The company had a rule: every candidate had to be interviewed by their direct supervisor. Still, it was no secret that Theo and Evangeline had a unique connection. On paper, Evangeline was the head of the tech division, but everyone knew Theo had placed a wager on her–if she failed to deliver results within a month, she’d be out the door. 

After some thought, the HR manager handed the stack of resumes to Theo. “Everyone’s waiting outside for their interviews,” he said. 

Theo just grunted in acknowledgment and took the resumes into the interview. 

room. 

Watching Theo’s proud stride, the HR manager couldn’t deny his irritation–but what could he do? Theo had been with UME for years, and his technical skills were unmatched. Even Glenn, the company’s star, couldn’t do much about him. 

Fifteen minutes later, Theo emerged from the interview room. He rifled through the stack of resumes and set one down in front of the HR manager. 

“This one’s good. Hire her.” 

The HR manager nodded and glanced at the name on the resume: Giselle. 

When Giselle got the call from UME offering her the job, she was ecstatic. She hugged her phone and smothered it with kisses. Getting into UME meant she’d finally have a chance to meet Glenn in person.. 

Her mother, Hazel, stayed much calmer by comparison. “You’re a star, honey,” Hazel said, smiling. “Top of your class, always in the top three, and now you’ve landed a technical assistant position. Frankly, you’re overqualified.” 

But UME was only hiring for entry–level roles at the moment. If Hazel hadn’t wanted her daughter to get close to Glenn as soon as possible, she’d never have allowed Giselle to settle for this. 

Giselle beamed, settling onto the couch next to her mother. “But Mom, you have no idea how tough it is to get into UME’s tech division. I had to work really hard to pass that interview.” 

Hazel pinched her daughter’s nose affectionately. “Just remember, sweetheart, your real mission at UME is to win Glenn over. The job itself doesn’t matter–don’t wear yourself out, okay?” 

Giselle nodded eagerly. “Don’t worry, Mom. I know what I’m doing.” 

Chapter 141 

All night, she tossed and turned, too excited to sleep at the thought of getting closer to Glenn. 

But the next morning, when Giselle arrived for her first day and caught sight of Evangeline, her good mood evaporated. 

“What is she doing here?” Giselle muttered under her breath as she watched Evangeline heading toward the lab, annoyance flickering in her eyes. 

She hadn’t meant anyone to hear, but Lily, who was giving Giselle a tour of the office, caught her tone and followed her gaze. “You know her?” 

Giselle scoffed. “Who in Serenity City doesn’t? She’s impossible to miss.” 

Lily’s curiosity was piqued. “Oh? Why do you say that?” 

Giselle almost let herself rant, but stopped short–she barely knew Lily, and it was her first day. Better to keep quiet for now. 

Lily, sharp as ever, caught Giselle’s hesitation. “We can talk more some other time,” she said with a knowing smile. “How about lunch on me today? Company tradition for new hires.” 

Giselle considered. They were colleagues now, and Lily seemed to have some opinions of her own about Evangeline. “Sure,” she agreed brightly. 

Meanwhile, Evangeline was completely absorbed in her work in the lab. Morning and night, all she could think about was perfecting the robot’s calibration and training. The office drama passed her by unnoticed. 

After one last test run–flawless and fast–Evangeline finished writing her proposal, ready to hand it off to Theo that afternoon. 

At lunchtime, as usual, she headed down to the company cafeteria, only to spot Lily and Giselle seated at the same table.