All Chapters of Unwritten chemistry in his eyes: Chapter 11 - Chapter 18

The venue was smaller than I expected—warm lights, soft holiday music humming in the background, and little clusters of coworkers laughing over drinks. It felt… intimate. Too intimate.It’s the best Friday evening. Everyone looked pretty chilled and excited. Me and Liam just took the coach arranged by the company to arrive there. There were still a few people who was on their way, driving their own vehicles. These included Daniel.I couldn’t stop thinking about the moment when I was talking to Eva half an hour ago. Daniel was sitting there sending an order to a one of our suppliers. He suddenly turned to me and asked if I was going to the party.“You’ll enjoy it,” Liam said, nudging my arm as we stepped inside. “Stay with me. I won’t let you end up talking to unfamiliar people all night.”I smirked. “Appreciate your rescue in advance.”Across the room, Eva and Olivia were already at the center of everything, effortlessly floating between conversations, with their Christmas hats on. Ev

I told myself I wouldn’t check again.But as I lay in bed, staring at the faint glow of my phone, I couldn’t stop thinking about Eva’s follow request from earlier.It wasn’t weird, right? Just coworkers connecting. Normal.But the image of Lauren’s arm around Daniel’s shoulder at the pub—her easy confidence—wouldn’t leave me alone.I sighed and opened Instagram.Eva’s profile sat near the top of my notifications. Her page was exactly what I expected—brunch spots, weekend getaways, and scattered work events. Olivia was practically in half the photos, the two of them beaming in perfect lighting, like they belonged everywhere they went.I almost closed the app.But then I noticed it.Tagged by Olivia.I hovered for a second before tapping Olivia’s profile. I didn’t follow her, but hers wasn’t private. Public.A quick scroll down, and there they were—Eva and Olivia at a sleek gala event last year. The photo was captioned something about "lab queens on the loose.”And there, between them,

I focused on the screen, willing the numbers to line up.It’s just a small mistake, I told myself. Fix it and move on.The problem was, I couldn’t shake the feeling that I wasn’t the only one watching.Across the lab, Olivia leaned against the far bench, her eyes flicking toward me every so often—like she was waiting for another slip-up.I tried to ignore it, but the knot in my stomach only tightened.The atmosphere shifted about an hour earlier.It happened when the CEO, Malcolm Reid, made an unannounced visit to the lab. His rare appearances always sent a ripple through the team, even Daniel straightened up slightly when Malcolm strolled in, hands casually tucked into his suit pockets.Malcolm nodded to Daniel near the fume hood, glancing around as if inspecting the place.“How’s the team doing?” Malcolm asked, his voice cutting through the hum of equipment.Daniel set his clipboard down. “Good. We’ve made progress on the latest trials. Maggie’s been handling the new data sets, and

The café hummed with soft conversation and the faint clinking of cutlery against porcelain. Olivia slid into the seat across from Lauren, shaking the drizzle off her coat.“Sorry I’m late,” Olivia said, brushing her hair behind her ear. “Got caught up at the lab.”Lauren set her phone aside, flashing a faint smile. “Eva keeping you busy?”“More like Maggie.” Olivia’s tone carried just enough weight to make Lauren pause mid-stir of her tea.Lauren’s gaze lifted, sharp but curious. “Maggie?”Olivia leaned back in her chair, swirling the tea absentmindedly. “She’s been catching Daniel’s attention. Malcolm mentioned her too. Apparently, she’s quite sharp.”Lauren’s hand didn’t stop moving, but the rhythm of her stirring slowed.“Daniel notices everyone when they start,” Lauren said smoothly. “It’s part of his job.”“Maybe,” Olivia said, her eyes flicking toward Lauren. “But I haven’t seen him this invested in a while.”Lauren’s mask of composure remained, but Olivia wasn’t finished.“Oh,”