Chapter 50
After a moment's hesitation, Gianna reached out her chubby little hand and grabbed the chocolate Willow offered.
Seeing the little girl struggling with the wrapper, Willow took it back and unwrapped it for her. Gianna happily popped it into her mouth, her tears instantly forgotten.
"Is it good?" Willow asked, gently wiping the tear tracks from Gianna's face.
Gianna nodded enthusiastically.
"So," Willow smiled, "still want to find Jeff?"
Gianna considered this for a moment before shaking her head. "Nope! Your candy tastes better. Do you have more?"
Willow couldn't help but laugh. She'd thought Gianna was genuinely attached to Jeff, but it turned out she just wanted candy all along.
One taste of something better, and she'd completely forgotten about him.
Meeting the little girl's hopeful gaze, Willow stroked her head. "That was my last piece, I'm afraid. I'll buy you more tomorrow, but right now we should head home. Your grandmother must be worried sick."
Willow stood and extended her hand. Gianna obediently took it and followed her upstairs.
When Willow knocked on the neighbor's door, it took a while before the elderly woman with her poor hearing answered.
Seeing her granddaughter out so late, the grandmother's face flooded with relief as she thanked Willow profusely.
After safely returning Gianna home, Willow went back to her own apartment. The space felt oddly cold and lifeless now.
Closing her eyes, she couldn't help but recall the scene she'd witnessed at the hospital earlier that day.
What surprised her most was her own reaction—or lack thereof. Whether seeing it in person or thinking about it now, she felt strangely unmoved by Charles's betrayal.
Perhaps she'd already accepted that Charles never loved her as much as she'd thought.
Or perhaps—thinking of Gianna's quick change of heart—she hadn't loved Charles as deeply as she'd imagined either.
Maybe she had simply grown dependent on his kindness. After all, she had only truly gotten to know him on their wedding day.
If someone else had treated her the way Charles had, Willow realized, she might have accepted them just as readily...
Since Charles hadn't contacted her, Willow pushed the whole incident to the back of her mind.
---
Monday morning, Willow bumped into Molly at the office entrance.
"You would not believe my weekend," Molly gushed, linking arms with her as they walked.
After chatting animatedly for several minutes, she finally noticed Willow's troubled expression. "Hey, what's wrong? Are you feeling sick? Or did Charles come looking for you again?"
Willow shook her head. "Just haven't been sleeping well."
Molly's concerned look didn't fade.
"The proposal I submitted to the Lancaster Group has been sitting there for a while," Willow admitted. "I'm getting a bit anxious."
Hearing this, Molly's expression softened. "Even if they don't approve it, it's not the end of the world. You're just starting out, and the fact that Mr. Lancaster gave our little company this opportunity is already impressive. We're talking about the Lancaster Group!"
She squeezed Willow's arm reassuringly. "I believe in you. From the day I interviewed you, I knew you were something special."
Willow smiled at her encouragement, feeling somewhat lighter, though her anxiety lingered.
Shortly after settling at her desk, Gareth's secretary appeared. Thinking the Lancaster Group had finally responded to her proposal, Willow followed with hopeful anticipation.
"Willow, are you free tonight?" Gareth asked in an overly friendly tone.
"I thought you called me in because the Lancaster Group responded," she said, confused. From his tone, it sounded like he wanted her to attend another business dinner.
Gareth's brow furrowed as he adopted a patronizing expression. "Willow, you personally handed the proposal to Mr. Lancaster. Do you really think small fry like us would dare to rush him for an answer?"
When Willow didn't respond, he continued, "If you're that curious, you could ask him yourself. I'll give you Mr. Bailey's contact information."
After a moment's hesitation, Willow agreed. She certainly wouldn't pressure Sterling directly, but the proposal had been with him for almost two weeks now. If not Sterling, she could at least sound out Blake.
As soon as Gareth gave her Blake's number, Willow stood to leave.
"Where are you going? I haven't told you the main thing yet!" Gareth called after her.
Willow glanced back. "I'll return after I make this call." If the Lancaster Group rejected their proposal, she might resign anyway, making whatever else he had to say irrelevant.
Finding a quiet corner, Willow dialed Blake's number.
"Who is this?" Blake answered, his tone businesslike.
"Mr. Bailey, it's Willow Spencer," she replied formally.
Blake paused. "Ms. Spencer? Why didn't you call my personal number?"
"I just wanted to ask about the proposal I submitted to Mr. Lancaster," Willow explained. "Any idea when we might expect a response?"
Noting her formal tone, Blake matched it. "I'll check with Mr. Lancaster and get back to you shortly."
After a moment of silence, he realized Willow hadn't hung up.
"Is there something else?" Blake asked.
"I don't mean to rush Mr. Lancaster," Willow said quietly. "It's just that..." It had been quite a while.
Blake's voice softened slightly. "Don't worry. I'll handle it tactfully."
"Thank you, Mr. Bailey." Willow hung up with a sigh.
---
Blake looked up at Sterling, who sat behind his desk. Having overheard the entire conversation, Sterling met his assistant's gaze.
"Mr. Lancaster, how should I respond to Ms. Spencer?" Blake asked respectfully.
Without a word, Sterling pulled out a document that had been sitting on his desk for some time and pushed it toward Blake. "What do you think of this?"
Blake recognized Willow's proposal immediately. He opened it and scanned through the pages, his expression reflecting genuine admiration.
After finishing, however, he hesitated.
"Your thoughts?" Sterling prompted.
Choosing his words carefully, Blake began, "Ms. Spencer's proposal is innovative and eye-catching. However..." he paused, "compared to others, her company lacks name recognition and even has several negative marketing cases that could indirectly undermine the proposal's effectiveness."
The implication was clear: despite its merits, this wasn't the best choice for the Lancaster Group.
When Sterling didn't immediately respond, Blake considered saying something more positive about Willow's work.
Before he could speak, Sterling's deep voice broke the silence.
"I agree with your assessment."