Chapter 4

Phoebe didn't refute Alexandra's words. All she did was look at the lingering mark on her ring finger and say, "This mark is so ugly. I should've taken the ring off earlier."

When Alexandra heard that, she realized that Phoebe was serious this time. She couldn't be sure that the latter would ultimately go through with this, but at least her attitude was better than it had ever been. Although she didn't need to be sarcastic anymore, she couldn't help herself.

She said, "Your love story isn't worth more than a good meal."

Phoebe didn't explain anything. She simply said, "Let's go, then. I'll treat you to one."

However, Alexandra didn't budge. She arched a brow and looked at Phoebe. "My time is precious. Tell me what you're really here for, and I'll decide whether you're worth me spending time on this meal."

Phoebe was silent for a few seconds. Then, she said, "I'm going to resume writing the paper I put on hold before, and I need to use your lab to run the data."

The tech industry changed too quickly, so she needed to make many amendments to her paper. She hadn't dared mention it over the phone to Alexandra because she'd felt guilty.

Phoebe knew what Alexandra was like. The latter would berate her for not doing this earlier. After all, if Phoebe hadn't gotten married, the paper would've been published while she'd still been in college.

As expected, Alexandra looked at Phoebe incredulously. "Are you just doing this on a whim?"

Phoebe said, "I'm being serious."

Alexandra scrutinized her. Being in the industry, she knew that Harry's research had recently attracted intense attention from major tech companies.

Close to zero people were aware that three years ago, Phoebe had already solved the technical bottleneck that his team currently faced. And the output from that, Lugi-X, currently belonged to Alexandra's company.

As the sole developer of the Lugi-X large language model, Phoebe had tackled numerous challenges, any one of which could have stalled an entire lab. To Alexandra, Phoebe was undeniably a top-tier genius.

Unfortunately, this genius had a romantic streak. It was bad enough that she'd run off to marry someone. To make matters worse, she'd sunk low enough to work as someone's secretary and run errands for them.

Alexandra couldn't wrap her head around how Phoebe had abandoned her craft and squandered her talent. She said, "You've put it on hold for three years. Are you sure it's still worth anything?"

Phoebe said, "I'll make adjustments to it. Once Professor Ormond is free, I'll check with her to see if I'm on the right path. I'll only continue once she gives me the green light."

Naturally, that was only if Jessie was willing to see her.

Alexandra said, "You're in for a long wait, then. Professor Ormond is busy serving the country with her research, so she won't be available anytime soon."

"I'm patient enough." Now that Phoebe was no longer obsessed with making Connor fall for her, time was the one thing she had in abundance.

Alexandra wanted to say something else, but she knew full well that even if Phoebe had been away from the industry for a few years, her research was at a level where Alexandra's technical expertise would be of no help.

Alexandra thought that the world of a genius was truly absurd.

Thus, she dropped the subject and said, "I can have this meal with you."

Despite her sharp tongue, she had a soft heart. Although she acted like she was reluctant, it was just that—an act. She wouldn't have accompanied Phoebe to the jewelry store otherwise.

Phoebe chuckled. "Thanks for gracing me with your presence, Ms. Cooper."

…

Evan was out shopping with an influencer whom he had officially started dating an hour ago. He didn't expect to see a familiar face. He was about to go after Phoebe, but she was already gone.

He headed to the jewelry store she'd come out of and told his girlfriend to pick whatever she liked. Meanwhile, he asked the store clerk for more information.

As he listened to her tell him about what had happened, he grew excited.

Connor had lied to him! Phoebe wouldn't have sold her wedding ring if she'd obediently gone home that morning to continue being Connor's bootlicker, would she?

An idea came to him, and he quickly invited his friends out for drinks.

That night, everyone was enjoying themselves when Connor finally arrived. The moment Evan saw him, he said loudly, "Hey, guys. I saw Phoebe selling her wedding ring today. What do you think she's up to this time?"

They would all make fun of Phoebe each time they got together. Initially, they'd been worried that Connor would be bothered by it. If he so much as frowned, they would've immediately stopped.

To their surprise, they were wrong. Connor couldn't care less about what they said about Phoebe, even if they did it to his face.

However, that night, before anyone else could say anything, Connor said coolly, "She's putting on an act for me."

Lance had told him everything Phoebe had said at the cafe earlier. Connor would be lying if he said that he wasn't surprised, but he came to the same conclusion that Lance had—she was only being like this because she'd been provoked. He reckoned that selling the wedding ring was just part of her scheme.

"An act? That does seem like something she'd do."

"That's not going to work on Connor, though. Everyone knows that he hasn't ever worn his wedding ring since getting married."

Evan said, "He has—for special occasions. For instance, he wouldn't dare go without it when Mr. Russell Senior was around…"

Connor shot him a displeased look. He immediately cleared his throat and changed his stance. "Uh, I mean, he's never worn it! Not once!"

Connor looked slightly appeased by that.

Evan's lips twitched. Then, he said, "I saw Phoebe head to another jewelry store after that. I bet she wanted to buy a new pair of matching rings for you and her. Will you wear it?"

Connor pretended as though he didn't hear a single thing. He looked down at his phone, and his gaze softened slightly. He was known for being cold and aloof, so it was rare to see such gentleness in his eyes.

Evan leaned in to see what he was doing and discovered that he was chatting with Vanessa.

The screen instantly went dark. Connor shot him a displeased look, clearly annoyed at being disturbed. "Did you call me here over something so dumb?"

Evan had figured it out. Connor wouldn't care about Phoebe, even if she went missing for a month. No matter what she did, it would be pointless as long as Connor didn't pay her any attention. That meant that Evan wouldn't get to see Connor make a fool of himself.

Evan tutted, sounding disappointed. "I may not have won, but you lost first. Remember to buy me a meal."

He was talking about their bet on Phoebe's return.

Connor went along with it. "You set the date."

Evan said, "It's almost Vanessa's birthday, so let's do it on that day. We can all join in the fun."

Connor said, "I would've invited you guys to join us for the party, even if you hadn't said anything."

"Oh, so you've already made plans. How thoughtful!"

It sure made a difference whether a person cared about something. Evan remembered that Phoebe's birthday had been last month. On that day, Connor had met up with them to have drinks. Phoebe had called him halfway through, but he hadn't answered because he was drunk. Evan was the one who had ultimately picked up the call.

The moment the call connected, she asked, "Are you still busy? My birthday's over."

It had been 1:00 am then.

Evan said, "It's me. Sorry, but Connor's drunk. And, uh, happy birthday."

Phoebe was silent for a few seconds, seemingly using that moment to accept the fact that her husband had forgotten about her birthday. Then, she asked Evan to take care of Connor without a single complaint.

Evan remembered thinking that she was practically a saint when it came to matters of the heart.

…

It was the wee hours of the morning when the gathering ended and Connor arrived home. As he passed through the living room, he remembered something and glanced at the couch. He didn't see anyone there.

When he headed upstairs, he found that the guest room at the end of the hallway was dark. That was Phoebe's room—the furthest one on the second floor from the master bedroom.

A whole day had passed, yet she still hadn't returned.

Connor couldn't care less. He made his way to the master bedroom.

The following day was Monday, which meant that he needed to go to work. After freshening up, he headed downstairs to see that Laura had prepared a lavish breakfast spread.

Connor glanced at it. He didn't have much of an appetite, but he still sat at the dining table.

Laura sighed in relief. Even though it had only been two days, she found that life had been hard during Phoebe's absence.

Connor was well-mannered enough not to throw tantrums at the hired help, but his presence was so commanding that it was enough to overwhelm a small fry like her when she stood beside him. So, wanting to leave, she said, "Enjoy your meal, Mr. Russell."

The food wasn't disgusting, but it seemed to be missing something, compared to Phoebe's cooking. It had only been two days, but Connor was already missing her breakfast spreads. He asked, "Did she call you?"

Laura was about to leave, and his question startled her. "W-What?"

Connor frowned.

Laura snapped to her senses and hastily said, "No, she didn't!"

Connor's frown deepened. "Not even once?"