Three Years Forgotten, Why Go Crazy When I Say Goodbye? novel Chapter 398

Shortly after they left, Leo's flight touched down. Willow was exactly where Professor Smith had spotted her, waiting to pick him up.

Catching sight of her from a distance, Leo immediately jogged over. Dressed in comfortable, unassuming clothes, he looked every bit the reliable right-hand man she knew him to be.

"Did you wait long?" Leo asked, rubbing the back of his neck apologetically. "We landed early, but we got stuck on the tarmac behind another plane, so it took forever to deplane."

"Not at all," Willow said, gesturing toward the gaudy floral arrangements and abandoned welcome banners nearby. "The flight right before yours was Professor Smith's."

Willow hadn't seen the man himself, but the massive welcome signs were impossible to miss, and she had heard passing travelers whispering about 'Sinclair Group.' It didn't take a genius to figure out Vivienne had orchestrated the circus.

Leo glanced around, spotting the leftover signs bearing Smith's name. He scoffed. "They really don't know the meaning of subtlety, do they? They have to scream it from the rooftops."

"But this is just embarrassing. A massive production just for an airport pickup? The whole point is just to get the person comfortably to their hotel. I'd bet money Professor Smith hated every second of it. He's an academic. This isn't catering to him; this is just them showing off."

"Let's not waste breath on them," Willow said, knowing full well that 'low-key' wasn't in Vivienne's vocabulary. And honestly, Julian was probably the one who approved it—they were two of a kind.

Leo had just landed, and she wasn't going to let Sinclair Group ruin his mood. She seamlessly shifted gears. "How was the flight? Everything smooth?"

"Super smooth. The weather here is a massive shock after Seattle, though. It's bone dry," Leo complained.

"Yeah, New York takes some getting used to. I'll take you to get a humidifier later," Willow offered, already mentally planning the errand. "By the way, did your family give you any grief for cutting the trip short?"

The entire corporate lobby had been transformed into a gaudy monument to his arrival. Another red carpet stretched from the sliding glass doors all the way to the executive conference room, flanked by two rigid rows of employees standing at attention.

Massive welcome banners and obnoxious balloon arches cluttered the hallways, the gold-leaf lettering practically blinding in the over-cranked lighting. Expensive floral centerpieces were shoved into every available corner. The sheer scale of the pageantry crossed the line from welcoming into aggressively tacky.

Worse, the employees looked terrified, standing stiffly in place. The air was thick with a suffocating, manufactured tension.

Smith loathed this kind of corporate theater. A deep scowl instantly etched itself into his face.

Vivienne, having learned her lesson at the airport, didn't wait for him to explode. She immediately started backpedaling. "I am so sorry, Professor. We just hold you in such high regard, but I promise you, this will never happen again. I'll have it all torn down immediately."