Con

CHAPTER 41

Sophia’s POV

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The meeting ended, and despite my best efforts, I couldn’t hide my disappointment. I managed to keep a smile on my face, but inside, I felt crushed. I Ignored the sight of Julia basking in their victory, focusing only on the need to retreat to my small office and be alone.

Elijah’s eyes shifted to me, and it seemed like his gaze meant to tell me something. I hurried away quickly, not caring to find out.

As I entered my office, I hoped to find solace in solitude, but my wish was not granted. Serena followed me in, ignoring my request to leave. She locked the door behind her and sat down on couch, looking at me expectantly.

“What do you

you want, Serena?” I asked, trying to keep my voice steady.

the

“Well, do you know why Elijah chose Julia’s design over yours?” she asked straightaway, her eyebrows furrowing. She seemed greatly bothered by this, and I silently wondered why she wasn’t celebrating with them instead.

“I’m not interested to know why,” was all I answered as I turned on the computer before me,

determined to show Serena that I was going to get back to my work.

But to my astonishment, Serena lets out a laugh. “Anyone who has carefully studied design can see, that Julia copied much of your proposal. Elijah was a top student back at the university. I’m sure he

noticed it too.”

My interest was definitely piqued. I stared at her, wondering why she was saying this.

“You know what I think?” Serena continued. “Your design is obviously a lot better and more well thought out. It’s quite comprehensive too… However, Elijah picked Julia’s because he cares about who she truly is.”

My eyes narrowed and I felt a crease forming on my forehead as I waited for her to go on.

“Elijah believes that Julia could be Sabrina Baker,” Serena stated. “It’s as simple as that… You remember Sabrina, don’t you? You were supposed to be a replacement for her. But now that she’s back, then in Elijah’s eyes, you no longer matter. Your work doesn’t have merit at all. It’s Julia that he’ll always side with in all aspects.”

It hurt badly. I could feel my chest constricting, and didn’t want to listen to the rest of what she had to say. So I muttered an excuse to leave, but, Serena stuffed a copy of Julia’s proposal into my bag. before I got out of the office.

When I got home, I couldn’t help replaying the presentations in my mind, including the casting of votes. I could not make myself forget and rest. Serena’s words also kept running through my head.

“What the hell!” I eventually cried out as I snatched Julia’s proposal from my bag, the one that Serena had placed there.

Upon closely reviewing it and comparing it with mine, I could tell that it really had plenty of traces of

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my own design elements and specific plans.

I wasn’t sure if Elijah had the ability to discern the subtle traces of my work in Julia’s design. But it not longer seemed to matter to him, not when he knew Julia as his beloved Sabrina. It was as if the details of the program had become inconsequential in his eyes.

I felt like I was chasing after the moon reflected in water–no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t grasp the real thing. Elijah’s decision had shattered my hopes, and I couldn’t shake off the feeling of betrayal. and injustice.

I curled up in the corner of my bedroom, tears streaming down my face. It was the kind of crying 1 hadn’t done since my divorce. My emotions were a tangled mess of hurt and anger. I felt defeated, like all my hard work had been for nothing.

Just when I thought I was going to get my big break from this project. I’ve even sacrificed coming back here with my daughter! And for what?!

As I sat there, lost in my despair, I noticed the blinking light on my cell phone. There was an incoming call. If I were to look closely, perhaps I would have found out that it was Elijah calling me.

But at that moment, I didn’t have the strength or the desire to answer. I just wanted to be alone with my thoughts, to try to make sense of everything that had happened.

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