Effie nced gratefully at Ms. Cooper. Truth be told, she could have handled Irving Butler herself, but the fact that Ms. Cooper had stepped in on her behalf meant a lot to her.


    "Thank you, Ms. Cooper."


    Ms. Cooper waved it off with a smile. "You saved Lina. Helping you out was the least I could do." She paused, then added, "Let me buy you dinner sometime."


    Effie grinned. "I''d like that."


    Just then, the elevator doors slid open, revealing Lyman and Luther inside.


    Lyman knew this floor belonged to the design department, and he instinctively looked out, surprised to see Effie standing right by the elevator. His eyes lit up. At that moment, Effie looked up and met his gaze. She raised the corner of her mouth in a subtle greeting.


    Lyman couldn''t help but smile back.


    Luther, standing beside him, suddenly understood why Mr. Etheridge insisted on taking the regr elevator instead of his private one-it was for her!


    What Luther didn''t know was that, for the past few days, Lyman and Effie had barely left each other''s side, only separating for bathroom breaks and sleep. Having to be apart for so long now felt like an eternity for Lyman; he was just going through the motions at work.


    Desperate to see her even a minute sooner, he''d had to get creative.


    "Goodbye, Ms. Cooper," Luther said politely.


    "Goodbye," Ms. Cooper replied.


    Just as Effie turned to leave, Lyman shot her a discreet look, signaling for her to meet him in the parking lot.


    Effie gave a slight nod before walking away.


    At that moment, Irving Butler came out of his office. All he saw was Effie nodding and smiling toward the elevator, looking smug and pleased with herself. He assumed the smile was meant for Ms. Cooper.


    Now that the client was gone, Irving had no reason to keep up appearances with Effie.


    "Well yed, Effie," Irving sneered. "Didn''t think you had it in you to win over Ms. Cooper." He looked her up and down, his voice dripping with disdain. Surely, he thought, she must have used some underhanded trick.


    Effie narrowed her eyes, a dangerous glint shing in them.


    "You know, Irving," she said, "when your heart''s filthy, you see filth everywhere. Tell me, how much garbage did you eat for lunch today?"


    Irving bristled at her words, but before he could respond, she added, "Seriously, how much dog crap did you swallow? You''re so full of it you can''t help but spread it everywhere you go."


    Irving went pale, then his face turned an ugly shade of red.


    "Effie! Are you actually insulting your boss right now?" he growled, practically choking on his own anger.


    Effie shrugged. "It''s only an insult if it isn''t true. But I''m just stating the facts. Hardly counts as an insult, wouldn''t you say?"


    "You-!"


    She cut him off, pulling out her phone and waving it casually. "Irving, you said yourself that if Inded Ms. Cooper as a client, you wouldn''t try to push me out. I''ve got the whole conversation recorded, just in case you forget.”


    Irving''s face darkened even more.


    He hadn''t expected Effie to be this prepared. He clenched his jaw so hard it looked like it might crack. "Of course," he bit out.


    Furious but powerless, he turned and stormed off.


    Once he was gone, Shirley popped her head out from around the corner and gave Effie an enthusiastic thumbs up. "Effie, that was amazing. You really went toe-to- toe with him!"


    Effie grinned. "With guys like him, being polite just makes them worse. Give him an inch and he''ll take a mile."


    Shirley nodded, though concern lingered on her face. "Still... with his personality, I''m worried he mighte after you."