Margot was momentarily stunned by the sudden barrage of accusations.
"What? No—"
She instinctively wanted to defend herself, but before she could finish, Sophia's voice, sharp with anger, cut her off. "Oh, so now you're talking back? Have you been back for a while? I heard you came home and just lounged around for days without even letting me know! We've all been waiting for you to return from your 'inspiration trip' so we could have a meeting and discuss ideas. But instead, you've been slacking off?"
There were other colleagues standing around, and Sophia was being anything but subtle. Her blunt words ignited a flicker of frustration in Margot's chest.
"Can you at least let me explain? I wasn't slacking off. Ever since I got back from abroad, I've been working," Margot said, her v
