Boss, Your Wife Signed the Divorce Agreement Before the Wedding novel Chapter 173

"Alumna Vance, why aren't you on the project team anymore? Everyone knows how incredibly talented you are."

"We're so close to the final phase! After everything you put in, are you really just giving up your credit?"

Seraphina spotted Raelynn out of the corner of her eye. A flash of malice crossed her gaze before she composed herself. "There were some unforeseen circumstances. You all know I was injured a few days ago, and I simply don't have the energy to do full-time research right now. To avoid holding the team back, I made the voluntary decision to step down."

She figured her recent absences had simply frustrated the Kingsford higher-ups.

It definitely had nothing to do with Raelynn!

Raelynn didn't have the power to sway top-level administration decisions.

Her explanation worked flawlessly.

The graduate students looked at her with pure admiration.

"You're so selfless, Alumna Vance."

The endless praise echoed through the hall.

Raelynn heard every word.

Sometimes, she genuinely admired Seraphina's psychological fortitude. Even at rock bottom, she always found a way to salvage her own ego.

Raelynn had no interest in exposing her.

Later that morning, Raelynn headed down for lunch.

Her eyes were glued to a research report as the elevator dinged. She stepped inside without looking up.

"Which floor?"

A low, indifferent voice drifted from above.

A shiver ran down Raelynn's spine. She snapped her head up and met Sebastian's dark, nonchalant gaze.

He stood right beside her. They were the only two in the elevator. His signature cold cedar scent was highly aggressive, filling the confined space.

And woven through it was the faint, unmistakable trace of a floral women's perfume.

Raelynn's eyes flickered.

She knew exactly where he had just been.

He had probably just emerged from his beloved's warm embrace.

Ignoring him, she reached over and pressed the button for her floor.

The elevator fell into a suffocating silence.

Raelynn didn't even know what to say to him anymore, especially after everything that had happened.

"I heard they kicked her off the research team," Sebastian said, lowering his gaze, his tone unreadable.

Raelynn wanted to laugh. So, here it was.

He had come to interrogate her.

He had come to demand justice for his sweetheart.

He just didn't care that Seraphina and Aunt Brenda had completely framed her.

"She wasn't asked to leave. She was kicked out, fired, expelled. Nobody forced her to suffer for no reason."

She refused to accept his gentle phrasing.

He always wrapped Seraphina in a perfect, delicate package.

As if Seraphina were the one being bullied.

Losing her balance, Raelynn crashed heavily into his chest. He leaned against the metal wall, wrapping his arms around her to steady her trembling frame.

He wasn't panicked. He was always as immovable as a mountain.

"It's just a malfunction. Someone will come get us out."

Sebastian looked down in her direction and reached out to press the emergency button. "I'm right here. What are you afraid of?"

Even though his tone was completely flat, the words made Raelynn feel like she was in another lifetime.

It was as if, only in this exact moment, she remembered they had been married for seven years.

She didn't answer.

After all, he was the one who had caused most of the storms in her life.

She was starting to breathe a little easier now.

Feeling his body heat against hers, it truly felt like a lifetime ago.

But she had to admit, his steady grip at the critical moment had grounded her, stripping away the worst of the uncontrollable terror triggered by her phobia.

Seven years of marriage.

At the very least, he hadn't just stood by and watched her panic.

Trying to steady herself in the dark, she offered a polite response. "Thank..."

"Can you drop the police report?"

She didn't even get to finish the word.

His calm, calculated question brutally slaughtered her brief moment of sentimentality.