Three years was all it took for someone Natalie used to know very well to turn into a stranger to her. Joshua surprised her by taking out his anger on her over something she had no part in.Natalie stood on the sidewalk outside Grayson Corporation with a sardonic smile. She felt silly for confidently letting Gina return without her just now.Frowning, she considered taking a taxi to her apartment.It had been a while since she had taken a taxi since her return from abroad. She despised the seats taken by strangers and the unpleasant smell inside. There was no way she would take a taxi.Natalie quickly pulled out her phone and called her driver, Andrew. "Come pick me up at the Grayson Corp entrance."Andrew sounded somewhat puzzled. "Aren't you coming back in Mr. Grayson's car? Why the sudden—""Why do you even care? Just do as you're told. Don't you want this job anymore?" Natalie snapped. She hadn't expected a mere driver to question her."I'll be right there," Andrew replied q
"Professor, where shall we eat?" Ryan asked as he looked at Natasha, who was still busy.After lifting the test tube, Natasha narrowed her eyes as she carefully added a few drops of reagent.A mesmerizing swirl was formed as the bright red and deep blue chemicals mingled. The resulting mixture looked as beautiful as fireworks at first glance.Pausing in her actions, Natasha said, "Hmm… didn't you mention a fantastic restaurant last time? Let's head over there.""Oh, yeah. I nearly forgot," Ryan replied. He was surprised that Natasha remembered better than he did."Well, let's go there. I know the owner very well, and the food is delicious. It can easily compete with the dishes of renowned restaurants," Ryan asserted.He knew that Natasha had probably tried out a lot of Michelin-starred restaurants, but he was confident that this place would surpass them all."Really? I'm looking forward to that." Natasha nodded. "We can go there as soon as I finish this experiment.""Don't worr
Natasha didn't want Ryan to overthink things or be fainthearted. She said gently, "You don't have to apologize. Just have your mind on the experiment and have no worries about anything else."You don't have to feel intimidated just because I entered the field of pharmaceuticals a few years earlier than you did. I'm just a regular person."You can just call me Natasha if you feel uncomfortable. Will that make things less formal?" Natasha cocked her head sideways and looked at Ryan earnestly."Huh?" Ryan was stunned. Calling Natasha by her name made him feel a little uncomfortable for some reason.His mind was in such a state of disarray that he had no idea which reagent tube to pick up. His nervous hand reached for a test tube containing a pale yellow reagent."This one has already been extracted. You won't be needing it anymore," Natasha reminded softly."Sorry, I didn't realize." Ryan quickly put the reagent tube back where he had found it.He scanned around and picked up a lar
"Okay." Natasha unfastened her belt and glanced out of the window.The streets were bustling with people, and street vendors lined the sidewalks. Many booths were decorated with strings of lights.The bright bulbs were shrouded in the steam from the food that was being prepared. Almost everyone on the street was smiling as they picked from the various dishes they wanted.Natasha had never experienced such an atmosphere before. As a child in the Sullivan residence, her meals were always at fine restaurants, and her daily activities took place in sophisticated settings.Growing up, she rarely went shopping with her family because the butler took care of everything. She simply told the butler what she needed, and the items would be delivered to her doorstep.On top of that, Natasha had a natural talent for pharmaceuticals. When she was three years old, Austin took her to Topola's Herb Valley to learn about various medicinal herbs. She spent little time at the Sullivan residence.Tuc
Ryan confidently led the way for Natasha after they turned into a quiet street. It was much quieter than the main street they just came from.At the end of the long street was a small, busy restaurant. It looked tiny at first, but Natasha noticed it was quite spacious inside."We're here!" Ryan pointed at the restaurant.He walked inside and called out to the owner, Billy Huffman."Mr. Huffman, we'll have some of your signature dishes."A friendly old man came out of the back and answered with a cheerful smile, "Sure thing."His face was lined with age. But when he smiled, he seemed kind and benevolent.Seeing Natasha still standing, Ryan waved her over. "Professor, come in and sit down!"Natasha stepped in while taking in the restaurant's fine but not overbearing decor. Every detail was carefully arranged, with each table and chair positioned perfectly, leaving no room for excess.The two picked a table and sat down. Service was remarkably quick despite the busy crowd. The di
Gina didn't answer. She squinted her eyes to see if the person across from her was indeed Natasha."Mom, what are you staring at? Let's eat," Jonas said impatiently.Gina turned her eyes away and replied, "Yeah, I'm eating." She slid a bowl of clam chowder over to Jonas."I'm not having this." Jonas frowned and pushed the bowl back to its original position."Why, Jonas? You always loved clam chowder." Gina smiled awkwardly. She slid the clam chowder back over to Jonas.Jonas took his plate and moved away from her with a displeased expression. Gina was stunned. "What's with this boy?"Tim looked at her and snarled. "He doesn't want it, so why bother him? Do you want to spoil the day?"…Meanwhile, several dishes were laid out in front of Natasha and Ryan. Natasha examined them carefully and noticed that the restaurant's focus was on seasoning and cooking techniques."Professor, give it a try," Ryan said with hopeful eyes as he handed the utensils to Natasha."Sure." Natasha sa
Natasha furrowed her brow. Ryan didn't seem like a liar, and he spoke without uneasiness. He had obviously been to those restaurants.She began to sense that Ryan had a distinguished background and questioned how he could willingly stay in the lab as an assistant.Besides, Oceanville's wealthy people generally looked down on these affordable restaurants. They thought that these budget restaurants were not very hygienic and that eating there would lower their status.However, Ryan had been to this particular place several times and knew the owner quite well.All of a sudden, Natasha remembered that time she saw Ryan at the Zales residence.Just as she was speculating who Ryan might be, she looked up to see him carefully pouring her a cup of coffee. The sound of the coffee pouring out of the pot was a pleasant one."Where did you get the coffee?" Natasha asked in amazement. Coffee wasn't on the menu in this place."Don't you like coffee? I specifically asked Mr. Huffman for it. Th
Ryan frowned when he heard Malcolm's name.Gina, who was nearby, was also surprised. Before this, Natalie had told Gina that the person in the photo was Malcolm, EngenCorp Group's president. Even though Gina was just a housekeeper, she knew that someone with the title of president had to be wealthy and influential.Excitement bubbled in Gina's heart. She hadn't expected to see Malcolm calling Natasha by chance.She shifted her body and glanced in Natasha's direction. Perhaps her movement was too conspicuous, Ryan, who was sitting across from Natasha, looked in her direction.Their eyes met. Gina gasped inwardly and lowered her head.Trying to hide her nervousness, she cleared her throat and pushed the clam chowder toward Jonas while stealing a few glances at Ryan."Why are you shoving it at me when I already said I don't want clam chowder?" Jonas grew even angrier.Gina was wondering if Ryan had noticed her. She heard Jonas speaking but didn't catch what he was saying. She cas