Better Late, But Never His Again novel Chapter 19

Early the next morning, Hazel headed straight to the Institute.

Pushing open the heavy double doors, before she even stepped into the main lab, she was hit by a wave of ecstatic chatter.

"Thank god, the Institute is finally saved!"

"Right? I really thought we were going to shut down this time. I had no idea Team Leader Vance was this incredible. She just got here and already locked down the Apex Holdings investment!"

"That's Apex we're talking about! Marcus Thornton's empire! People beg on their knees just to get a meeting with him, and she actually closed the deal?"

"Team Leader Vance is an absolute legend. No one is ever going to say the Institute is going under again!"

Hazel's footsteps faltered. Hearing the gossip, she gave a microscopic frown.

Evelyn locked down the investment?

The office space was buzzing with electric energy. A crowd had formed, everyone wearing massive, relieved smiles. A few people spotted Hazel and nodded a quick hello.

Hazel was just about to walk deeper into the room when she looked up and spotted the two people at the center of the commotion.

Julian and Evelyn.

Julian was wearing a sleek, dark grey trench coat, a faint smile playing on his lips as he looked down at Evelyn. Even though Dr. Queenie Finch was standing right there, he couldn't hide the soft, adoring look in his eyes. It was ingrained in his very bones; he couldn't control it.

Hazel hadn't expected Julian to actually make the time. He was always so swamped with work—he used to constantly reject her requests to pick her up from the office. But now, he somehow had the schedule to escort Evelyn to work.

She was suddenly hit by a suffocating memory.

It was a night with torrential rain. She had worked late and called him, hoping he could drive her home. His voice had been gentle, but laced with exhaustion.

"Honey, I'm still buried in paperwork. Could you just grab a cab? Be careful on the way back."

Trying to be the understanding, supportive wife, she had agreed, standing alone in the freezing rain trying to hail a car.

The downpour was brutal. She was soaked to the bone, watching other women get picked up by their boyfriends and husbands. It was impossible not to feel the crushing sting of neglect.

Evelyn turned and gave Hazel an overly surprised smile. "So Ms. Garrison is Professor Quigley's final student? I've heard so much about you. It's an honor to finally meet you in person."

Hazel stared back at her, her expression completely indifferent.

Queenie noticed Hazel's icy reaction toward Evelyn. She offered a tight smile and intervened.

"Hazel, come with me for a second. Let them show themselves around."

Hazel nodded and followed Queenie into the inner offices.

The moment the door clicked shut, Queenie's polite smile instantly vanished.

She pulled Hazel over to the sofa, staring her down. "Spill it. What is going on?"

Hazel forced a small smile, hanging up her bag and changing into her lab coat. "What do you mean?"

"Don't play dumb with me," Queenie said, helping her arrange her things. "I know that woman is bad news. Is she the one standing between you and Julian?"