Chapter 245

Gloria was a bit worried, fearing that Gavin might repeat his previous mistake and park the car right in front of the company's main entrance.

Just as she was about to remind him, the car slowly drove into the company's underground parking lot.

At this hour, the parking lot was deserted.

Gloria breathed a sigh of relief, but her mind was still tense.

After getting out of the car, Gavin waited for her to join him in the elevator, but Gloria stood still. "You go up first."

Gavin understood her thoughts and didn't insist, pressing the close button. "If you run into any trouble, remember to find me."

As his voice faded, the elevator doors slowly closed.

Gloria headed to the other elevator nearby.

When she reached the design department, she ran into Emily, who had pulled an all-nighter at the office.

"Gloria?" Emily was about to step out for some fresh air when she bumped into Gloria, instantly waking up.

They hadn't seen each other for a while, and Emily didn't hold back, pulling Gloria into the office and giving her a once-over.

"I'm fine now. I've been staying at that friend's place you met last time. He's a great doctor and helped me get better." Gloria smiled and spun around to show she was okay.

Emily scrutinized her for a while, seeing that she indeed looked better than the last time they met, and finally relaxed. "You mean that doctor?"

Gloria nodded.

Emily thoughtfully rubbed her chin. "You've been staying at his place this whole time?"

Gloria started to find her tone a bit odd.

Afraid Emily might say something she couldn't answer, Gloria quickly explained, "We really grew up together. To me, he's like a brother."

But Emily didn't let it go. "I don't believe anyone could see such a cute girl and only think of her as a sister."

If she remembered correctly, the last time they met, that doctor had a look in his eyes that suggested something more.

"I think he's a better match for you than Sebastian." After teasing her, Emily got serious. "At least, during your time at his place, you've gained some weight and seem to be in a good mood."

There had been some negative rumors about Gloria online recently.

Emily had been worried that Gloria's mood might be affected.

But it seemed Vincent had protected Gloria well, and her worries were unfounded.

Gloria didn't explain further, knowing Emily wouldn't misunderstand her like others might.

"But—" Emily's tone shifted, her expression becoming more serious. "Why are you here? Given your personality, I thought you wouldn't come back to the Miller Group."

Gloria matched her serious tone and told her about Gavin's persuasion last night and the idea of changing her name.

Emily listened and pondered for a moment. "So it was Gavin's idea."

That was good. She didn't want Gloria to give up on the design industry but was afraid she'd burden herself too much.

Since Gavin had invited her and even suggested a name change, Emily had no reason to refuse. "That's perfect. You can stay at the Miller Group without worry. If anyone gives you trouble, come to me or Gavin. We've got your back."

Gloria smiled.

Emily asked, "Have you thought of a name?"

Gloria couldn't think of anything suitable. "I'll go with Aurora for now. I don't have any projects at the moment anyway."

As she finished speaking, they both thought of something.

"Sebastian and Amara's wedding rings..."

Emily hesitated, glancing at Gloria's face, afraid of triggering bad memories.

Sebastian's harsh expression flashed in Gloria's mind.

Seeing Emily's worried look, Gloria smiled nonchalantly. "Mr. Windsor seems a bit displeased with me, but he hasn't said if he wants to replace me. If possible, you should confirm with him."

Emily understood. "Got it. I'll call him later."

They chatted for a bit, and as it was almost time for work, Emily let her go.

Colleagues were arriving outside.

Seeing Emily's office door open, everyone instinctively looked over.

Seeing who came out, their expressions changed.

Although recent news hadn't shown clear photos of Gloria's face, her name had been mentioned several times.

Even if they didn't want to think too much, it was hard not to connect her with the Russell family's heiress.

Moreover, during the peak of the rumors, Gloria had mysteriously disappeared from the company.

Now, just as the rumors were dying down, Gloria reappeared.

The timing was too coincidental.

Their gazes towards Gloria were mixed, some even hostile.

But during work hours, even if they wanted to do something, they had to be cautious.

Gloria pretended not to notice and returned to her seat.

Soon, Emily came out of her office, glanced at everyone, and seeing they were behaving, said nothing, yawning and heading to the break room for a nap.

As soon as she left, everyone couldn't help but look towards Gloria.

Despite being the center of attention, Gloria didn't look the least bit worn out.

If anything, she seemed in better shape than before.

They couldn't help but recall the medical report Amara had posted.

The victim had suffered greatly, while the perpetrator seemed unaffected, going about her business.

This thought made their hostility towards Gloria even more apparent.

"So, she's the Russell family's heiress. No wonder she treats the Miller Group like her own home, coming and going as she pleases."

Someone couldn't resist a sarcastic remark.

Others quickly chimed in.

"Exactly. Who knows how much the Russell family embezzled back then? They've been down for years, yet Ms. Russell still lives so comfortably after prison."

"To get special treatment from Mr. Miller and Emily, she must have plenty of money. I wonder if she compensated Ms. Jones at all."

"If she had any empathy, she wouldn't have done what she did three years ago. Ms. Russell probably still blames Ms. Jones for taking her man."

"Keep your voice down. We can't afford to offend Ms. Russell. If she gets mad and uses her old tricks on us, what then? I heard those people still haven't been caught."

They looked at Gloria with a mix of disdain and self-righteousness, as if standing up for Amara.

Anyone unaware might think they were truly just.

In reality, they simply disliked Gloria.

Gloria was used to these. As long as they didn't cause her trouble, she couldn't care less about their gossip.