Once a Doormat Now Untouchable (Caleb and Sydney) novel Chapter 770

Snow was falling over Norchester again that morning.

Diana stood by the floor-to-ceiling window of her hotel room, watching sanitation workers below shovel the accumulated snow toward the curbs and expose the gray-blue asphalt beneath.

Her phone buzzed twice on the nightstand. She crossed the room and picked it up. It was a message from Raymond.

Raymond: [Diana, did you sign the contract?]

She typed back: [Not yet. Going this morning.]

Raymond replied almost instantly.

Raymond: [Thanks for the trouble.]

Diana slipped her phone into her pocket and headed to the bathroom to get ready.

…

At 9:30 a.m. that morning, Diana arrived at the Jillson Group's headquarters right on time.

Nina followed beside her, a government document in hand, quietly briefing her on a few final details.

Diana listened as they crossed the ground-floor lobby toward the elevator bank.

When the elevator doors opened, several employees were already inside. The moment they saw her, they instinctively stepped aside to make room. A few recognized her, their eyes lingering for a brief moment before they quickly looked away.

Diana entered without a change in expression, with Nina close behind.

The elevator stopped on the seventeenth floor.

As Diana stepped out, the sole of her shoe landed on a faint patch of water left on the tile. Her foot slipped, and her body pitched forward before she could catch herself.

"Diana!"

The voice reached her before she could react.

A hand closed around her arm, steadying her with a firm pull that shifted her just enough to regain her balance.

Her gaze shifted between Diana and Hugo as though searching for something unspoken. Then she quickly lowered her eyes, turned, and carried the coffee toward the offices.

The movement was subtle and over in an instant, but Diana noticed it all the same. She said nothing, looked away, and followed Hugo into his office.

Hugo walked behind his desk and sat down before gesturing toward the chair across from him.

"The contract's ready. Take a look."

Diana accepted the contract and flipped through the pages. From time to time, she picked up a pen to mark a few minor points. She read quickly but examined every clause with care, looking up to confirm the details with Hugo whenever she had a question.

About 20 minutes later, she reached the final page and signed her name in the signature block.

Once she finished, she closed the contract and handed one signed copy to Hugo.

"Done. Legal will handle the rest of the process."

Diana nodded. "As the project moves into the implementation phase, I'll have Ray coordinate with you from our side."