Love's Bitter Edge (Eva and Leonard)

Chapter 508 Pay Up

I managed to talk Astrid down, but the tension between her and Mackenzie was far from over. Mackenzie had a solid skill set. She even scored top marks from a prestigious university. But compared to Astrid, she fell short.

Things escalated when Ryan casually mentioned during the morning meeting that the design department would only keep one person. The rivalry between the two flared even more.

Most people in the office were betting on Mackenzie to stay. After all, she was the boss' "sister". That assumption only led to more distance between me, Astrid, and the rest of the team. People whispered about how Astrid and I had gone to the same university, which didn't help our standing. An intern who was likely on her way out and a designer who didn't seem to have Mr. Finnley's favor? We were easy targets.

Jack kept sending afternoon teas, but the passive-aggressive commentary only grew louder. One time, Mackenzie even "accidentally" dropped the pastries all over the floor.

"Oh no, I'm so sorry!" she said, her tone anything but apologetic. "It wasn't on purpose. You don't mind, do you?"

Before Astrid could blow up, someone jumped to Mackenzie's defense.

"Come on, it's not a big deal. You're not seriously upset about this, are you?"

the design department's going to be hers soon. Better not get on her bad

take over the

silently shook my head. They weren't far off, but they had the wrong star

Mackenzie had been working

again because Mackenzie made sure of it. She even paraded

bought.

to Manovia today, but he wanted to treat everyone before he left,"

her carefully crafted image, had most people convinced she was the

had shattered, I turned to Mackenzie with a

but I gently squeezed her hand to reassure

upset," I said, keeping my voice steady. "But these pastries aren't cheap. And that tea tray..." I pointed at the tray on the floor. "It's a custom piece from the vendor. They'll need it back, so you'll have to cover the cost." Mackenzie's smug expression froze. The pastries alone cost a few hundred bucks.

crystal, and considering the upscale hotel it came from, it

had noticed

and clothes. Her shoes, too, showed wear patterns that didn't match her walk. They were either rented or thrifted. For someone like her coughing up that kind of cash wasn't