GoodReadEven with a baby bump keeping her largely homebound, Karen's thirst for the latest scoop was insatiable.
She'd prowl through every corporate forum within reach of her laptop, eager to sniff out any piece of news, no matter how quirky or obscure.
"My news?" Dorothy raised an eyebrow in suspicion.
She'd been flying under the radar at Lopez Corporation, making a beeline for the exit as soon as the clock struck five, barely mingling with her team. How could there possibly be something about her? "Yep, it's definitely about you!" "Oh, I'll check it out later then." Dorothy's hands were busy arranging a bouquet of flowers.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇt"No, you need to look now! Immediately!" Dorothy paused. She could tell from Karen's tone that something big was up.
So after ending the call, she logged onto the Lopez Incorporated gossip board. She expected to have to dig around for the post about her, but to her surprise, it was marked with a 'Hot' tag! Dorothy was bracing for something juicy as she clicked. All she found, however, were a few stealthy snapshots of her holding the bouquet as she left work.
The thread had attracted other stealthy photographers from earlier that day, turning it into a gallery of images capturing her from every conceivable angle.
"Our Lopez Corporation is teeming with beauties, but this lady is by far the most stunning and ethereal I've seen! She's like an enigma that draws me in and makes me want to unravel her story!" "Will you quit it with the "story’ nonsense? Didn't you see the flowers in her arms?" "What about the flowers? She must have loads of admirers. It's not like only a boyfriend can give flowers!" "I recognize this beauty; feels like I've seen her around Lopez Corporation. ages ago." "Yeah, | think I've seen her too! Wasn't she in Project Management?" This wasn't Dorothy's first rodeo; she'd been the subject of similar attention during her days at Prosperity Consortium and had never paid it much mind.
But this was Lopez Corporation! That was the major problem.
Her previous fling with Heather had caused quite the stir, and surely some of the old-timers would recognize her! She frowned, ready to flip to the next page to see if she'd been outed, but the thread had been deleted! Dorothy refreshed the page, and it was gone for good.
A few quick typers had even started new threads asking who had deleted the post about the mystery woman.
Refresh again, and even those queries had vanished.
This was for the best! Dorothy felt a weight lift off her shoulders. She appreciated the swift and thorough moderation at Lopez Corporation; idle gossip like this had no place there.
Just as Dorothy was about to continue arranging her flowers, a video call from Everett popped up on her screen.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmShe accepted the call without a moment's preparation, and suddenly Everett's handsome face filled the other side of the screen.
"Uh, you're up?" Dorothy laughed awkwardly.
She'd just remembered the time difference; it must be early morning where he was.
"Yeah." He grunted in response, pivoting the camera to show their kids still asleep. Langston was lying peacefully, while Abigail had somehow ended up sprawled atop her pillow.
Dorothy hit the record button, thinking she'd rewatch this adorable scene later.
Fiddling with her phone, she heard Everett ask, "What are you up to?" "Just finding a vase for these flowers." Dorothy's reply was casual.
There was a brief silence before Everett asked, "Someone from the office give them to you?" Or perhaps it was Kenneth.
Of course, Everett didn't voice the latter part of his thought.
"Yeah, a colleague gave them to me."
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