Chapter 78

Sophia glanced at Dominic, then at her watch. "I'm not late. It's still early!"

"The company sent out an emergency alert. All staff were required to report to the lab immediately. Where were you?" Dominic demanded, his voice sharp with irritation.

"At home. Sleeping," Sophia replied coolly. "What notice? I didn’t see anything. And I don’t check work messages outside office hours."

"You think because you're senior staff, you can talk back without consequences? Everyone else is putting in the effort. What about you? Do you believe I won’t discipline you just because of your position?" He paused, as if catching himself before saying Evelyn’s name—a taboo in DR Holdings.

"Never mind. Go check the essential oils in the lab. Compare them to previous batches. If you do this properly, I’ll overlook your tardiness."

Sophia considered his words. She knew Dominic was desperate. Aside from Evelyn, she was the only one who might understand the issue. She had been Evelyn’s assistant, after all—familiar with every formula, every step. But lately, she’d been distant, her loyalty wavering. Rumor had it she was considering an offer from Phoenix Labs.

Still, Dominic had leverage—her contract. As long as he held it, she wasn’t going anywhere.

"What’s wrong with the oils?" Sophia asked, feigning indifference as she set her bag down. "You have all the formulas, Mr. Reeves. What could possibly be the issue?" She smirked when she noticed Vanessa watching her. "Besides, isn’t Ms. Blake here? Surely she doesn’t need my help."

Vanessa’s face flushed with anger. "Sophia Grant, enough with the attitude! This is a company evaluation, not your personal soapbox. Who do you think you are? Just do your job!"

"Attitude? I’m just stating facts. You’ve created plenty of successful products, Ms. Blake. A minor issue like this should be nothing for you. If you think I’m being difficult, fire me." Sophia shrugged. She had nothing to lose. In fact, she was counting on it.

"How dare you—" Vanessa seethed, but Dominic cut her off.

"Sophia," he said, forcing calm into his tone. "This is a company-wide assessment. Whoever resolves this issue will receive a promotion and a raise. My word on it." He locked eyes with her. "But you only have half a day. I need answers."

The rest of the team exchanged glances—promotions and raises were rare. But Sophia merely smiled, unimpressed. "How generous, Mr. Reeves. We’ll do our best." She rolled up her sleeves with deliberate slowness and took a seat, her expression dripping with sarcasm.

Dominic clenched his jaw but said nothing. Results mattered more than her insolence.

He turned to Vanessa, lowering his voice. "Still no progress?"

Vanessa scowled. "How would I know? You know the formula is—" She hesitated. "Why don’t we just ask Evelyn?"