Chapter 1539
A smile spread across Natalie''s face when she heard that. “Truth be told, I''m most worried about that.
s, worrying wouldn''t help either. Joyce isn''t with me, so I can''t keep an eye on her. She only has
herself to depend on, but we should believe in her.”
“That''s all we can do for now.” Lina nodded in agreement.
Thereafter, the two of them didn''t continue the topic and spoke about other matters before returning to
the study.
This had be their nightly routine. After all, being a judge meant being swamped with work that
couldn''t possibly bepleted during the day.
Besides, Natalie and Lina weren''t just judges; they were also mentors. Guiding and making
suggestions to perfect the works of the participants under them were part and parcel of their job.
All of these were things that couldn''t be done during thepetition during the day, and naturally, they
had to handle them during the night.
It took Natalie and Lina a couple of hours to take care of everything.
By the time they were done, it was already well past eleven at night.
Natalie set her pencil down and stretchedzily, relieving the soreness in her waist.
Lina did the same, twisting her neck and wrist. A bitter smile appeared across her face as she said, “I
never expected being a judge and a mentor to be so exhausting.” From N?velDrama.Org.
She thought being a judge meant sitting on the judge''s panel and providing a bit of feedback on the
participants'' works.
Never did Lina expect she would have to help the participants amend their works on top of providing
feedback.
Seeing the tired look on her fellow judge''s face, Natalie smiled and handed her a cup of coffee. “Yeah,
being a judge is tiring, but at least I''m here with you. Drink some coffee. You''ll feel more energized.”
“You''re the only reason I''m still holding on. Otherwise, I would be fast asleep by now,” said Lina as she
took the cup over.
She was one to do as she pleased. If she really couldn''t stand it, she would''ve gone straight to bed
instead of torturing herself.
If someone was apanying her and that somebody was as excellent as she was, then Lina
wouldn''t do that. In fact, she''d lift her spirits and stay upte with the other person.
More than respecting them, Lina didn''t want to lose to them either.
“Oh, you.” Natalie knew Lina''s personality well, so naturally, she knew why thetter would say that.
Natalie was both amused and exasperated as she shook her head. “All right, we''re both tired after the
long day. Why don''t we head back and get some rest?”
“Okay.” ncing at her watch, Lina yawned.
The twodies finished up what was left in their cups and switched off the lights before returning to
their respective rooms.
Meanwhile, it was three in the afternoon over at Astoria.
Sean hung his head as he leaned against the wall outside of the operating theater, holding a lit
cigarette between his fingers.
The puffs of smoke shrouded him, blurring the expression on his face.
Seeing this, the bald man next to him couldn''t help but ask, “Mr. Thompson, would you like to have a
seat?”
Sean shook his head. “No.”
The man didn''t say anything after the rejection.
Sean then flicked the butt of the cigarette away and took a nce at his watch. “How many hours has it
been since the surgery began?”
The man pondered for a moment before responding, “It''s been five hours.”
“Five hours... And how long did Stanley say it would take?”
“Five hours.”
Hearing this, Sean narrowed his eyes. “In that case, the surgery should be ending soon.”
“Yes.” The man nodded. “But Dr. Quinn''s estimation might not be entirely urate. Perhaps there
might be some slight dys.”
Sean hummed a response and said nothing.
The person in the operating theater was none other than the person who invited him to join the
organization.
They must have shown him kindness. That was why Sean found out about Joyce''s whereabouts to get
Stanley to perform the procedure.
After the surgery, he would no longer be indebted to anyone, and he could finally do whatever he
wanted without any worries.