Chapter 207

ELORA’S POV “Lucas, we have less than three weeks to get this done. You should take this more seriously.” I leaned back in my chair, pinching the bridge of my nose as I stared at the spreadsheet glowing on my laptop. I was annoyed…at him, at myself, at the pressure sitting on my chest. It had been a full week since Oliver handed us the project, and somehow I hadn’t even completed a quarter of it. I’d convinced myself I was the only one lagging behind, until Lucas called and proved otherwise. Which was…oddly comforting. “I know,” Lucas replied over the phone, his voice tight. “I’ve just been…distracted.” “That’s not good enough,” I said, softer now. “This is a challenge, Lucas. If you actually take it seriously, at least I’ll know I won fairly if I come out on top.” He chuckled. “Competitive as ever.” I smiled. “Yeah, that's me.” “You know I would’ve loved for us to work on it together,” He said. “We’re faster as a team.” “I know. But Oliver was clear…we have to work separately.” He sig