I Walked Away Seven Years Too Late But Right on Time novel Chapter 25

As dinner wrapped up, Mr. Weaver announced they were heading to a karaoke bar. He insisted on footing the bill, claiming it was the perfect send-off for Gwen and Sophie.

Sophie quickly shot Gwen a text: 'I really don't want to go. Can you handle this alone?'

Gwen practically sprinted over, slinging an arm around her shoulder with a fake, dazzling smile as she hissed in her ear.

"He explicitly said this is a send-off for both of us. If you bail, you're slapping him in the face. I literally drank out of his arm—if we lose this contract, I swear to God..."

Sophie suppressed a heavy sigh.

Gwen clearly knew exactly what she was thinking. Smiling brightly at the others, she muttered out of the corner of her mouth, "The second I scrape together enough 'f-you money,' I am shattering a wine glass across every single one of these bastards' faces."

During a late-night hotel room chat on their business trip to New York City, they had bonded over that famous Lucy Liu interview.

They had laughed until they cried, swearing that it was their ultimate goal. It wasn't just about having the financial freedom to tell creepy clients off; Sophie wanted to build a nest egg solid enough that she would never have to compromise her dignity for a paycheck again.

Sitting there laughing, they had made it feel like that kind of freedom was right around the corner.

Unfortunately, in the harsh light of reality, they were still bending over backward to pay rent.

"And you need to step it up! Mr. Lawrence used to be your boss—you could at least pretend to play nice. You haven't even offered him a toast,"

Gwen grumbled under her breath. "We weren't born with silver spoons in our mouths. We can't afford to play hard-to-get. We need this contract."

Sophie opened her mouth to argue, but ultimately just nodded in defeated silence.

Mr. Weaver settled the tab and strutted over. Sophie was fully planning to hitch a ride with him and Gwen, but Leo called out, cutting her off.

Dangling his keys with a slick grin, he said, "Don't go play third wheel. Let me be your chauffeur for the evening."

Sophie figured riding with Leo was infinitely better than being stuck in a car with Luke again. If she had to sit in that claustrophobic space with the happy couple for one more second, she was going to lose her mind.

She reached for the back door, but Leo smoothly yanked open the passenger side, gesturing for her to hop in.

Sophie froze, then forced a light, breezy laugh. "The passenger seat is strictly for the girlfriend. I wouldn't want to get you in trouble, Mr. Lancaster."

Leo presented the back of his bare left hand, his eyes glinting with amusement. "Good thing I happen to be taking applications for the position."

Completely at a loss for words, Sophie debated whether to just swallow her pride and take the front seat or stubbornly insist on the back. Suddenly, a car horn blared next to them.

Sophie whipped her head around to see Eileen waving at her from the passenger seat of Luke's car.

From her angle, she couldn't see Luke's face—only his long, strong hands resting on the steering wheel.

She used to love the feeling of her hand engulfed in his grip. It always gave her the tragic illusion that she was deeply cherished.

Now...

Sophie brutally shut down the memory. Muttering a stiff "Thank you" to Leo, she climbed into his passenger seat.

Since they had been the last to leave, they were the last to arrive.

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