The Man Who Never Looked Away novel Chapter 9

Lavinia hid herself on a corner sofa, holding a glass of champagne she hadn't taken a single sip of.

Watching the glittering crowd of socialites and executives, she felt entirely disconnected from it all.

"Lavinia?"

A familiar voice broke through her thoughts. She looked up, startled for a second before a genuine smile broke across her face. "Scott?"

It was Scott Lambert, an upperclassman from her university days. He was the heir to a major local pharmaceutical company and currently a lead researcher at Zale University's top lab. Back when she was just a freshman scrubbing beakers, he had constantly looked out for her. He was gentle, kind, and incredibly loyal.

"Long time no see. What brings you here?" Scott sat down beside her.

"I'm here with my husband," Lavinia replied lightly.

As they caught up on life, Lavinia confessed, "I've been so bored sitting at home. I want to start working. Do you know of any openings?"

Scott lowered his head, thinking it over. "You didn't do a residency after graduation, so getting into a hospital as a doctor is out. If you become a pharmaceutical rep, your personality is way too soft, and you hate schmoozing. You'd get eaten alive. Unless..."

"Unless you go into lab reagent sales? Back at Zale University, you practically lived in all the different labs washing equipment for extra credits, right? All the upperclassmen know you. They'd definitely buy from you as a favor."

Lavinia's eyes lit up. He was right. During her time at the university, she had been a fixture in the science buildings, washing vials and cleaning test tubes, doing whatever grunt work was needed. She had built great relationships with the older grad students, and those connections were real, tangible assets.

"I could definitely try that," she said, her eyes finally sparkling with a bit of life.

Scott smiled back warmly. "That would be perfect. Our lab is constantly ordering reagents, and so are the other university labs across the state. I know plenty of people. Come by the lab sometime, I'll introduce you around. It'll be a breeze."

His attitude was sincere, his body leaning slightly toward her as they spoke.

Lavinia practically glowed. "Really? Thank you so much, Scott."

"No need to thank me. You washed hundreds of test tubes for me back in the day. This is the least I could do."

Lavinia laughed. It was her first genuine laugh of the entire night.

"What are we talking about? You look so happy."

An icy voice cut in.

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