After giving her team a thorough talking-to, Violet finally felt some of last night’s pent-up frustration begin to dissipate. When she heard that McNeil had shown up at the office, she was genuinely surprised.

She’d waited all morning for a callback, but there’d been nothing from him. She didn’t want to call again and come across as desperate; that just wasn’t her style. Violet had honed her patience over the years-she wasn’t about to let it slip now. “Noted,” she replied coolly, though the curve tugging at her lips was impossible to hide.

So, he’d ignored her calls all day yesterday, only to come find her at the office? She couldn’t help but feel a little victorious.

She quickly pulled a compact from her purse, covering her smile in the mirror until her expression was composed enough for work. Then she settled in at her desk, pretending to focus, all the while waiting for McNeil.

But time dragged on and there was still no sign of him. Instead, she noticed people from every department suddenly rushing out, their faces filled with urgency.

“Can you find out what’s going on?” Violet asked, frowning.

Her young assistant piped up, “It’s the tech department’s hotshot-everyone says Mr. Garcia managed to recruit him. Now the whole office is scrambling to get a look.”

She added, “Mr. Langford’s gone too.”

Violet’s pen froze above the page. Had McNeil come here for the tech genius, not her?

“Is it a man or a woman?” she pressed.

“A guy, I think. Pretty much everyone’s headed that way.”

Violet couldn’t sit still any longer. “Sort these files and drop them off with HR. I need to step out for a bit.”

She didn’t say she was going to join the crowd, but her assistant caught the urgency—and the faint annoyance on her face all the same.

The assistant left, and as soon as she’d gone, Violet rose and left her office.

She walked gracefully toward the tech wing, only to find the area outside already packed, people pressing together shoulder to shoulder.

“He’s gorgeous! I thought programmers were all awkward geeks, but this guy- wow.”

“He looks like he stepped out of a comic book. Do you think he’d let me take him home?”

Violet stood silently at the back, not moving, until someone spotted her and the crowd parted in a flurry of nervous whispers.

“Ms. Marchand-!”

“Good morning, Ms. Marchand-”

She gave a polite nod. “Morning.”

Then, calm and composed, she made her way forward.

She wasn’t here for the so-called tech genius-she was here for McNeil. She wanted to know what was so extraordinary about this new hire that it warranted McNeil coming all the way from The Langford Group himself.

Inside, Paul was greeting the Quantum Core Technologies staff with a wide, affable smile. The sly tilt of his eyes and his fox-like features made him all the more striking.

His smile only made the female staff swoon harder; a few looked ready to faint.

“Alright, that’s enough fangirling for now. You’ve got one hour,” McNeil cut in, striding into the room.

Paul’s smile faded the moment he caught sight of him. “Oh-”

Then he glanced around, searching. “Where’s Rabbit?”

At the murderous glare McNeil shot his way, Paul quickly backtracked. “I mean, the lady of the house. Why isn’t she here?”

McNeil turned to George. “Get Ms. Turner in here. Everyone else clear the room.”

George was momentarily stunned but snapped out of it and hurried to find Victoria.

Violet had just reached the door when George began shooing people away. She tried to enter.

“Sorry, Ms. Marchand,” George said, blocking her path. “It’s an internal meeting. Mr. Langford and Mr. Garcia don’t want any interruptions.”

Violet’s expression darkened. “You think I’m just some random bystander?”

George looked helpless. “Sorry, that’s Mr. Langford’s exact instruction. He even kicked Mr. Garcia out a minute ago.”

Her voice low and controlled, Violet pressed, “What if I insist?”

“Please, Ms. Marchand, don’t make this harder than it is. Paul, Mr. Langford, and Victoria are in a private meeting. No one else is allowed inside.”