GoodRead"You seem to really like that." She must be. Dorothy was the stoic type, the kind who wouldn't bother with anything that didn't catch her interest.
"Yeah, | do. Which girl doesn't adore flowers? Plus, if | get them into a vase sooner, they'll last longer. They've been wilting on my desk all afternoon.” Dorothy felt that these flowers were cultivated just so that their brief blooming period could be cherished and meaningful.
Naturally, if you could delay the inevitable wilting, you'd want to draw out their vibrant days as long as possible.
In that way she wouldn't waste those flowers, and the flower wouldn't let her down as well. Since they ended up in her care, she intended to extend their lifespan as much as she could.
As she arranged them, she realized something was off.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtEverett wasn't speaking, nor was he hanging up. He just watched her handle the flowers, taking them apart one by one and placing them into the vase.
"You're not busy with work today?" Dorothy asked tentatively.
"It's still early,” Everett replied, his voice deep and gravelly, as if he hadn't quite shaken off a recent illness.
"Oh." Another conversation starter that fell flat.
"Getting used to the fourth project team?" Surprisingly, Everett picked up the thread again.
"It's good. Everyone works hard. To land a job at Lopez Corporation, they've got to have skills.” It was a different mindset and atmosphere compared to her previous stints at Prosperity Consortium or East Star Enterprises.
That's why Dorothy was even more afraid of falling behind.
"On this project, I'l make sure you get the credit." "No, don't. The project's too big. | can't see it through to the end,” Dorothy quickly declined. "When my six-month term is up, it'll transfer to a new director, and it wouldn't be fair if my name were still attached then!" While being credited on big projects is crucial in investment banking, a key part of one's resume used by companies to gauge competence, Dorothy couldn't be greedy.
Doing so would deter capable directors from taking on a project they couldn't claim as their own. Even with shared credit, it would feel like raising someone else's child.
Dorothy knew this all too well from her years of handling projects.
"You can finish it before you leave Lopez Corporation.” "That's unlikely, with the lawsuit and all..." She regretted her words as soon as they left her mouth.
The scars shared between her and Everett were torn open, causing pain on both sides.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏm"It won't affect your job. You've been leading the project, and nobody would object to you completing it." "Thanks for the offer.” That was her polite way of declining.
Everett fell silent for a few seconds, murmured an acknowledgment, and then ended the video call.
Dorothy placed the flowers near her apartment's entrance. With lilies among them, they couldn't be in the bedroom, so she set them in the foyer where she'd see them right when she got home.
Ophelia had sent the flowers as an apology. Dorothy hadn't intended to make a fuss, but the gesture seemed unnecessary.
So, Dorothy decided to pick up some pastries for Ophelia tomorrow, a kind of reciprocal gesture.
After dealing with the flowers, she washed her hands and sat down at her computer. Out of habit, she checked the meeting channels.
The first conference room had been active for about ten minutes.
It looked like Everett had jumped straight into a meeting after their call. He really was swamped.
Dorothy sighed and braced herself to start her own work when Kevin pinged her with a private message.
[Ms. Sanchez, what kind of flowers do you like?] [Hmm? Why do you ask all of a sudden?] [Well... Mr. Lopez told me to send bouquets to all the project directors as a kind gesture, but | figured it's mainly for you, and the others are just piggybacking. So | naturally have to find out your favorite flowers.]
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