Three Years Forgotten, Why Go Crazy When I Say Goodbye? novel Chapter 186

The moment she answered, Leo's familiar voice came through the speaker. "Chief, are you busy? Is this a good time?"

Even though she was no longer with Sinclair Group, he still used her old nickname out of habit. Willow thought about correcting him but noticed a strange heaviness in his tone, so she let it slide. "I'm free. What's going on?"

"Nothing really," Leo sounded incredibly deflated on the other end of the line. "It's just been a while, and I wanted to check in."

He didn't spell it out, but Willow could read between the lines. "How are things at home? Daisy must have started kindergarten by now, right? And how are your parents and Janet holding up?"

"Everyone's doing great. Actually," Leo's voice finally brightened a fraction, "Daisy was just talking about you the other day. She wanted to know when you're coming over to visit."

Back when Willow managed the Seattle branch, she had built deep bonds with her team—not just as colleagues, but as a part of their extended families.

"Tell her I miss her too, and I'll come see her as soon as things settle down."

With family issues ruled out, Willow deduced the problem had to be work-related. The frantic clicking of a mouse in the background of the call only confirmed her suspicion. "Are you having trouble at the office?"

Silence stretched across the line. After a long pause, Leo finally sighed. "It's not that I'm having trouble. It's just... I'm so burnt out. There's no point to any of this anymore."

"Is Vivienne making your life miserable?" That was Willow's immediate guess.

Willow understood completely. The morale was utterly destroyed. It was partly her fault—she had left so abruptly that she hadn't secured their positions properly. She had been too naive, underestimating the emotional toll her sudden departure would take on her team.

"I'm sorry. I should have made sure you guys were taken care of before I left."

"Chief, don't say that." Leo flat-out rejected her apology. "With the bloodbath going on back then, fighting to get our bonuses paid out was a miracle in itself. I didn't call to lay a guilt trip on you. I'm just sick to death of Vivienne breathing down my neck over this project deadline and needed to vent. Honestly, just talking to you makes me feel a hundred times better."

"Well, if you say you're okay, then I believe you," Willow replied, naturally falling back into her old leadership rhythm. "You're the anchor for that team, Leo. Make sure you check in on the others when they're struggling. For now, just remember you still have jobs and the paychecks are still clearing. Just hang in there a little longer."