“Elissa?” Robin noticed the look on her face. “You okay? Still tired from helping your grandpa with those medical exams?”

“No.” She blinked, then shook her head with a smile. “I was just thinking… should we go to the office or talk somewhere else?”

“Let’s go to the café in your office building’s lobby. They serve decent coffee.”

“Okay, sounds good.” Elissa smiled in agreement.

She couldn’t help but wonder—had Ernest seen her with Robin? But then again… so what if he had? They’d already crossed paths once at the restaurant, and nothing came of it. It was fine. Everything would be fine.

She was wrong.

The next day, Jack called her in.

“Elissa.” He looked uneasy, his expression clouded. After a moment of hesitation, he let out a sigh. “The project you’ve been handling… you won’t be following up on it anymore. I’ll be reassigning it to—”

“What? Why?” Elissa froze. Her face drained of color. “Did I do something wrong? Is this from Mr. Torres? Did he have complaints?” She couldn’t believe it. Her meeting with Robin had gone well—better than expected.

“No,” Jack said quickly, frowning. “This isn’t about Mr. Torres. He actually liked your design a lot.”

“Then why?” Elissa’s fists curled tightly at her sides. “This is the first project I’ve led. If you’re taking it from me, I deserve to know why.”

“I don’t have the full answer,” he admitted, looking even more uncomfortable. He rubbed his temple and exhaled hard. He gestured upward with one finger. “All I know is that it came straight from senior management.”

Senior management?

Elissa stared at him, stunned. Why would anyone that high up take the time to pull her off a project?

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ack sighed again, his voice low. “It’s hard to understand what goes on in their heads…”

He glanced at her—visibly distressed—and softened his tone. “You’re talented. Don’t let this knock you down. There’ll be more chances ahead.” He leaned in, lowering his voice. “Maybe you crossed the wrong person? Someone could be trying to block your way up.” He meant it kindly.

If that were true, then her future in the company might already be sealed.

But Jack’s words sparked something in Elissa. Had she offended someone? Who would go that far to target her?

Suddenly, she remembered the black car that had passed her on Jewel Avenue yesterday—Ernest’s car.

“Mr. Smith!” Elissa’s eyes narrowed slightly, her voice steady but firm. Determination surged from the pit of her stomach. “Can I take a leave? I need to step out for a while.”

“Well…” Jack hesitated, caught off guard by her sudden request, but he nodded. “Alright. Half a day. Go ahead.”

“Thank you, sir!”

Without wasting another second, Elissa left the office and made her way straight to the Flynn Group building.

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