Chapter 3
As I returned to the office for breakfast, Eli pushed the door open. Seeing me eat, he seemed anxious, as he recalled I hadn’t had breakfast earlier.
“Valerie only had two breakfasts this morning, so…”
I wasn’t interested in discussing trivialities and interrupted him, “What do you need?”
Eli was startled by my abruptness. In the past, his visits would brighten my day. I’d always find a reason to keep him around a while longer.
Eli frowned slightly. “What’s up with you?”
I answered, puzzled, “What do you mean?”
He looked at me for a moment. “Never mind.”
“So, what brings you here?”
Eli said, “For the upcoming presentation, you don’t need to attend. Let Valerie handle it.”
Even though I expected this, it still made my heart heavy. I nodded smoothly and casually mentioned, “I was planning to step out for a bit anyway.”
Eli asked offhandedly why.
I raised my eyebrows with a grin. “Personal business.”
With a dismissive noise, he left.
Before the presentation began, I called a cab to head to the law firm. It was an ideal time to discuss dividing assets with the lawyer.
Two hours later, as I left the law office and pulled out my phone to hail a ride, I noticed 99+ missed calls and unread messages. I frowned, and before I could open them, the phone rang again. It was Eli.
“Isabelle, where have you been? You’re not answering your phone!”
Confused by his irate tone, I asked what happened.
Eli paused briefly, trying to rein in his temper, and said, “Get back to the office now!”
When I finally arrived, Eli was in my office, visibly upset. Before I could ask, he lashed out:
“Did you not prepare PowerPoint slides for your presentation? Were you trying to sabotage Valerie? Knowing she took over last minute, I think you did it on purpose. Acting like you’re not upset doesn’t fool anyone.”
Listening to his baseless accusations, I grasped the situation. I replied, grinning coldly, “Eli, you handed my project to someone else and now expect me to do the slides. Isn’t that asking a lot?”
Eli’s eyes showed a flicker of guilt, but he quickly insisted I prepare a presentation for Valerie, including a script, or I shouldn’t come to work tomorrow.
My movements paused as I packed my belongings, and I softly agreed, “Okay.”
My quiet acceptance made Eli glance at me twice. But only twice, as he hurried off to comfort Valerie.
Just then, my phone buzzed with a notification—“New email in your inbox.”
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