“There’s nothing to be upset about,” Evangeline said calmly.
Truth be told, she didn’t even know when–or if–they’d see each other again.
In a little over twenty days, the divorce papers would come through, and she and Soren would have nothing left tying them together.
Whether they met again or not would make no difference.
No sense in stressing herself out over something that might never even happen–certainly not worth the anxiety.
“If there’s nothing else, I’ll hang up now,” she said, her tone even and unhurried.
Soren, picking up on her lack of resentment, found his own irritation fading. “Forget about apologizing, then. Come back to the house tonight.”
“I already have plans this evening.”
“What kind of plans?” Soren pressed.
Evangeline paused, then replied, “Work plans.”
Hearing that, Soren remembered what Gregory had mentioned recently–how Evangeline had turned down Fawkes Enterprises and joined another firm instead.
The thought left a bitter taste in his mouth, and he couldn’t help the edge of sarcasm in his voice. “Well, then, stick to your precious work plans.”
He ended the call without hesitation.
Of course, Evangeline could tell he was angry.
But she had no interest in calling him back to smooth things over. Instead, she
hailed a cab and returned to the UME office.
That afternoon, Evangeline pulled Glenn.aside, asked about everyone’s preferences, and ordered snacks and drinks for the whole team. She personally handed out the afternoon treats, one by one.
As her colleagues received their share, they thanked her, and the chilly air from
earlier seemed to thaw.
Then Theo strode over, set his untouched snack back on her desk, and offered a
smile that didn’t reach his eyes. “Director Whitmore, maybe you should focus more on your work. Bribery doesn’t get you very far around here.”
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With that, he shot a meaningful glance at the rest of the team and walked stiffly back to his office.
He didn’t need to say anything. Theo’s message was clear to everyone in the room.
Within seconds, someone else stood up, returned their treat to her desk without a word, and walked off.
Once the first domino fell, the rest followed. Some looked embarrassed, murmured apologies, or offered hasty explanations:
“Sorry, I don’t eat sweets.”
“I’m on a diet.”
“I’m not supposed to have cold drinks this week. Actually, room temperature isn’t great for me either.”
And on it went.
Evangeline stared at the growing pile of rejected snacks on her desk, at a loss for
words.
Just then, a timid voice spoke up beside her. “Director Whitmore, I already drank my tea, so I can’t give it back, but I didn’t touch the pastry–just unwrapped it.” The young woman quickly pushed the opened treat back onto Evangeline’s desk, as if it was burning her fingers.
Frustrating as it was, Evangeline didn’t say a word.
She couldn’t blame them. With Theo openly hostile toward her, everyone was forced to pick sides.
She might be their supervisor, but Theo was the backbone of UME’s tech team. If he didn’t like her, it didn’t matter what her title was–her position here was far from
secure.
No point in making things harder for them.
Just then, Glenn walked in.
He took one look at her desk, the untouched snacks, and the obvious discomfort on her face, and instantly put the pieces together.
With a warm smile, he came over and began redistributing the treats: “Director Whitmore got these for everyone. What are you all standing around for?”
Someone tried to use the same excuse from before.
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But Glenn just laughed it off, unwavering. “Do me a favor and take them, just this once. You wouldn’t want to embarrass your boss in front of everyone, would you?”
A few quick words from Glenn, and the tension melted. The women who’d hesitated before no longer had a reason to refuse, and once a handful accepted, the rest followed suit.
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