It was indeed quite a remarkable coincidence.

Claudia smiled brightly at Kayla and exclaimed, "Miss Bryant, what a coincidence! You're also here!"

Kayla felt like a complete idiot as she thought back on the things she said to Claudia.

However, because Bennett was there, she did not show the dismay on her face. Instead, she plastered a smile and replied, “I came here to watch the competition, but I didn't know you were one of the participants. I had no idea that you're a motorboat racer, Miss Marshall."

Claudia chuckled.

“Of course, you don't. We're not really friends, so it makes sense that you don't know much about me."

Behind her phony smile, Kayla was silently clenching her teeth. "You're really great, Miss Marshall."

Immediately, Claudia replied, "Not as great as you, though.” Her words carried a sarcastic hidden meaning. The color left Kayla's face. Then, the elevator arrived, much to her relief. "Please excuse me. I have to go back to my room. I feel a bit unwell. I think I may have gotten too much sun today.”

She then stepped inside the elevator. Duncan did the same before he turned to Bennett and Claudia.

“Why don't you come in? The elevator is big enough to accommodate all of us."

"You're right." With that, Claudia walked into the elevator with Bennett.

They were the only people who entered the elevator from that floor. Soon, the door slowly closed.

Duncan broke the silence by giving Claudia a thumbs up and saying, “You're so cool. You almost took first place!"

Claudia said with a wave of her hand, “I'm fine being a runner-up. I haven't been before. The second-place trophy is quite beautiful, too."

It might have sounded like she was being humble, but she was actually bragging.

Everyone was aware of it, but Duncan did not think it was a bad thing, so he did not make a big deal about it. If anything, he became even more enthusiastic about praising Claudia. "Yes, you used to be the champion all the time! You would have won if No. 8 and No. 2 hadn't slowed you down at the beginning of the race."

Claudia, blushing slightly, explained, "I was in a car accident a few months ago, and I couldn't work out or train during my recovery. So, it was a little hard to keep up with the race at first."

Duncan's eyes widened a little. "Oh, yeah. I forgot about that. That makes you even more amazing. Even though you just recovered, you still came in second place in the race."

Claudia was feeling a little smug at first, but the more Duncan complimented her, the more flustered she became. Fidgeting, she reached out and grabbed Bennett's finger.

The man peered down at her, a teasing smile on his face as if asking her where her arrogance from earlier went.

Claudia's flush deepened under his scrutiny. She pressed her lips together and averted her gaze. She shrugged, pretending to be calm as she said, "It's not that great, really."

Duncan was so impressed by Claudia that he could not stop gushing over her, causing her face to turn even redder.

Finally, the elevator got to Claudia's floor. She walked out as soon as the door opened. Bennett followed her at a more leisurely pace.

Duncan still wanted to talk to her, but he did not try to convince the couple to stay. He brought a hand to his chin and hummed thoughtfully. As he looked at Bennett and Claudia's retreating figures, he sighed. "They really are a match made in heaven.”