The Man Who Never Looked Away novel Chapter 145

After the morning meeting, Jocelyn Chandler made an announcement: Miles Rowe, the head of the pharma group, had formally submitted his resignation. Until a new pharmaceutical industry analyst was hired, the pharma group would be temporarily dissolved. Trainee analyst Lavinia Joplin would be reassigned to the tech group.

Ethan, the head of the tech group, spoke up immediately. "Ms. Chandler, I already have Jacqueline Abbott as a trainee in my group. I'm worried I won't be able to balance my attention between the two of them."

The other group leaders also chimed in, expressing their reluctance to take Lavinia on. They either claimed they didn't understand the pharmaceutical industry or said their teams were already full and they didn't have the bandwidth.

Lavinia realized she was being isolated.

Jocelyn saw right through it as well. She said coolly, "Very well. I will personally act as Lavinia's mentor."

The group leaders exchanged awkward glances. Lavinia shot Jocelyn a look of profound gratitude.

After the departmental meeting concluded, Lavinia proactively went to Jocelyn's office to report for duty.

Before she could even speak, Jocelyn asked, "Do you know why you're being isolated?"

Lavinia's tone was entirely open. "Ms. Chandler, I've only been here a few days. I genuinely don't believe I've done anything to offend anyone."

Jocelyn said flatly, "Someone specifically tipped me off last night. They said that after everyone else left, you took something over to visit Sigrid Sloan. They claimed you are a 'spy' she planted in the Industry Research Department and warned me to watch out for you."

Lavinia was speechless. "I went to see Sigrid regarding a personal matter. And I assure you, it wasn't a pleasant conversation."

Jocelyn gave her a meaningful look. The silence stretched on, but Lavinia never once broke eye contact.

"Understood. But honestly, even if you were Sigrid's person, I wouldn't care," Jocelyn said indifferently. "I judge people by their actions, not their supposed intentions. As long as you perform well, I wouldn't care if you were Sigrid's own sister."

*Who's her sister?* Lavinia couldn't help but suppress an internal eye roll.

Lavinia smiled and typed back: [Got it. Thanks, coach.]

At 3:00 PM, precisely when workplace frustration usually peaked for the day, Lavinia ordered the most expensive afternoon pastries and coffee available nearby. She hand-delivered them to everyone's desk, making sure to politely call everyone "Mr." or "Ms."

Someone joked, "Lavinia, you're being so polite today. Did you learn this trick from Sigrid?"

Lavinia smiled easily. "Director Sloan looks down on me, and we aren't on the same path anyway."

By stating it so directly, she effectively squashed the department rumors.

By four or five in the afternoon, several group leaders took turns coming over to Lavinia, assigning her tasks and asking her to assist with their industry research reports.

For a trainee, getting a full-time offer meant letting the results speak for themselves. By giving Lavinia work, they were finally giving her a chance to shine.