Better Late, But Never His Again novel Chapter 83

Hazel paused and turned back to face him. Marcus set down his pen, opened a drawer, and tossed two tickets onto the desk, pushing them toward her.

"The Science & Tech Expo. Do you want to go? They might have some of those advanced instruments you're always looking for."

Hazel's gaze locked onto the two tickets, her expression turning serious.

Of course she wanted to go. She had been dreaming of it. To see the newest equipment and the cutting-edge technology she'd only ever read about in academic journals... to actually see them in person, to touch them...

Her chest tightened. Suddenly, she remembered how Julian used to hate her working. He hated her being out in public, constantly telling her that it wasn't a woman's place.

Slowly, she had stopped dreaming. She buried those ambitions so deep she had almost forgotten them entirely.

But now, with these two tickets lying right in front of her, all those suppressed desires flared back to life.

Marcus leaned back in his chair, watching her. A faint smile touched his lips, his dark eyes entirely unreadable. "The opportunity is right in front of you. If you hesitate, you'll miss it. Think about it. I just think you have potential. Seeing the bigger picture might do you some good. Don't let people think my specially appointed expert is just a lab rat who only knows how to run experiments."

Hazel's mouth twitched. The man was as grating as ever. She reached out, picked up one of the tickets, and slipped it into her pocket.

"Fine. I'll go."

Marcus nodded and looked back down at his documents. Hazel turned, walked out, and quietly shut the door behind her.

The hallway was already bustling with her coworkers. She looked down at the ticket in her pocket, unable to stop the slight upward curve of her lips.

As she neared the lab entrance, she heard voices drifting from inside.

Audrey's voice was the loudest. "They always send two VIP invitations down to us for the Expo. I'm definitely getting one again this time."

Her lackey chimed in immediately. "Obviously! You've been here the longest, Audrey, and Mr. Thornton values you the most. You went last time, so it's guaranteed to be yours again."

"Exactly! If you don't go, who else could?" another voice echoed.

Hazel walked into the room. Audrey was leaning against a desk, arms crossed, her chin tilted up in an arrogant, knowing smile.

Her followers were huddled around her, showering her with praise. Hazel walked right past them without breaking her stride.

One of the lackeys had sharp eyes. As Hazel walked by, she caught a glimpse of the glossy card. She gasped, pointing loudly. "Is that an Expo invitation?!"

Hearing that, the smug smile froze on Audrey's face.

She turned her head, watching Hazel slip the ticket away, her expression darkening second by second. It really was! How dare she?

Footsteps echoed from the doorway. Evelyn strolled in wearing a light-colored turtleneck blouse. The collar was turned up slightly, concealing half her neck.

She wore her usual gentle smile, looking like she was in a fantastic mood.

"Dr. Vance, did you get an invitation to the Science & Tech Expo?"

Someone popped their head up from the corner and asked, "Our Team Leader Garrison just got here and she already secured one. Your credentials are way better than hers, so it should be a given for you, right?"

Evelyn paused, casting a subtle glance in Hazel's direction before offering a soft, demure smile. "What invitation? I haven't heard anything about it."

The person who asked scoffed, exchanging a look with a coworker. "Dr. Vance hasn't even heard about it, yet someone else has already snagged it. Makes you wonder how she got her hands on it. We all know what's going on; there's no need to pretend."

Hazel looked up, her gaze sliding past the gossiping coworker to land directly on Evelyn.

Evelyn was standing by the door, angled slightly as she spoke to someone else. When she tilted her head, the collar of her blouse slipped down just a fraction, exposing a sliver of pale skin. Right there, stark against her neck, was a deep, purplish-red mark.

Hazel's heart gave a painful squeeze, her fingers curling slightly. She immediately averted her eyes, taking a deep breath to force the swirling mess of emotions out of her head.

She needed to stop overthinking this. The data on her screen was all she needed to focus on right now. Besides, the mandatory cooling-off period was almost over. Soon, they would finalize the divorce.