Betrayed and Dumped She Rose Stronger Than Ever novel Chapter 217

Sonja paused with her glass halfway to her lips, frowning. “Why do you want to know about her?”

Shawn gave an easy smile. “You probably didn’t realize, but our whole new product pretty much relies on Rebecca.”

He said thoughtfully, “It’s such a lovely name. She must be pretty cute, right?”

“What are you getting at?” Even just hearing the name made something flare up inside Sonja, and she found her voice turning colder. “Weren’t you supposed to be developing something original? I can’t believe you actually took someone else’s ideas. Did I hire you just to do nothing?”

Shawn snorted. “You only gave me two months. How am I supposed to come up with something groundbreaking in that kind of time? Did you think it was like writing a paper, just patching things together and hoping for the best?”

He caught himself before pushing her patience too far, and his tone softened. “Look, don’t worry. I only used her framework. Everything else is our team’s own ideas.”

Sonja let out a sharp breath. “Either way, this launch has to go perfectly.”

She was determined to get back the confidence she’d lost in front of Bruce, and everything was riding on this launch.

“I got it,” Shawn said.

He turned and left, closing the door behind him. As soon as he was out of sight, his smile disappeared, replaced by a steely, determined look.

…

On the day of the grad school interview at Larkhaven College, Rebecca showed up early.

The whole place felt tense and quiet. Whenever someone came out of the interview room, everyone else crowded around, asking questions all at once. “Were the professors strict? What did they ask you?”

Even Rebecca, who had seen her share of high-pressure situations, realized she was nervously wringing her hands.

“Rebecca, what am I going to do? I’m freaking out.” Judy hugged Rebecca’s arm, lips trembling, almost in tears.

Rebecca gave her hand a gentle squeeze and tried to sound reassuring. “Relax. I’m going in before you, so I’ll let you know what it’s like.”

Halfway there, a bunch of students suddenly wandered into the middle of the path. Rebecca hit the brakes, but she was just a second too late and bumped into someone.

“Oh my gosh, I’m so sorry! Are you okay?” She jumped off the bike and hurried to help.

That’s when she realized the person she’d hit probably wasn’t even a student.

He looked about her age, dressed in a crisp white shirt tucked into smart trousers.

Shawn dusted himself off. “It’s fine. No big deal.”

He looked up and met her gaze, pausing as if he recognized her.

Rebecca, with her sharp memory, knew him instantly. She smiled. “What are the odds? We’re running into each other again.”

Remembering their last encounter, Rebecca felt a little embarrassed. She’d run into him that time too.