He Never Noticed Me Until I Loved Someone Else novel Chapter 20

"Look, I get it, but we literally cannot finish this much work. Stella, can you go talk to management and see if we can hand off the closed beta bug tracking to another team?"

Stella was generally well-liked around the office, so she figured she could probably cash in a few favors to get another team to take the bug tracking.

But the team was still panicking about the deadline. They wanted Stella to beg management to push the launch event back a few days, even just to next Friday.

"Are you crazy? Why would they change a finalized launch date? Director Huxley is doing this specifically to torture her," Cassidy pointed out.

"It doesn't matter who's torturing who! For worker bees like us, changing a date is impossible. But if the big boss gives the green light, it only takes one word!"

"And who's going to go convince the big boss? You?"

"Why should I go? Whoever caused this mess should fix it!"

"You—!"

"Alright, that's enough," Stella interrupted, silencing the room. "Everyone focus on your current tasks. I'll go speak with the manager and see if we can appeal to the Director."

After the meeting dispersed, Stella went straight to the department manager, but he shut her down before she could even finish her sentence.

"Stella, you and I both know exactly what Deputy Director Huxley is trying to do here. To be blunt, unless Mr. Fuller personally steps in, even going to the founders won't save you."

Hearing that, the last shred of hope in Stella's chest evaporated.

Chloe was gunning for her, and whether or not Jarrod had orchestrated this event, he had absolutely signed off on it.

How on earth was she supposed to convince him to intervene?

When the team found out Stella had been rejected, morale hit absolute rock bottom.

But because Stella had always treated them so well, they just grumbled a few curses under their breath and got to work.

Over the next few days, Stella worked until she was practically dizzy.

She was juggling venue setups, custom promotional materials, VIP guest coordination, and writing up daily reports for Chloe. She was so exhausted she had massive dark circles under her eyes.

Before she knew it, it was Saturday.

At five o'clock, Stella checked the time, gave Cassidy a quick heads-up, and grabbed a cab to the Quinn estate.

Ever since she married into the Fuller family, Stella had lived at The Sterling Residences and rarely visited her childhood home.

Every time she went back, she felt like a total outsider.

The Quinn family lived in one of Royal Oaks's most exclusive luxury subdivisions.

When Stella's cab pulled up, she noticed several luxury cars parked outside.

Among the usual family vehicles sat a ridiculously flashy, cherry-red sports car.

Logan had always loved showing off. He was obsessed with vibrant, obnoxious cars like that. Back in college, he had constantly promised that the second he made it big, he was going to buy a top-tier supercar.

Stella's heart leaped into her throat.

Jarrod would never drive something that loud and flashy. Could it be...