I Walked Away Seven Years Too Late But Right on Time novel Chapter 186

As if sensing her hostile gaze, Eleanor looked up.

Their eyes locked. Before Victoria could even adjust her expression, Eleanor fixed her with an icy stare and simply mouthed two words: "Goodbye."

That Saturday, Sophie voluntarily went to the office to catch up on work.

Lydia Langford had officially handed off her projects on Friday and gone on maternity leave.

With Gavin conveniently out of town, Sophie had plenty of time and energy to pour into her career.

A colleague from another project team swung by to pick something up. Noticing her, he walked over to say hi. "Your boss is really something. She's turning all of you into total workaholics too."

"There's just some data that needs polishing before I present it to her. I let my professional skills rust for far too long, so I have to hustle to make up for it," Sophie explained modestly, standing up to greet him.

She had already heard the legendary story of her boss. When Lydia was pregnant with her first child, she was leading a meeting right up until her water broke, prompting terrified colleagues to rush her to the hospital. By the time her husband arrived, his face was completely drained of color.

This time, her husband practically dragged her into taking leave two weeks early.

Even though she was physically at home, her mind was still on the projects, repeatedly reminding Sophie to send over the polished data reports.

"A strong general breeds capable soldiers. Keep up the good work."

Even though it was just casual encouragement from a coworker, Sophie felt a genuine surge of pride. It was a tiny victory, but she immediately texted Gavin to share the moment.

It had become completely second nature. Whether it was something joyful or frustrating, he was always the first person she wanted to tell.

"Well, my girlfriend is obviously the best."

Gavin never missed a beat, seamlessly complimenting both her and himself in the same breath.

Sophie shot back playfully, "And my boyfriend is obviously the most thick-skinned."

"Are you at the lab right now, or the hotel?" she typed out.

"What, miss me already?"

She didn't even need to see his face to perfectly visualize the devastatingly handsome smirk he was wearing.

"Yeah, I miss you."

Sophie saw absolutely no reason to hide her feelings.

Gavin had been gone for a week. After growing accustomed to seeing him every single morning and night, his sudden absence left her feeling remarkably off-balance.

"Gavin! Why didn't you tell us you were coming?"

His grandmother grabbed his hands in delighted surprise, looking him up and down.

"You've lost weight."

"Just missing you all," he replied effortlessly.

Smiling brightly, Gavin coaxed her to sit down. "You go back to bed. Tomorrow, you can stare at me all you want. If Mom finds out I interrupted your sleep, I'll never hear the end of it."

"Who's never going to hear the end of it?" Gillian appeared, walking down the staircase.

"Mom! I braved the brutal heat and hopped on a train just to see you both. I'm covered in sweat, so let me grab a shower first. Whatever we need to talk about, we'll talk about tomorrow."

"Just to see us? More like you have an ulterior motive," she ruthlessly called his bluff.

"You know me too well, Mom. Let me catch up on my sleep, and we'll hash it all out slowly tomorrow."

After taking a quick shower, Gavin texted Sophie a quick goodnight and crashed onto his bed, instantly falling into a deep sleep. Tomorrow was guaranteed to be a grueling battle.