Chapter 32: I’ll take her away from Soren’s world.

Daphne’s heart sank.

"You will be transferred to a clerical position," Theron continued. "You will remain there under supervision. If you make a mistake, you won’t get another chance. You will be fired right away."

Daphne lowered her head. She swallowed the humiliation. "Yes, Mr. Knox."

He turned to Elowen. "And Elowen. You did a good job."

Something tender flickered across his face.

"You not only exposed the person who stole your work, but you also proved how capable you are. Your work, your presentation, and your confidence—everything was impressive."

He smiled. "You are selected for the Eden District project."

For a moment, Elowen stood stiffened there, unable to react. Then she grinned.

Applause broke out around the table.

"Congratulations, Elowen."

"You deserve it."

"Well done."

Theron cleared his throat, bringing the room back to silence.

"The presentation will continue after lunch," he said. "The deserving designers will be selected for the project."

With that, he stood up and walked out of the conference room.

The moment he disappeared, Vera rushed toward Elowen.

"Elowen," she squealed and hugged her. "You did it."

Elowen hugged her back, happy. "Thank you."

"I’ll also give a great presentation," Vera said. "Maybe I can also be a part of the project."

"I’m looking forward to work with you."

Daphne was still on the floor, fuming. Her hands curled tightly, her nails biting her palms.

She had been demoted while Elowen had been selected for the project everyone wanted to work on.

Resentment twisted her features. She glared at Elowen with hatred.

’Don’t think you’ve won, Elowen,’ she muttered inwardly. ’This is not the end. I’ll make you regret this.’

Later that day...

Vera rushed over toward Elowen’s desk. She threw her arms around her neck.

"Elowen, I did it. I got selected too."

"Really?" Elowen’s eyes sparkled with startled happiness.

"Yes." Vera pulled back, practically bouncing. "The presentation just finished now. And Mr. Knox announced the results. When he called my name, I almost fainted."

She wriggled her hands dramatically. "I can’t explain how excited I am."

"I am excited too," Elowen said. "We will be working together."

"Yes. I still can’t believe I got selected. I’m going to work on such a major project."

The approaching footsteps drew their attention. They both turned and saw Mara walking over.

"Miss Mara." Elowen straightened. "Do you need something?"

"Mr. Knox wants to see you in his office," Mara said with no expression on her face.

Elowen felt a nervous flutter inside her tummy. ’Why did he summon me? What does he want now?’

Several questions arose in her head. But she nodded slowly.

"Come with me."

Mara walked away.

Elowen followed.

Instead of going to his office, Mara took the turn toward the elevator.

Elowen looked behind, confused and anxious. "Miss Mara. You said Mr. Knox wanted to see me. His office is the other way. Where are you taking me?"

Mara didn’t reply directly. "You will know."

She stepped into the elevator.

Elowen hesitated. She looked around the empty corridor before she walked in.

The doors closed. Silence settled between them.

The elevator started to descend.

Elowen glanced at Mara.

The woman’s expression was cold and unreadable.

Elowen grew increasingly tense. She could barely calm her heartbeat. Standing beside her, Elowen felt the temperature inside the elevator had dropped several degrees.

’Where are we going?’

She wanted to ask, but something about Mara’s expression made her hold back.

After some tense moments, the elevator finally stopped.

Mara walked out. She didn’t stop anywhere until she walked out of the building.

Elowen moved closely behind her. With every step she took, her anxiety grew.

A black Maybach pulled up in front of them.

Mara opened the back door and gestured toward it.

"Get in."

Elowen clasped the sides of her skirt and got in, only to find Theron inside. She froze momentarily.

"Mr. Knox?"

Theron turned to her, his expression gentle. "Elowen." His gaze dropped to her hand. "How is your hand?"

"Oh..." Elowen looked down at the burn. The injury was still visible. "It’s getting better. It should be healed soon."

Theron’s fingers curled on his knees. He had already checked the surveillance footage from that day.

The coffee had not spilled accidentally. Daphne had knocked the cup, causing the hot coffee to splash onto Elowen’s hand.

That thought made anger tighten in his chest.

’That woman will pay.’

"Sir, where are we going?" Elowen asked.

But Theron was deep in thought. He barely heard her voice.

"Mr. Knox..." Elowen waved a hand in front of her face.

He blinked and looked at her.

"You... Are you okay?" Elowen asked.

"Yes..." He cleared his throat. "I-I was thinking something." He met her eyes. "You must be wondering where we are going."

Elowen nodded curiously.

Theron looked outside. "We are going for the site inspection. I thought seeing the location would help you understand the environment and give you ideas for the design."

It was not fully true. He actually wanted to spend some time alone with her. He wanted to remind her about their first meeting.

"Thank you, Mr. Knox. I really appreciate it."

"Call me Theron."

"Uh?" Elowen gaped at him, caught off guard. She clearly had not expected that.

Mara glanced at Theron through the rearview mirror.

"We are going to work closely," Theron said. "And I don’t treat people closest to me as my subordinates. I treat them as my friends. So, call me by my name. Mr. Knox sounds too distant."

Elowen couldn’t close her mouth. She took some time to process what she had just heard.

He chuckled. "What is it? You don’t like my name?"

"No..." She waved her hands. "I didn’t mean that." She flashed a nervous smile.

He raised an eyebrow.

Elowen looked away, mulling over her mind to find words. "En... you are the boss. Calling you by your name in front of everyone might seem disrespectful. People may misunderstand."

"I don’t care what people say," he interrupted sternly. "I do what I think is right."

Elowen’s brows lifted, her thoughts seemingly freezing in the back of her mind.

His tone softened. "Elowen. I don’t have many friends here. Will you be my friend?"

He extended her hand toward her.

Elowen stared at it. She didn’t move for several seconds. Then, almost hesitantly, she placed her hand in his.

’He wants to be friends with me?’

The words struck her so hard that even her breathing faltered. Her expression fractured between disbelief and surprise.

He grinned triumphantly as he closed his fingers around hers.

’She accepted my friendship. Soon, she will trust me completely. She will give me her heart. And Soren... He will lose her."

Something dark crossed behind his gray eyes. ’Last time, I couldn’t save her. But this time, I won’t let anyone hurt her. I’ll protect her and take her far away from Soren’s world.’