The Abandoned Wife Dumped Him First (Victoria and Elias) novel Chapter 186

Victoria considered this.

She didn't dwell on it for long. Noticing the light on in Felice's office, she picked up the document folder and walked over.

"Come in." Felice's voice came through the glass door. Victoria pushed it open, handed her the Midlake Estates folder, and said directly, "Ms. Donald, this is the final draft of the Midlake Estates design. Please take a look."

Ever since Victoria had laid out her terms in Felice's office, their relationship had changed. On the surface, nothing seemed different, but when they were alone, the atmosphere became awkward and unnatural.

Felice took the folder, opened it, and pulled out the design drafts.

Midlake Estates spanned nearly two thousand acres. Viewed from above, the land was a small island adjacent to the Southbank District, surrounded by water.

The project should have been developed long ago, but due to its complex island terrain and the difficulty of the design, it had been shelved. The development focus in previous years had also been on the central part of the Southbank District.

It wasn't until the recent opening of the underwater scenic tunnel connecting the island to the district's center that the development plan was revived.

The moment Felice saw the design drafts, a flash of amazement crossed her eyes. Although a rift had formed between her and Victoria, she had to admit that Victoria's creative ingenuity and attention to detail made her the perfect choice for the Midlake Estates project.

Felice placed the designs back in the folder. "Someone from The Shawn Group is coming this afternoon to discuss the follow-up implementation for the Brentwood project. I'll go to the Midlake presentation alone. Is that okay?"

"That's fine." Victoria was a little surprised that Felice was asking her opinion, and she raised an eyebrow slightly. After all, as her superior, Felice could have easily made a decision like that on her own.

It seemed they had tacitly reverted to the distant, formal relationship they'd had when they first met two years ago. Victoria could feel it clearly, but she had no desire to change it.

Aside from waiting for the bidding results, there was nothing else to prepare for the Midlake Estates project. Victoria didn't say much more to Felice, simply turning and walking out of the office.

Felice's lips tightened as she watched Victoria's retreating back, her eyes dark with thought.

***

Around noon.

Lately, Genevieve Vale had been treating the members of Team Three to lunch almost every day to build rapport. Sunny didn't care for the free meals, but she also didn't want to eat takeout in the office, so she roped Victoria into going out for a nice lunch with her.

Victoria couldn't refuse and walked out of the office with her.

Suddenly, as they passed the Team Two office, she caught a glimpse of a furtive figure who kept looking out toward the hallway.

Upon seeing them, her face instantly turned grim, her hand clenching the papers unconsciously.

Impossible...

How could a serial plagiarist like Victoria possess this level of design skill?

She had spent a lot of money and pulled strings to ensure that after Team One secured the Midlake Estates project, it would be handed over to her. If she could win the bid, her chances of a promotion at the end of the year would be much higher.

But because of Victoria, Team One hadn't gotten it, and all her preparations had come to nothing.

With a rip, she gritted her teeth, tore the design drafts in half, and shoved them into the shredder.

As she watched the machine tear them into tiny pieces, Rose's eyes burned with pure, unadulterated envy, and a smirk formed on her lips. "Victoria, don't blame me. Blame yourself for snatching a project that should have been mine! You're just a plagiarist. What gives you the right to compete with me? What right!"

Lost in her rage and jealousy, Rose was completely unaware of Victoria watching her from the shadows.

With a soft beep, Victoria pressed the button to stop recording. A cold glint in her eyes, she lowered her gaze, then glanced toward the closed door of Felice's office.