Chapter 3

Scott and I met when we were both doctoral students in the School of Life Sciences at the University of Cloudmont.

He specialized in computational modeling, while my field was cancer immunology.

He knew nothing about wet-lab research, and I could not code, yet we somehow ended up as partners on an interdisciplinary project led by our advisors.

Scott was so broke back then that he could not afford a decent laptop. Every day, he carried around an old machine that took ten minutes just to boot up so he could run his analyses.

The first time I saw him, he was crouched in the hallway of the research building, trying to fix it.

His screen had gone blue. The look on his face was grim.

I lent him my spare laptop. He used it for three whole months.

When he returned it, I found a handwritten note and a strawberry-flavored candy tucked inside the laptop bag.

The note contained only one line.

[Natasha, when I get rich, I’ll treat you to the most expensive meal in the world.]

Later, he did get rich.

However, it had been a long time since we had a meal together.

During the most difficult stage of the project, our experiments failed seventeen times in a row.

I spent my days growing cell cultures and my nights revising our protocols. Whenever exhaustion caught up with me, I slept for two hours on a cot in the lab.

For three months, Scott lived on takeout with me.

The night our eighteenth attempt finally succeeded, we sat outside the lab sharing a protein bar.

Out of nowhere, he asked, “Natasha, how would you feel about spending the rest of your life with me?”

Still chewing the protein bar, I mumbled, “Is this really the most you can put into a proposal?”

He pulled a cheap silver ring from his pocket and slipped it onto my finger.

“It is now, but someday I’ll make it all up to you.”

I believed in the future he promised me.

I gave up my position at an overseas research institute and returned home with Scott to establish Sprout Biotech.

Vanessa was the first student I mentored after coming back.

Her family struggled financially. During her first year of graduate school, she could not even afford a second lab coat.

I admired her determination, so I brought her onto Sprout’s core research team.

Later, I personally helped her revise every application she submitted, from her scholarship and outstanding graduate applications to her first research paper.

During the tenth week of my pregnancy, there was a minor leak in the lab.

Although my level of exposure was extremely low, the doctor still advised me to stay away from high-risk environments for the time being.

I did not want to leave.

Project Sprout had entered a critical stage of animal testing. Even the slightest discrepancy in the data could invalidate five years of work.

For the first time, Scott lost his temper during a company meeting.

“If we lose the project, we can start over. But if we lose the baby, what are we supposed to do?”

In front of everyone, he took away my access card to the lab and ordered me to go home and rest.

After the meeting, he held me and promised that I would only be away for a few months. Once the baby was born, I could return whenever I wanted.

When I asked who would take over the project, he answered without hesitation, “Vanessa was trained by you. She understands your approach better than anyone.”

I had to admit that Vanessa was brilliant and well suited to take over my work.

In the end, I gave in.

Scott gently stroked my hair.

“Focus on taking care of yourself and the baby. Don’t worry about the project. I’ll keep an eye on everything.”

From that day on, I stopped asking about the project.