Betrayed and Dumped: She Rose Stronger Than Ever novel Chapter 40

Bruce swallowed hard, his face turning even more serious.

“Alright, I was just messing with you.” Sonja let go of his hand.

Bruce looked straight at her. He wanted so badly to just admit it, to tell her the truth. He was jealous. But he held it back.

He said, “I know Scott was your friend in college and you two are close, but I don’t like the way he looks at you. Sonja, I hired you because you’re the best at what you do. That’s all you need to focus on. I don’t want you making any sacrifices for this company that you shouldn’t have to.”

Bruce was trying to be subtle, but Sonja caught his meaning right away. He was telling her she didn’t have to put herself in an awkward spot or agree to anything with Scott just to win a contract.

Sonja smiled. “Of course I know that. You worry too much. Scott has a girlfriend. He’s just being friendly because our product is actually really good, and maybe there’s a bit of that old frienship. That’s all. He doesn’t have any other intentions.”

Bruce frowned, not convinced for a second.

She really didn’t know how much she stood out.

He could tell right away, because the way Scott looked at her was exactly the same as how he looked at her.

He let out a sigh.

Sonja clung to his arm and gave it a gentle shake, her voice playful. “Come on. Once we win the contract, I’ll have my team handle it. I won’t be the main contact anymore, okay?”

Bruce completely melted at her sweetness.

He nodded, but there was still a little doubt. “Are you sure we can win?”

“Definitely. He told me in private that he thinks we have the best product. He even tipped me off on their requirements for the proposal.”

Bruce finally relaxed. “That’s good.”

This project was all thanks to Sonja’s connections, and that made Bruce feel a wave of tenderness toward her. “In the future, send someone else to deal with all the social stuff. You just focus on R&D and management.”

He really believed Sonja deserved to be admired from a distance, not dragged down by everyday nonsense. Whenever she had to deal with this kind of thing, he couldn’t help but feel protective.

Rebecca’s phone started ringing just as she was staring at something outside the glass door.

“Ms. Harper? Ms. Harper?” Justin waved his hand in front of her and brought her back.

Rebecca blinked and finally noticed her phone buzzing on the table.

She picked it up, and when she saw who was calling, her expression changed.

Rebecca immediately guessed he was here to take them upstairs.

She stood up.

The young man gave a polite nod. “Hi, are you Rebecca and Justin from Sunforge Tech?”

“Hi, I’m Rebecca, and this is my colleague Justin.” Rebecca offered her hand for a handshake.

The young man looked a little surprised, not expecting Rebecca to be so easygoing.

Honestly, this whole thing was his boss’ idea. His boss said Dr. Campbell’s proposal was already good enough, so there was no need to listen to any other companies. He’d just been told to come up with an excuse to send everyone else away.

He had already managed to turn away two companies that day with no trouble, but Sunforge Tech wasn’t so easy to brush off.

After getting a call from Mr. Nichols asking what was going on, he had rushed to report to his boss, Scott.

Scott just waved him off. “Fine, bring them up and let’s just go through the motions.”

He thought for sure that Sunforge Tech’s people would be upset, but Rebecca greeted him with a smile and shook his hand like nothing happened. There was only kindness in her expression, nothing else.