At that moment, Valarie felt as if she had fallen into an ice pit. But on reflection, there wasn't much to be upset about. After all, she had gotten together with Zayn because of the Updike Group. Since her intentions hadn't been pure, she had no right to expect genuine affection from him.Nyla frowned and firmly placed the card in Valarie's hand, saying, "Valarie, just take the money for now. If you really don't need it later, you can return it to me."As for Zayn, I know you don't have many options, so I won't try to persuade you. Just make sure you've thought it through and won't regret it."Tears welled up in Valarie's eyes, and she stopped resisting. "Thank you, Nyla! No matter what happens with the Weir Group, I'll pay you back!"It was easy to celebrate someone's wins, but helping them through hardship was different. Over this period, Valarie had learned who her true friends were and who kicked her when she was down."There's no need to thank me. Don't cry now, or your masc
Seeing Ruby's eagerness to avoid Sullivan, Nyla couldn't help but smile. "Okay, I understand."The experiment finally ended around 7:00 p.m.After cleaning up the equipment and workspace, Nyla was preparing to leave when Sullivan approached her with a bag of food."Nyla, you all worked hard on the experiment, so I brought some food," he said.Surprised, Nyla raised an eyebrow. "Sullivan, that's very thoughtful of you."Tina, who knew Sullivan well, joined them. "Sullivan, you're as considerate as always."In the past, when they worked late on experiments, he would bring them food. She hadn't expected him to continue even after the teams were split up.With a friendly smile, Sullivan said, "Of course. You've all been working hard. As the project leader, it's my duty to handle the logistics."Since eating wasn't allowed in the lab, he set the food up in the nearby office.Although Nyla didn't particularly like Sullivan, she maintained a professional demeanor.After washing her
Ruby was the hardest worker in the lab, and Nyla didn't want to see her efforts go to waste because of Sullivan.Just as Nyla was about to leave, her phone suddenly rang. Seeing it was Damon, she swiped to answer with a flicker of excitement in her eyes."Have the experiments wrapped up yet?" Damon asked."Just finished. Aren't you back yet?" Nyla replied."Hm, I'll come down for you so we can go back together," Damon answered.His voice was low and soothing, almost as if he were whispering in Nyla's ear, and she could feel his breath brushing past her.A gentle breeze rustled the still air, causing her heart to skip a beat.She lowered her gaze and replied softly, "Okay."After hanging up, she walked into the office, where Leon and Tina were still eating."I'm heading out first. Clean up after you finish eating and make sure to lock the office door," she instructed.Leon asked, "Aren't you going to eat?""Not this time. I'll see you tomorrow," Nyla replied.After giving th
Margaret glared at Ruby, resentment burning in her eyes. How could Ruby, working at such a good company, possibly be broke? She must have been planning to abandon Hansel!Across from her sat Alex Douglas, a man in his 40s with one eye blind, a scarred face, and a menacing demeanor."Are you sure if I bring her back, you'll pay me 3,000 dollars?" Alex asked.Margaret clenched her teeth. "Of course. Duncan agreed to give 40,000 dollars as a dowry. As soon as I get the money, I'll give you 3,000 dollars."Alex sneered. "Giving me just 3,000 dollars out of 40,000 dollars? Seems a bit unfair, don't you think?"Margaret was surprised by his sudden change of tone, and her expression darkened. "Alex, don't try to raise the price. You know that money is for saving my son's life. Trying to take advantage of me now? That's just cruel!"Alex looked at her mockingly. "You're willing to throw your daughter into the fire just to save your son. Who's more inhumane here?"Margaret fumed. "Are yo
There were no surveillance cameras in that alley. Since they hadn't seen the person's face, calling the police would be pointless, but it was still better than doing nothing at all.Ruby bit her lip, deciding she would rather take a longer route than walk through that alley again.Noticing her pale face, Sullivan fell silent momentarily before saying, "But before he left, he said something.""What did he say?" Ruby asked."He told me not to meddle, saying that even if I could intervene for a moment, I wouldn't be able to control things for long," Sullivan replied. "And when he left, I felt like his gaze toward you wasn't that of a stranger. You two may know each other."Ruby was appalled—she immediately thought of Hansel losing a lot of money gambling. If that person really did know her, her parents may have sent them…"I understand, Sullivan. Thank you for today. It's getting late, so you should head home. I'll treat you to a meal another day," she said."No need. It was just a
Nyla watched Damon's broad back, feeling warmth in the places where he had touched her. It was as if those spots were burning, sending heat through her body straight to her heart.A few seconds later, she snapped out of it and carried the pasta outside.When Damon emerged after washing the pan, he saw Nyla sitting at the dining table, staring down, seemingly lost in thought. He walked over and sat down across from her."Why aren't you eating?" he asked.Nyla looked up. The moment their eyes met, she quickly looked away. "I'm waiting for you. Let's eat together."With that, she picked up her cutlery and shoved some pasta into her mouth."Be careful, it's hot!" Damon reminded her, but it was too late.The moment the scalding pasta touched Nyla's tongue, she frowned in pain.Feeling a sharp sting, she quickly spat the pasta out.In the next instant, a cool hand grasped her chin.Damon said, "Open your mouth."Nyla instinctively complied, a refreshing pine scent enveloping her,
Lydia quickly nodded. "Okay, I'll go get it now."By the time she returned with the oral gel, Nyla was coming out of the kitchen."Ms. Kinsey, Mr. Sumner said you burned your tongue while eating. You should apply this oral gel, and it should be better by morning," Lydia advised.Nyla took the oral gel and replied, "Thank you, Lydia. It's getting late, so you should go rest."Lydia glanced toward the kitchen. "Ms. Kinsey, are you planning to cook something? Do you want me to help?""No need. I'm just making some soup. I can handle it. You should go get some rest," Nyla answered.Lydia nodded. "Alright, but if you need anything, just call me.""Will do," Nyla replied.Once Lydia left, the living room fell into a sudden quiet, with only Nyla and Damon present.After what had just happened, she felt a bit awkward facing him.Damon put down his cutlery and looked at her. "Come here."Under the lights, he appeared calm, but an undeniable tension filled the air."What's wrong?" Ny
"Okay, I understand," Nyla replied.She lowered her eyes, suddenly recalling that the soup was cooking in the kitchen. When she looked up to ask Damon if she could have some now, she found herself lost in his tender gaze instead.The living room fell silent.She could almost hear her heart racing. After a few seconds of staring, she finally snapped back to reality and quickly averted her gaze.Right away, Damon's deep voice broke the silence. "What is it?"Nyla bit her lip and spoke softly. "I just wanted to ask if I can still have soup tonight?""You can, but try to avoid the areas that got burned," Damon answered."Got it. I'm fine now," Nyla said."Alright, I'll check again in the morning. If there's still swelling, we'll apply the oral gel again," Damon replied.As soon as he finished speaking, Nyla recalled the earlier moment when he applied the oral gel for her, and her cheeks flushed.She really didn't want to go through that again, so she said, "Just give me the oral