“Isabella, I’ve nearly finished the revisions for Sterling Industries’ design drafts. Could you review them and let me know if anything still needs adjustment?”
The suffocating weight of Isabella’s spiraling thoughts shattered.
She took a slow, deep breath, fighting to keep her composure.
“Alright, let me take a look,” she answered with a strained smile.
Victoria handed over the design sketches, her gaze lingering on Isabella’s unusually pale complexion.
“Are you feeling okay? You look a bit unwell.”
“I’m fine. Probably just didn’t sleep enough last night,” Isabella replied, avoiding eye contact as she began examining the designs.
“Please make sure you rest. Your health comes first,” Victoria said with genuine concern.
“Yeah, I know,” Isabella murmured, her mind clearly elsewhere.
“Oh, by the way, Isabella.” Victoria’s tone shifted, suddenly excited. “Have you seen? All the negative press about our studio has completely vanished!”
Isabella’s fingers stilled. Her attention snapped from the sketches to Victoria’s face.
“Vanished?” she echoed, her voice coming out hoarse, almost a whisper to herself.
Victoria nodded eagerly. “Completely! I checked first thing this morning. Every post, every comment—wiped clean. Like it never even happened.”
A heavy dread settled in Isabella’s chest. Unease prickled up her spine.
This kind of total erasure wasn’t natural.
Someone powerful was behind it.
Her mind instantly supplied a name—Ethan.
Once the thought took hold, it refused to leave.
Her breathing grew shallow. Her palms felt damp.
If Ethan was responsible, what was his motive? Protection? Or something else entirely?
She shook her head, forcing her focus back to the sketches.
“Alright. I see.”
She flipped through the pages quickly, her eyes skimming without truly registering the details.
Clearing her throat, she handed the drafts back to Victoria. “These revisions are acceptable. Let’s move forward with them.”
“Understood.” Victoria took the papers. “You should go home early. You really do need to rest.”
“You too,” Isabella replied, her voice barely masking her turmoil.
The moment Victoria left, Isabella leaned back in her chair and shut her eyes. After a long moment, she opened them and checked the time on her phone.
The workday wasn’t over, but she couldn’t stay another minute.
She grabbed her bag, stood up, and left the office, her steps unsteady.
Meanwhile, Sophia was on the phone.
“Sophia, you’re utterly pathetic!” Zoe’s voice crackled with derision. “Salzburg? That’s where you ended up?”
Sophia’s grip on her phone tightened, her nails biting into her palm. “Zoe, stop it! The project in Salzburg might not be as high-profile as the ones here, but it’s still a crucial assignment for Blackwood Enterprises. Ethan gave me this challenge to develop my skills!”
“Develop your skills?” Zoe scoffed loudly. “He exiled you to a backwater town, and you’re actually thanking him for it? You’re so blinded by your obsession with Ethan you can’t see the truth. He sent you away because he’s finished with you.”