The Man Who Never Looked Away novel Chapter 136

Lavinia stood frozen in the corner of the elevator cab, her face hidden behind the mask. She watched him, her heart skipping a beat, before abruptly lowering her eyes to avoid his gaze.

"Hold on, there's still room," Garnett said flatly, before turning his head and instantly softening his tone. "Careful, Sigrid."

Sigrid smiled radiantly and stepped into the elevator under his affectionate gaze.

He gave her one last, lingering look before withdrawing his hand from the doors. The metal panels slid shut.

The elevator was dead silent. Every single person inside was likely mentally calculating the identities of the main characters in this impromptu romantic drama.

Lavinia huddled in the corner like an absolute stranger, her eyes locked on the digital floor numbers ticking upward.

The elevator chimed at her floor. Sigrid's floor hadn't arrived yet.

Forcing herself to move, Lavinia squeezed toward the front, murmuring, "Excuse me."

Sigrid stepped back slightly to make room. Without waiting to see if Sigrid recognized her, Lavinia darted out of the cab.

Thankfully, the doors closed the moment she cleared them.

Lavinia took a deep breath to compose herself and walked toward the Industry Research Department.

She reported to her Department Director, Jocelyn Chandler, first. Jocelyn barely gave her a second glance, stating briskly, "I'm prepping for the morning meeting. Go find an empty desk outside. Trainees attend the meeting online; you don't need to be in the boardroom."

Lavinia breathed a massive sigh of relief. That meant she wouldn't have to come face-to-face with Sigrid.

It wasn't until the morning meeting began that Lavinia finally understood why Sigrid was at Celestial Capital.

President Travis Lambert made the introduction. "Director Sloan is a top-tier talent personally headhunted by Chairman Coleman. She previously served as the Director of Quantitative Research at a premier investment bank. I have no doubt that her addition to Celestial Capital will lead our Quantitative Research Department to groundbreaking new heights."

Amidst thunderous applause, Sigrid, dressed in a flawless white haute couture suit, gracefully acknowledged the executives and delivered a brief acceptance speech.

"Keep dreaming. With his status, why would he ever look at ordinary mortals like us? Only an absolute goddess like Director Sloan is a match for him."

As Lavinia listened, a ringing started in her ears. The low hum quickly escalated into a piercing screech that made her head throb violently.

*Snap.* It felt like a string snapped in her brain.

Her mind went totally blank. A long, stretching void of white.

Then, a memory drifted down like a snowflake, landing right in front of her eyes.

She saw Charley standing there, telling her: *'You'll probably never win in this lifetime. So what? It's not going to kill you.'*

Suddenly, Lavinia's mind cleared completely.