Allyson's POV
The past week had consumed every waking moment of my life. Lisha and I worked relentlessly on the Aura project, our days bleeding into endless nights as we refined every detail. The memory of Michael's threat to remove us from the project haunted me constantly. I couldn't let that happen. So I swallowed my pride and buried my frustration with Lisha deep inside, focusing solely on delivering excellence.
I had to admit Michael was right about one thing. Lisha possessed sharp intelligence that impressed me despite everything. Her quick thinking and innovative ideas could have made us great collaborators under different circumstances. But her willingness to pursue a man who already had a girlfriend revealed a moral compass that pointed in the opposite direction from mine. That knowledge created an invisible wall between us that professional courtesy couldn't break down.
