Chapter 414

Back at her seat, Layla couldn't help but glance at her phone again. Still no messages.

For over a week now, even though Layla and Samuel had been busy at their respective companies, he would occasionally share bits of his work with her. Sometimes it was a meeting or a cup of coffee. He would share anything he found interesting. On average, he would send her a dozen messages a day.

However, today, from morning till night, there was not a single message from Samuel.

Samuel must be angry.

Layla knew it was her fault. She had been too harsh with her words yesterday. She was already in a bad mood, so she got angry immediately.

Hurting someone who loved you was probably the worst feeling in the world.

Her fingers brushed over the screen as she hesitated whether to send Samuel a message. Suddenly, she felt the eyes of her colleagues on her.

Layla turned around, and a few female colleagues quickly looked down.

It made Layla feel a bit uneasy.

No one liked the feeling of being watched by a dozen pairs of eyes, as if being monitored, with every move under close scrutiny, leaving no room for freedom.

Layla put down her phone and continued with her work.

No messages during dinner or after her shower. At ten o'clock, Layla lay in bed, still without a single message or video call.

Layla tossed and turned in bed, staring at her phone, willing it to ring with her thoughts. But the phone remained eerily silent all night.

Layla's heart grew heavier and more despondent in the silence.

At the break of dawn, a new day began.

The first thing Layla did upon opening her eyes was check her phone, but still, there were no messages.

Layla arrived at the office with a heavy heart, only to find herself the center of gossip once again.

"Did you notice Mr. Evans was in a bad mood all day yesterday?"

"Really? Isn't Mr. Evans always kind of aloof?"

"No, you can't just look at his face.You have to look at his eyes. They were gloomy, clearly unhappy."

"It must be because of Layla. They didn't talk all day yesterday, and even avoided each other during the meetin without eye contact at all. Did they have a fight?"

"Could it be that Mr. Evans found out Layla has a boyfriend?"

"I think they're just trying to avoid suspicion. Isn't this just a cover-up? They think if they don't talk, we won't know about their relationship?"

"But why would they avoid suspicion? Could it be they know we've been talking about them behind their backs? That would be bad. I don't want to lose my job."

"We've already offended Layla once and barely kept our jobs. We can't afford to offend her again, or we'll be fired for sure."

"Yeah, we're just talking behind their backs. Layla has a boyfriend, and none of us told Mr. Evans, right? They can do whatever they want. My job matters most to me."

"Luna, you're pretty close to Layla now. Why don't you talk to her?"

"What should I say? Are you trying to set me up? I'm not that stupid," Luna retorted.

"But if things are really as we suspect, it wouldn't be good to ruin our relationship with Layla."

"You came up with the idea. You go talk to her. Don't drag me into this," Luna replied.

"I'm not good with words. You're better at it."

They continued to push the responsibility onto each other.

Layla silently marveled at how people could be so petty. She had only been working for a few months, but she had already seen it all too clearly.

They were supposed to be designers, yet they didn't focus on their work. Instead, they constantly gossiped about others, whether good or bad, nothing escaped their lips. These people were inherently like this and would never change.

Layla had thought that after Fanny and her people had gone, the work environment would be more comfortable, but it turned out to be the same.

During the morning shift, as soon as Layla entered the break room, a few female colleagues exchanged secret glances behind her back, urging Luna to follow her in.

"Layla, you're getting some water," Luna said awkwardly, "I always see you drinking water, never any soda. You're so healthy. No wonder your skin is so good. I'm really envious. I should really ask you for some skincare tips."

Seeing that Layla didn't respond, Luna felt a moment of awkwardness but continued, "Why aren't you saying anything? Are you in a bad mood?"

Layla added some water.

"Is it because of... Mr. Evans? I don't mean anything by it. I just noticed you two haven't been talking these past few days, not even during meetings. I'm a bit worried," Luna added.

Holding her coffee cup, Layla turned and asked her calmly, "Does my relationship with Mr. Evans, whether we talk or not, affect your salary?"

Luna felt even more embarrassed.

There was a sting in that question, quite unlike Layla's usual gentle demeanor.

Layla looked at her. "Does it?"

"No, it doesn't," Luna replied with an awkward smile, her face turning red with embarrassment.

Layla asked again, "If not, then why do you care so much?"

"I... I don't. I was just... concerned about you. We're colleagues. Isn't it normal for colleagues to care about each other?" Luna asked.

"Is this what you call concern?" Layla questioned.

"Of course." Luna emphasized quickly. "Even though we've had some conflicts before, I've really turned a new leaf. Layla, believe me, I have no intention of harming you. I'm just worried that you and Mr. Evans are having a falling out. After all, you two were so close before... I swear I didn't tell Mr. Evans about your boyfriend." She raised her hand as if taking an oath.

Layla couldn't help but sneer inwardly. The fact that she would say such a thing meant she was convinced that Layla and Brian had that kind of relationship, convinced that Layla was betraying, and they were keeping her secret out of fear.

In short, in their minds, Layla was a betraying woman!

Of course, Layla didn't care about their opinions. They could think whatever they wanted.

Layla spoke up now only because their gossiping had started to affect her life, and she couldn't tolerate it any longer.

"I'm not afraid of Mr. Evans knowing I have a boyfriend. You are just making baseless assumptions. You don't care about what I do or the actual situation. You only believe in your own assumptions, and that's not what I call concern," Layla continued.

Luna turned pale, wishing she could disappear. "Layla..."

"I know the facts very well. You don't need to explain." Layla interrupted her. "It's great if we can get along, but as I said, I didn't come to Brightness Design Company to make friends. I won't allow gossip to affect my work. Please focus on your own duties and stop gossiping behind my back. If it happens again, I won't tolerate it."

"Layla, Layla..." Luna felt extremely embarrassed.