"Excuse me?" Vivienne stared in sheer disbelief.
"Someone who hasn't even grasped the fundamental concepts of gene editing technology actually wants to manage these projects?"
All the color drained from Vivienne's face. She really didn't understand a single thing about those concepts, but she had no idea how Willow could see right through it.
"Just tell me if there's a solution or not," she demanded defensively.
"There isn't. But I'd recommend reading *The Gene*. At the very least, it'll give you a basic grasp so you aren't completely clueless."
Vivienne was about to lash out, but Willow beat her to it. "I've done what I'm supposed to do, and I expect you to keep your end of the promise. A project isn't a one-person show. It affects everyone involved and the company as a whole. It's not a toy for you to play around with on a whim."
With that, she turned to leave. But just as she reached the door, it was pushed open from the outside. Julian stood in the hallway. Seeing her, he didn't show a flicker of surprise. He simply bypassed her and walked straight toward Vivienne.
A moment later, Willow heard his gentle voice behind her. "Are you alright?"
At first, Willow didn't quite catch the implication of his words. It took a few seconds for it to click—he probably assumed she had been bullying Vivienne, which was why he asked.
Moreover, his lack of surprise at seeing her by the door meant he had already known she was in there. He had likely rushed over at breakneck speed because he was worried she might do something to his precious Vivienne.
Realizing this, Willow found it utterly pathetic. She was thoroughly sick and tired of constantly being dragged into their bizarre little love triangle.
She pushed the door open to leave, but before she could take a single step, Julian called out to her. "When are you going to give me your decision regarding our previous conversation?"

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