Damon stiffened and averted his gaze. "It's nothing.""Is your arm still hurting?" Nyla asked, trying to look at Damon's arm, but he turned away.He dismissed her concern. "It's fine. Let's get ready for dinner."He didn't even glance at Nyla as he walked past her toward the dining room.Nyla frowned, sensing something was off about his attitude. She thought back and realized his demeanor had changed after she returned to the car from the pharmacy.Could it be because she hadn't mentioned Ruby to him? Was he sulking?During dinner, Damon spoke only to Mason, ignoring Nyla unless she initiated the conversation.After dinner, seeing Damon head toward the study, Nyla quickly followed him."Damon, wait! I need to talk to you," she called out.His tone was somewhat cold when he replied, "What is it?"Nyla looked up at him. "Are you upset with me?"Damon avoided her gaze. "No.""If that's true, then why were you only talking to Buddy at dinner?" she pressed."You're overthinking
Damon picked up the car keys and said, "I'll take you there."Worried that Valarie might get into trouble at the bar, Nyla nodded. "Okay."…By the time they arrived at the bar, an hour had passed.When they found Valarie, she was already a bit dazed and being hit on by a drunken man. Nyla stepped forward and swatted the man's hand away from Valarie."Stay away from her!" she warned.The man, his face flushed with alcohol, turned angrily to face her. When he saw how beautiful she was, his eyes lit up. "Hey, gorgeous, what's your number—"Before he could finish his sentence, a chilling voice came from behind him. "Touch her, and you'll regret it!"The man turned to meet Damon's icy gaze. He shuddered, sobering up a little.Noticing Damon's distinguished appearance, the man awkwardly smiled. "Sorry, I mistook her for someone else."He quickly turned and left, clearly eager to avoid Damon.Nyla supported the dazed Valarie, who was nearly unable to stand. "Valarie, what happened
"Thanks, Lydia, I appreciate it," Nyla replied.Lydia shook her head with a smile. "It's no trouble."With that, she went to the kitchen.As soon as Nyla returned from fetching water in the bathroom, she heard Valarie's quiet sobs. She hurried to the bedside, setting down the basin of water, and gently nudged Valarie."Valarie, how are you feeling?" she asked.Valarie opened her eyes. Upon seeing Nyla, she began to cry even harder. "Nyla… is my life a failure?"Noticing her red-rimmed eyes, Nyla quickly knelt beside her and replied gently, "Why do you think that?""The Weir Group is in trouble, and I can't help at all… I'm clearly attracted to Brandon, but I'm too afraid of the age difference to pursue it. I decided to get engaged to Zayn for the Weir Group, but I'm not doing it wholeheartedly… And Zayn has a mistress…" Valarie confessed.She tried to convince herself that she didn't care, but it was impossible to feel completely indifferent, especially since Zayn's mistress ha
The study was still lit, and Damon hadn't gone to bed yet. Surprise flashed in his eyes when he saw Nyla. "What are you doing here? How's Valarie?""She's already asleep," Nyla answered.Noticing that Nyla seemed to have something to say, Damon raised an eyebrow."Damon, thank you for what you did tonight," Nyla said."Why are you being so polite? I'm your boyfriend—it's what I should do," Damon replied.After a moment of hesitation, Nyla appeared to make up her mind. She slowly raised her head to meet his gaze. "It's not just about tonight. You've always been good to me since we met. I owe you an apology and a thank you."The seriousness in her eyes made Damon press his lips together and approach her.As he drew closer, Nyla subconsciously stepped back and asked warily, "Why are you getting up all of a sudden?"Damon beamed. "Didn't you want to thank me?""Yeah, but you—" Nyla began.Before she could finish her sentence, Damon wrapped his arms around her waist and picked her
That night, Nyla couldn't sleep. As soon as she closed her eyes, the image of marrying Damon filled her mind, making it impossible to doze off.It wasn't until just before dawn that she finally managed to fall asleep.When she woke up in the morning, dark circles were evident under her eyes.During breakfast, Damon raised an eyebrow at her and asked, "Didn't sleep well last night?"Nyla glared at the one responsible for her sleepless night. "Yeah.""Was it because I said I needed a wife?" Damon asked teasingly.Seeing him smile like a lovesick puppy, Nyla instinctively denied it. "Of course not! I was… worried about Valarie, so I couldn't sleep. What you said had nothing to do with it!""Nyla, I never realized you were so good at saying one thing and meaning another," Damon replied.Nyla gritted her teeth. "And I didn't know you could talk so much. It's early, and you won't stop chatting even over breakfast."Damon's smile widened as he continued to eat elegantly.His calm de
Damon was silent for a few seconds before telling Spencer, "Have him come to my office at 10:00 a.m."Spencer nodded. "Got it."Just as he was about to leave, Damon suddenly called him back. "Wait, go to the pharmacy and pick up some stomach medicine to send to the lab."Spencer knew exactly who it was for without needing to be told—no one else in the lab had the privilege of Damon personally sending someone to buy medicine for them."Okay, I'll head there right away," he answered.…Nyla had just arrived at the lab when Spencer walked in."Ms. Kinsey, this is the medicine that Mr. Sumner asked me to get for you," he informed her.Seeing the bag in Spencer's hand, filled with various stomach medications, she couldn't help but chuckle. "Mr. Hogg, I'm fine. I just overate this morning."Spencer handed her the bag. "Ms. Kinsey, just accept it. This is Mr. Sumner's kind gesture, and I need a good reason to report back.""Alright, please thank him for me," Nyla said, accepting the
Ruby's eyes instantly dimmed as she bit her lip, unsure how to respond.After a moment of silence, she slowly said, "Nyla, I know you're trying to help me, but I really can't. I need this extra income to make ends meet."Nyla sighed, her tone softening. "I understand your situation, but you also need to think about your future. If you fall behind on your experiments because you're out making deliveries, that will be a real shame."Ruby's eyes turned slightly red as she looked down, her voice trembling. "I'll try my best to balance my work with making deliveries. I won't let it affect the experiments."Nyla gently patted Ruby's shoulder and handed her a bank card. "Since you don't want to talk about your troubles, I won't pry. This money should get you through to next month. If it's not enough, come back and let me know. Try to avoid running deliveries for now."Ruby tried to decline. "No… Nyla, you've already helped me so much. I can't—" Before she could finish, Nyla firmly pres
Damon looked at Nathaniel coldly and asked, "How do you know this?""Recently, Rebecca has been making secret calls behind my back. I checked her call records, and they mostly came from abroad," Nathaniel explained, his expression indifferent, as if discussing something that didn't concern him.The office fell silent as Damon's eyes narrowed, weighing the trustworthiness of Nathaniel's words. Feeling anxious, Nathaniel hurriedly added, "As long as you give me this project, I'll keep an eye on Rebecca's every move and report back to you daily.""Nathaniel, Rebecca is your wife and the woman you've loved for so many years. Are you sure what you're saying is credible?" Damon asked.Seeing the doubt and coldness in Damon's eyes, Nathaniel quickly replied, "I haven't been in love with Rebecca for a long time now. If it weren't for you forcing me to marry her five years ago, she wouldn't even be alive today!"Damon's gaze turned even colder at Nathaniel's desperate attempt to distance