Once a Doormat Now Untouchable (Caleb and Sydney) novel Chapter 209

Sydney never imagined Caleb capable of driving someone to complete ruin—unless Penelope had done something truly unforgivable.

Marcus smiled, ready to speak, but Sydney cut him off, "But this has nothing to do with me anymore."

How Caleb chose to deal with Penelope was his affair, their grudge.

"Okay." Relief washed over Marcus, as if a string pulled taut inside him had finally slackened, warm and pliant again.

He let out a short laugh. "You finished for the morning? Come eat with me. My car's in the shop, so I'll need a ride to the lab anyway."

"Sure." Sydney slipped off her white coat, grabbed her bag, and walked out with him.

The holiday had ended, and the research project needed to move forward. They stopped for lunch at a restaurant near the institute, then headed straight to Sterling Corp.'s research center.

Sterling Corp.'s strength lay in its immense wealth. The institute had it all: cutting-edge equipment, a complete stock of medicinal ingredients, no time lost scrambling for resources.

In their work, Sydney and Marcus operated with rare precision, perfectly in step.

Among the other three in their group, only Shane Madden pitched in now and then. The remaining two, who had once sneered openly at Sydney, pretended to be busy yet produced nothing of value.

They dismissed her as a young woman occupying a leader's chair she had not earned. In their minds she would never accomplish anything.

Why should they put in real effort? Any success would bear Sydney's name, not theirs. In the research world, stolen credit was as common as air, and they had no intention of playing the fool.

While Sydney focused on her work, a knock sounded at the lab door.

Penelope entered in a tailored white suit, sweeping into the room with more than a dozen people trailing behind her. Every step radiated deliberate pomp.

Sydney's brow tightened.

Penelope strode straight toward Henry. "Mr. Linus, I've long admired your reputation. When my team learned you were leading this project, everyone was eager to learn from you."

"You're too kind." Henry nodded politely. Despite his efforts, he could not recall ever hearing her name in the research community. "And you are?"

"I'm Penelope Monroe, the chief lead of our team."

After the introduction, she turned a smile toward Sydney. "Dr. Wilson and I go way back."