As if sensing her hostile gaze, Eleanor looked up.
Their eyes locked. Before Victoria could even adjust her expression, Eleanor fixed her with an icy stare and simply mouthed two words: "Goodbye."
That Saturday, Sophie voluntarily went to the office to catch up on work.
Lydia Langford had officially handed off her projects on Friday and gone on maternity leave.
With Gavin conveniently out of town, Sophie had plenty of time and energy to pour into her career.
A colleague from another project team swung by to pick something up. Noticing her, he walked over to say hi. "Your boss is really something. She's turning all of you into total workaholics too."
"There's just some data that needs polishing before I present it to her. I let my professional skills rust for far too long, so I have to hustle to make up for it," Sophie explained modestly, standing up to greet him.
She had already heard the legendary story of her boss. When Lydia was pregnant with her first child, she was leading a meeting right up until her water broke, prompting terrified colleagues to rush her to the hospital. By the time her husband arrived, his face was completely drained of color.
This time, her husband practically dragged her into taking leave two weeks early.
Even though she was physically at home, her mind was still on the projects, repeatedly reminding Sophie to send over the polished data reports.
"A strong general breeds capable soldiers. Keep up the good work."
Even though it was just casual encouragement from a coworker, Sophie felt a genuine surge of pride. It was a tiny victory, but she immediately texted Gavin to share the moment.
It had become completely second nature. Whether it was something joyful or frustrating, he was always the first person she wanted to tell.
"Well, my girlfriend is obviously the best."
Gavin never missed a beat, seamlessly complimenting both her and himself in the same breath.
Sophie shot back playfully, "And my boyfriend is obviously the most thick-skinned."
"Are you at the lab right now, or the hotel?" she typed out.
"What, miss me already?"
She didn't even need to see his face to perfectly visualize the devastatingly handsome smirk he was wearing.
"Yeah, I miss you."
Sophie saw absolutely no reason to hide her feelings.
Gavin had been gone for a week. After growing accustomed to seeing him every single morning and night, his sudden absence left her feeling remarkably off-balance.
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