The atmosphere in the office had shifted subtly since Gabriel relocated his primary workstation to a glass-walled cabin just outside the migration team's main room. While the physical distance was small, it created a strategic buffer—one that Delilah saw not as a boundary, but as a fresh opportunity for a private audience.
Inside the migration room, Phoebe watched through the glass as Delilah smoothed her skirt and checked her reflection for the third time before approaching Gabriel’s new door. "She’s been waiting for this chance for a long time," Phoebe murmured, her voice laced with a mix of amusement and wariness. The rest of the team—Isaac, Caleb, Grace, and Samuel—nodded in grim unison before returning to their monitors, though their ears remained tuned to any potential drama.
Inside his cabin, Gabriel saw the shadow fall across his desk and stifled a groan. She really will not leave me in peace, he thought, before looking up with a perfectly practiced, entirely fake smile. "Hi, Delilah," he said, his tone clipped and professional.
Delilah swept into the room with an air of practiced enthusiasm and sat directly in front of him. "Hi, Gabriel! I saw your email and read through the project details for the new tool," she said, leaning forward slightly.
"Good. You understood everything, right?" Gabriel asked, his fingers already hovering back over his keyboard.
"Oh, everything was clear. Crystal clear," she replied with a beaming smile. Internally, however, she was frustrated. I came here to build a connection, and all he wants to talk about is documentation, she thought. Deciding to pivot, she softened her voice. "Actually, I came by for a different kind of discussion."
Gabriel raised an eyebrow. "Yes?"
"Would you like to join me for dinner today?" she asked, tilting her head. Before he could recoil, she added quickly, "Don't think of it as a date. We could just have some general conversation... or talk more about the roadmap for the new project."
Gabriel opened his mouth to deliver a firm 'no,' but at that exact moment, his intercom chimed. The caller ID displayed Thomas Beckett.
"Saved by the bell," Gabriel muttered under his breath before hitting the speaker. "Yes, Thomas?"
"Gabriel, I need to see you in the meeting room immediately," Thomas’s voice crackled through.
"I’ll be there in a minute," Gabriel replied. He turned back to a disappointed-looking Delilah with a look of feigned regret. "I have to see Mr. Beckett now. We'll talk later. In the meantime, I need that roadmap for the project on my desk by the time I'm back. I'll need it for my status updates."
He left the cabin before she could even offer a parting remark, leaving her sitting alone with a roadmap she had no idea how to actually build.
In the executive meeting room, the mood was far more somber. Thomas Beckett gestured for Gabriel to take a seat. They quickly moved through the current migration project details, but once the formal agenda was finished, Thomas leaned back.
"How are the new teammates, Gabriel? I heard there were some initial hurdles with the team bonding," Thomas asked.
"It’s being sorted out," Gabriel replied cautiously. "It's an interim arrangement, so I can manage."
"That’s actually why I called you in," Thomas said. "We are officially merging the operations project under your management. The project head confirmed today that you’ll be taking full oversight."
Gabriel stared at him in shock. "Thomas, have you seen my current workload? How much more are you planning to dump on me?"
Thomas offered a small, appreciative smile. "Your performance is at the top of the list, Gabriel. That’s why the higher-ups picked your team. Excellence has its price."
"Is performing well a fault now?" Gabriel asked, half-joking but mostly frustrated. "We have high-priority migration tasks. The operations team requires management, and I only have so many hours in a day."
"I understand, but the team size is small," Thomas countered. "And work-wise, they seem to be doing well. They just need a bit of direction. Although..." Thomas paused, his expression turning skeptical. "I know whom you’re referring to. I have my own doubts about Delilah."
"If you have doubts, why is she still here?" Gabriel asked.
"That's the strange part," Thomas said, pulling up a performance spreadsheet on the screen. "On paper, she is in the top 2nd list for performance metrics in the entire department."
Gabriel nearly choked. "Top 2nd? How is that even possible? She barely knows the core concepts! I gave her a tool development project yesterday, and I’m still waiting on a simple roadmap. If I had given that to Theo or Philip, I’d have a finished product in a week."
Thomas sighed. "There's more. She is one of the highest-paid people in this organization. Andrew and Delilah were brought in at almost identical, inflated salaries. I don't know how the HR approval went through for that, but now her cost is hitting our project bills. I don't want to pay her for doing nothing while it affects the hike budget for the rest of the team. It’s unfair that Theo and Philip are paid so much less despite their experience."
"They are our best resources," Gabriel agreed, his jaw tightening. "We can't lose them because someone else is draining the budget."
"Then we need to get a hold of her this time and fire her," Thomas said firmly. "But we need concrete proof. I want a daily report of every single thing she does. Every task, every hour."
"I'll set that up," Gabriel said, a plan forming in his mind. "I’ll also ask Theo and Philip to send you daily reports and copy me. That way, we can verify if any of her work is actually being 'borrowed' or duplicated from them."
Thomas nodded. "Good idea. Now, for the most important part: You and the migration team need to visit the client’s site next week. You’ll be staying there for two weeks to run Phase 1 of the migration project. They want to see the progress in person and discuss some additions to the process. Prepare everyone to travel to the Eastern land."
Gabriel felt a sudden, massive wave of relief wash over him. Two weeks away meant two weeks where he wouldn't have to dodge Delilah’s dinner invitations or fake smiles in his cabin.
As Gabriel walked back from the meeting room, Delilah stepped out from behind a pillar, clearly having been lying in wait.
"Gabriel! About that dinner—" she started.
"I have a meeting with the migration team now, Delilah," Gabriel interrupted, not even slowing his pace. "We can catch up tomorrow. And don't forget that roadmap."
He ducked into the migration room, leaving a groaning Delilah in the hallway.
Inside, the team looked up as he entered. "Listen up, everyone," Gabriel said, his voice regaining its usual spark. "It’s official: I’m taking over Delilah’s team under my management. But don't worry—our original plan still stands. As long as we get the evidence we need, Theo and Philip will be safe."
The team nodded, though they still looked a bit stressed about the extra management layers.
"But," Gabriel continued, a wide grin spreading across his face, "I have some exciting news. We are traveling to the Eastern land next week! We’ll be stationed at the client’s site for two weeks to run Phase 1 and handle some new additions to the migration process."
The room erupted. Isaac let out a cheer, Phoebe and Samuel shared a high-five, and even the usually reserved Eva looked genuinely thrilled. Two weeks in a new country, focused entirely on the work they loved, was exactly the morale boost they needed—and for Gabriel and Eva, it was the perfect escape from the shadow of the past.
