Nathaniel had expected that, after last night, Rebecca would want to be with him. He was shocked to realize she had never even considered breaking up with Damon."What do you mean? If you're not planning to break up, then what was last night all about?!" he demanded."Last night was just an accident. Let's pretend it never happened. Besides, Damon is your good friend. If he finds out that you slept with his girlfriend, it will damage your friendship," Rebecca said."Pretend nothing happened? Do you think that's possible?" Nathaniel questioned.He angrily grabbed Rebecca's hand and said emphatically, "Damon doesn't have any feelings for you anymore. When are you going to realize that?"Rebecca slapped him, her eyes blazing with anger. "This is between me and him. It's none of your business!"Nathaniel, furious, managed a bitter smile. "Fine! So be it!"He quickly gathered his clothes from the floor, dressed, and stormed out, slamming the door behind him with a loud bang.Once he
If Damon hadn't fallen for Nyla, he would have remained with Rebecca for the following three months. With Nyla refusing to wait any longer, he didn't want to delay her either."I was wrong to promise you I'd be with you for the next three months as your boyfriend. If you have any other conditions, let me know. I'll do my best to meet them," Damon said."What else can you offer me besides money and a place to live? Not to mention, we used to be together, and I risked my life to save you. All I asked for was your company for three months. Is that really too much to ask?" Rebecca pressed.Damon fell silent for a few seconds.Under Rebecca's disbelieving gaze, he finally nodded. "Yes. Rebecca, I'll never forget what you did for me, but I can't repay it with feelings. I'm sorry."Continuing to be with Rebecca would only hurt Nyla more and drive her further away. Damon couldn't imagine life without Nyla.Rebecca smiled self-deprecatingly, tears streaming down her face. "Damon, I really
"Didn't I tell you to think about it? Don't even think about leaving until you do," Damon replied.Clark's anger flared again as he clenched his fists on the desk. "I don't get it! I haven't done anything lately!"Damon sneered. "Are you sure about that?"Under Damon's cold gaze, Clark froze, a flicker of guilt surfacing in his heart."Looks like you've figured it out now?" Damon asked.Clark's fists tightened further.After a long moment, he gritted his teeth and said, "Yes, I'm behind the trending topic this morning. But what's the problem? Didn't you just get back together with Rebecca? And isn't Nyla getting involved?"Clark was nearly overwhelmed by jealousy and frustration, thinking about how Nyla had gotten involved with Damon right after their divorce."Do you have the right to interfere in our matters?" Damon demanded.Clark's face darkened, his chest heaving and his breathing growing heavy.At that moment, he clearly didn't have the right. Yet, he couldn't stand the
"Part of it is because of that, but the main reason is that I have something more important to do," Nyla replied.Melody sounded a bit disappointed. "I don't know if the new research scientist will be easy to get along with..."Nyla smiled and gently reassured her, "No matter how the new person is, just focus on doing a good job yourself.""That's all we can do," Melody remarked.…In the afternoon, Nyla went to Prospectus Technology to pack up her things.The new drug researcher hadn't arrived yet, so Melody was taking a break from experiments and reading literature in the office.Just as Nyla was about to leave, Melody hugged her tightly. "Nyla, even if you've resigned, we have to keep in touch!"Seeing Melody's reluctance, Nyla nodded. "Okay. I probably won't be able to help you with pursuing Gabriel, but good luck.""Alright," Melody replied.After saying goodbye to Melody, Nyla was about to leave when the office door was suddenly pushed open.They both looked up to see
Spencer stepped aside and called Damon, briefly explaining the situation before ending the call."Mr. Sumner has agreed to call the police," he informed after hanging up.The police arrived promptly.As Nyla and Melody gave their statements, Gabriel walked into the office. Upon seeing the police, his eyes widened, but he quickly masked his surprise."Nyla, Melody, what's going on?" he asked.Spencer stepped forward and said, "Mr. Hackett, the experimental data from Ms. Jayston's project has been leaked. Have you noticed anyone suspicious entering or leaving the lab recently?"Gabriel thought for a moment and shook his head. "No. It's usually just the three of us in the lab."Spencer nodded. "Alright. You'll need to provide a statement as well."After they finished their statements, two hours had passed. They were instructed not to return to the lab and to wait at home for the investigation results, remaining available for further police questioning.As they left Prospectus Tec
Nyla walked to the door and looked through the peephole, surprised to see Gabriel. They had just parted ways not long ago—why was he back?As Nyla hesitated whether to open the door, Gabriel's deep voice came from outside. "Nyla, after I got home, I suddenly remembered a detail that might be related to the data leak."Nyla's expression tensed. She opened the door slightly and asked, "What detail?"Gabriel's gaze hardened as Nyla had only cracked the door open and hadn't invited him in."Once, when Melody and I were having dinner, she received a call midway through and then mentioned she had left something in the lab and rushed off. I thought, with work the next day, what could be so urgent that she needed to go back that night?" Gabriel suggested.A flicker of realization crossed Nyla's face. "If she went back to copy the data and give it to Contelligence, she probably wouldn't have told you she was going to the lab. She'd likely have used some other excuse."Gabriel looked down,
Gabriel offered a slight smile. "Mr. Sumner, haven't you heard the saying that an older brother is like a father? Nyla is quite innocent, so as her older brother, it's natural for me to look after her."Gabriel and Damon locked eyes, and the atmosphere between them grew icy. They each understood the other's unspoken message.Damon didn't believe that a stepbrother would treat his stepsister as well as a real sibling. Furthermore, his investigation had shown that their relationship was poor.Upon recalling the auction where Gabriel had deliberately competed with him for The Lone Tear, Damon's expression darkened."In that case, I should consider you a brother as well," Damon suggested.Gabriel sneered. "I've never seen anyone as shameless as you."Nyla frowned at Damon. "Mr. Sumner, what exactly do you want to say? If you're finished, you can leave."After a moment of silence, Damon realized it wasn't the best time to continue the discussion. He said quietly, "We'll talk about th
Not long after Nyla's car hit the road, she sensed something was amiss. She deliberately changed directions several times, but the black car continued to follow her.She frowned in concern. It was clear that the unmarked car was tailing her.After a moment of consideration, she decided to turn around and head in the opposite direction from her home.…About ten minutes later, Nyla parked her car in front of the police station.The car following her finally realized something was wrong and tried to leave, but the police quickly stopped it.Officers swiftly detained the occupant of the car.Only after confirming her safety did Nyla get out of her vehicle."Ms. Jayston, please come with us to make a statement," an officer requested.Nyla nodded and glanced at the person being led into the police station. He appeared to be in his early 20s, with a square face and plain features—one of those faces that blended into a crowd.Nyla was certain she had never seen him before.The man