Chapter 173
Chapter 173
Elissa’s wrist was pinned by his grip, her other hand braced against his thigh–she understood, things between them had shifted. They were no longer equals in this tangled relationship.
Now, Rowan held all the power.
She nodded. “I understand p>
As she spoke, the car rolled to a gentle stop in front of Murphy Group headquarters.
A knock sounded at the window.
It was Lorraine.
Even through the tinted glass, Elissa’s reaction was instant–she pulled her hand free, quickly retreating to her own seat. When she caught Rowan’s displeased gaze, she replied, all business: “We’re at work now p>
He almost smiled–she really knew how to draw the line between work and personal life.
Rowan didn’t bother with a reply. He opened the door and stepped out, every movement exuding that cold, aristocratic air.
Gone was any trace of the man from moments before.
Lorraine was about to say something, but as the car door hung open, she caught sight of Elissa still in the backseat and raised her brows in
surprise. “Elissa, are you heading to R&D p>
Elissa nodded. “Yeah, that’s right p>
Lorraine grinned, then turned to Rowan. “Mr. Murphy, where were you this morning? The shareholder meeting had to be rescheduled at the last
minute p>
Elissa couldn’t help but feel there was something odd about the dynamic
between Lorraine and Rowan.
1/3
09:21
Chapter 173
But she couldn’t quite put her finger on it.
Most secretaries wouldn’t dare question their boss so directly about his
whereabouts.
Rowan shot Lorraine a cool glance. “Remind me, who’s the boss here p>
Blunt, even bordering on rude–but perfectly in character for Rowan.
Lorraine seemed unfazed, as if she was used to it. She turned to Elissa
instead, teasing, “What do you think, Elissa? Is that any way for your
brother to behave at work p>
11
11
Elissa wasn’t about to get caught in the crossfire. She seized the moment–since there weren’t many people around, she slipped out of the car. “I’ve got a meeting in R&D. I should get going p>
And with that, she made her escape.
She arrived at the R&D department just in time for the meeting. Pushing aside the morning’s distractions, she quickly immersed herself in work.
At first, Zachary Jones–like most others—had his doubts. Elissa seemed so young; how could she possibly lead the Traditional Medicine Unit? Surely she wasn’t up to the task
But after working with her these past weeks, he’d been proven wrong. Her capabilities were extraordinary—if the rest of the team would just put in the effort and follow her lead, they’d learn a great deal.
As the meeting wound down, Zachary listened to Elissa present her latest research proposal. He nodded in approval. “Ms. Drummond, it looks like you really might develop a zero–side–effect cancer treatment. It’s rare to see someone so young achieve so much in traditional medicine p>
Elissa smiled. “Not might–I will p>
She was determined to make it happen.
Her confidence took the room by surprise. Some people even looked at
Chapter
her with thinly veiled skepticism.
To them, Zachary’s praise sounded mostly like polite encouragement, and Elissa’s bold declaration seemed downright arrogant.
Zero side effects? Yeah, right.
But Zachary caught the spark of conviction in her eyes and found himself watching her more closely. “Well, I’ll be waiting for the good news p>
If she’d said that on her first day, he never would have believed her.
But anyone who’d worked alongside Elissa, honestly and without bias, would see just how deep her expertise ran. She was no ordinary graduate of Vistapeak University’s Department of Traditional Medicine.
When the meeting ended, Elissa stepped out of the conference room and found Lorraine waiting outside.
Lorraine had brought afternoon coffee for everyone, telling the others to help themselves.
Then she personally handed a cup to Elissa, her tone warm and friendly. “I’m free this evening–want to grab dinner after work p>
Elissa thanked her for the coffee but shook her head. “Sorry, I can’t tonight. I need to get home early p>
Tanya Foster still hadn’t fully recovered, and Elissa wanted to be there for
her.