Sophia Sullivan sensed the tension the moment she stepped into the lab.
Her colleagues avoided eye contact, heads bowed.
Charlotte Vance slipped into her office, expression grave.
"Ms. Sullivan, are you in some kind of trouble?"
Sophia didn't look up from her files.
"Plenty of people want to cause me trouble. What's happened at the company?"
"You should go downstairs."
Charlotte's gaze lingered on the bouquet of crimson roses in the corner.
The petals were lush, but carried an ominous air.
"Someone's downstairs claiming to be your boyfriend."
Sophia's fingers stilled.
She should've known those roses were trouble.
Setting the files aside, she headed straight for the elevator.
The moment the doors opened, raucous laughter assaulted her ears.
"Sophia and I grew up together!"
Leo Carter was gesturing wildly.
"We relied on each other at the orphanage! She even promised to marry me!"
Whispers rippled through the crowd.
"Where did this lunatic come from? As if Ms. Sullivan would ever look at him."
"Short and ugly—like a potato."
"What if it's true? But Ms. Sullivan is so accomplished now..."
The chatter died instantly.
The crowd fell silent as Sophia appeared.
Her eyes turned glacial.
Yesterday's lesson clearly hadn't been harsh enough.
She strode forward and kicked the back of Leo's knee.
"Ah!"
Mid-rant, Leo face-planted onto the floor.
Scrambling up, he opened his mouth to curse—then spotted Sophia and instantly grinned.
"Sophia! Hitting me means you love me! I know you still care!"
Sophia's stomach churned.
This creep was like gum on a shoe—the more you engaged, the harder he stuck.
"Last warning. Disappear. Now."
Leo smirked, undeterred.
"I'm not leaving! Sophia, why are you so cruel?"
He calculated silently. If he made enough noise, she'd have to give in.
Sophia's gaze sharpened, ready to strike.
"What's going on?"
Ethan Sullivan's steady voice cut through the crowd.
Beside him, Ian Watson looked disgusted.
How dare this trash cause a scene at Sullivan Corp?
Ian spoke first. "Mr. Sullivan, this must be a competitor's sabotage attempt."
Ethan nodded approvingly.
"Too much free time?"
At the CEO's words, the crowd scattered instantly.
Leo hurried to explain. "Mr. Sullivan! I'm Sophia's—"
Ian clamped a hand over his mouth, signaling security to drag him away.
No one dared question Ethan's label of "corporate spy."
Once the hallway cleared, Ethan frowned at Sophia.
"Need help?"
"Someone from the orphanage. Suddenly decided to harass me."
Sophia rubbed her temples.
"Next time, I'll handle it more thoroughly."
A cold glint flashed in Ethan's eyes.
"As a Sullivan Corp employee, I won't stand by."
His tone was firm.
"This ends here."