them,every boyfriend has been exceptional."
Someone glanced over at Liam in the distance.
These comments naturally reached Tessa's ears too.
Just moments ago, she'd felt some disdain for Mark, but now she was quite proud. There wasn't a trace of dissatisfaction with Mark on her face anymore.
A man's charm depends on his abilities.
Looks and height come second to capability.
She'd been confused earlier, letting Liam's arrival mess with her head.
That was a mistake.
Countless thoughts flashed through Tessa's mind, but her face maintained a calm, unruffled smile.
She walked over to Jerry as well, thanking him and inviting him to the engagement party.
Jerry looked at Mark, then at Tessa, his face full of confusion, seeming quite puzzled.
"You two are?"
Tessa froze.
Being perceptive, she already sensed something was off.
But before she could speak, Mark said, "I'm Mark."
He was slower on the uptake and didn't notice anything wrong, assuming Jerry just hadn't heard his earlier introduction.
Or rather, it wasn't that he was slow - he was just so sure he'd won.
He was certain he was the champion, so naturally he assumed Jerry was here for him.
Jerry looked at Mark carefully.
"You entered the competition too?"
Only then did Mark realize something was wrong.
What did he mean by "too"?
Who else here had entered the competition?
Wait, didn't that mean the champion was someone else?
His face instantly turned ugly, his hands clenching into fists beneath his sleeves in embarrassment and anger.
Just as he didn't know what to say to ease the awkwardness, Jerry leaned closer and said something quietly.
Mark's eyes suddenly widened, his face turning from dark to deathly pale.
"Thank you for your trouble."
Jerry stepped back.
Mark forced himself to smile, but it looked worse than crying.
He said, "Alright, please go rest. I'll bring someone over shortly."
Jerry led his people toward the main hall.
"What did he say?" Tessa asked Mark.
Mark's lips parted. He really didn't want to say it.
But Tessa kept asking, so he could only suppress his irritation and tell her, "I'm not the champion."
Tessa had already suspected this, so she wasn't too shocked. She just asked, "Then who is the champion?"
Mark clenched his fists, veins bulging on his forehead.
He spat out a name.
"Liam."
Hearing that name, Tessa was genuinely shocked.
She thought of something, and her face immediately turned pale.
Mark stared at her face and suddenly laughed coldly, saying in a voice only they could hear, "What? Regretting getting engaged to me? We're not married yet. If you regret it now, there's still time. After all, Liam still has feelings for you."
"Don't be crazy. I'm not thinking that," Tessa said coldly.
She really hadn't had any inappropriate thoughts just then.
She was just thinking that
Jerry wasn't here for Mark at all, but for Liam;
Once the news that Liam was the champion got out,
both Mark and she would become a joke today.
Meanwhile, Mark across from her was still getting angry over whether she'd had second thoughts.
Tessa was genuinely tired of this.
When two people date privately, jealousy between them can be sweet.
But in a formal setting, jealousy at the wrong time is just annoying.
She held back and said, "Mark, I don't know if you've lost your mind today, but I'm not going to argue with you about it. But let me remind you, many people here today are ones the Rodriguez family doesn't usually get to interact with. You've already embarrassed yourself by not being the champion. Do you really want to fight with me in front of them too?"
Mark seemed to have cold water splashed in his face and suddenly sobered up.
He took a breath, suppressed his agitation, and said, "What do we do now?"
Seeing he'd calmed down, Tessa asked, "What did Mr. Nelson say to you just now?"
"He said to have me bring Liam to see him."
Hearing this, Tessa's whole body relaxed.
"Mr. Nelson is a decent person."
"What do you mean?" Mark asked.
Tessa started feeling tired again.
She patiently explained, "Just now we all thought you were the champion, and you went up to thank him. Mr. Nelson knows that if he exposed you right then, it would embarrass you, so he's having you call Liam over privately. He's looking out for you."
Mark understood, his face full of gratitude.
"Mr. Nelson is really a good person."
The corner of Tessa's mouth twitched.
Jerry wasn't necessarily a good person - he was just being decent.
"You're too much in the spotlight right now. I'll go get Liam. You try to keep everyone's attention."
Mark agreed.
He told everyone he'd hired a saxophone band and invited them to watch the performance.
The band quickly came out and started playing.
Everyone politely gathered around to watch the show.
That's when Tessa approached Liam.
"Liam."
Liam frowned slightly.
"You should probably stop calling me that from now on, to avoid misunderstandings."
His voice wasn't quiet, drawing looks from nearby people.
Tessa's face showed some embarrassment.
Once those people looked away, she spoke again, "I know you still blame me, but back then, my parents wouldn't let me come see you."
Liam seemed unwilling to continue this conversation and asked directly, "Is there something else? If it's just this, there's no need. The Richardson family are all decent people. We came today just to maintain our own dignity, not for you."
With that, he turned to leave.
In her urgency, Tessa actually reached out and grabbed his sleeve.
"Wait, I have something to say."
This action drew quite a few looks.
Tessa realized and quickly pulled her hand back.
Fortunately, Liam stopped and asked what she wanted.
"It's about those people just now - they're from the Phoenicia Cybersecurity Bureau. Mr. Nelson told us that the champion of this competition is you."
Liam showed just the right amount of surprise.
"I've been out of it for two years and I still won? Guess the competition wasn't very tough this time."
Tessa's expression stiffened.
At the same time, she grew more annoyed with Mark.
Mark was useless!
She couldn't even remember what she'd seen in Mark in the first place.
But she couldn't forget the main issue.
Tessa took a light breath and said, "Mr. Nelson came here, so everyone mistakenly thought Mark was the champion. But today is our engagement party, so please don't expose this."
At least not today.
As long as she got through today, she could handle the situation.
She could spread some rumors saying they felt they owed Liam, so Mark gave him the championship position.
By then, Liam would already be working in Thornfield and wouldn't know about the gossip here.
And the Richardson family, always easygoing, wouldn't expose it either.
The matter would be easily covered up.
Tessa made her request.
Her eyes were teary, but a hint of charm and tenderness rippled through them.
Liam just felt disgusted.
He'd actually had real feelings for someone like this before.
But his expression didn't change. He said flatly, "I'll help you one last time."
"Thank you so much, Liam."
Tessa's eyes brightened.
She knew Liam still had feelings for her!
He'd paid such a huge price for her - how could he just let go?
His coldness was just an act.
"Should I arrange for you to meet Mr. Nelson now?"
"Whatever."
Liam seemed very casual about it.
Tessa breathed a sigh of relief, but also felt a twinge of regret.
Mark had dreamed of that championship, but when it came to Liam, he was very composed and didn't seem to care much about being champion.
This was enough to show that Liam had the ability to be so confident.
Though she felt regret, she wasn't foolish enough to break off the engagement.
If she broke it off again, her reputation would be completely ruined.
The Rodriguez family might not have much ability, but they were all willing to fight.
The Rodriguez family wasn't afraid of losing face, but she couldn't be like them.
Even if she was going to leave Mark, that would be a matter for later.
Tessa avoided the crowd and quietly led Liam to see Jerry.
Jerry really appreciated Liam - otherwise he wouldn't have come personally to pick him up.
"The bureau really needs people right now. You need to start today. Do you have things to pack?"
Liam said, "No need. I'll have my family send my clothes and things. I'll leave with you now."
Jerry already liked efficient people, and immediately smiled.
"Good, then let's leave now."
The group quickly departed. Tessa watched their backs and let out a heavy breath.
Finally dealt with this embarrassing situation.
She returned to the poolside, acting as if nothing had happened, joining others to watch the saxophone band perform.
But then something unexpected happened.