LOGINNicole pov I scoffed loudly, the sound sharp in the quiet office."Accept what?" I asked, leaning back in my chair. "A fake speech you practiced in front of your mirror? You do not mean a single word of it, Sophia."Sophia’s face flushed pink. She slammed her hand down on the edge of my desk, making the paper files rattle. "I am swallowing my pride to stand here and talk to you. Most people would have the decency to say thank you. You were a servant in our house, and now you think you can look down on me?""I am looking at you exactly as you are," I said, my voice completely calm compared to her rising anger. "You only apologize when you want something, or when you are afraid of losing your spot next to Tate. Which one is it today?""Tate knows I am here," she lied, her chin tilting up as she tried to use his name like a shield. "He knows I am trying to make peace. If you keep acting like this, I will tell him how impossible you are. He won't tolerate a worker insulting his inner cir
Nicole's POVThe shadow of her silhouette caught my eye first, moving across the glass-walled corridor on the secondary computer monitor beside my desk. I stopped typing and watched the live security feed. Sophia walked past the camera, her chin tilted high, her steps slow and swinging. She paused to adjust the strap of her leather purse, looking around at the white walls of the research wing as if she owned them, before continuing down the hall.A moment later, her footsteps stopped directly outside my door. Then came the knock—three loud, slow, confident raps that demanded an answer.Before I could speak, the handle turned, and the heavy door pushed inward. Sophia stood in the wooden frame, a bright, practiced smile stretching across her face."Lea," she said, her tone smooth and airy. "I am glad you are in."I kept my hands flat on the paper file in front of me, remaining firmly in my chair. I glanced at her, letting my gaze drop to her designer shoes before looking back up."I s
Tate pov She glanced at me quickly, checking my expression, then looked away before I could read her mind. "Two separate investigations." "Two separate investigations," I said. "If they both find the same answer, you'll have more reason to trust it than if it just comes from me." She didn't answer. I couldn't tell if she thought it was a good idea or if she was just being careful. I didn't ask her, because forcing her to explain her suspicion would only make things worse. We walked on. Maple had moved past the beetle and was now trying to stomp through a pile of fallen leaves with a lot of noise, lifting his feet high in the air. Rosy walked beside him and picked up a single leaf, turning it over in her hands with careful attention. "They look healthy," I said, breaking the long silence between us. "They have grown since I last saw them." "They are thriving because they are safe here," Nicole said, keeping her eyes fixed on Maple. "The institute has rules, no one can just walk
Tate's POV I walked down the long hallway toward the institute nursery. I saw Nicole and the twins walking out of the front door. I sped up my pace, angling my path to cut across theirs. Right at the exit, I bumped my shoulder firmly against Nicole's arm, making it look like a clumsy accident. "Sorry," I said quickly, stepping back. Nicole stumbled slightly, steadying her grip on the kids' hands. She glared up at me. "What are you doing here?" Before I could answer, the twins looked up with wide eyes. "Hello, tall man!" they said together. I bent down so I was at their eye level. "Hello, guys. How are you?" "Fine!" they shouted in unison. Rosy stepped forward and looked at my face. "You said you will come to our house again, but you didn't come." I smiled gently at her. "I have been busy, but don't worry. One day I will visit." Nicole scoffed loudly, her face tightening. "Don't try it." I stood up straight and glanced down at her, my smile fading. Nicole did not look back at
Nicole pov He smiled at that, a small, genuine smile, and pushed himself up from the wheeled stool. "I will let you finish your work. The afternoon report from Parkville's team finally came in — I left the physical folder right on your desk.""Thank you," I murmured, reaching for the folder.He walked toward the exit, but he was almost out of the lab doorway when I spoke again."Marlon," I said.He stopped, turning around to look back at me. "Yeah?""Add today's entire timeline to the master file," I said. "The original request from her, my formal denial, her escalation to the directorship, and Reyes' final ruling. Make sure everything is precisely timestamped.""Already done," he said, giving me a quick nod. "I put it in the digital vault twenty minutes ago.""And add the broken glass incident report too," I called out before he could leave. "I want the board to see her behavioral patterns if she tries to claim the environment is causing her stress."Marlon chuckled, leaning against
Nicole's POVMy desk phone buzzed, cutting through the silence of the room. I glanced at the display and saw Marlon's extension flashing.I picked up the receiver and pressed it to my ear. "Nicole speaking.""Tracy went above your office," Marlon said, his voice coming through the line without any greeting."I know," I said. "I expected it.""Reyes is reviewing the contract now. She'll want your documentation.""I've already forwarded it to her assistant," I said. "The original signed agreement, the role specifications, and the clinical justification for maintaining Dr. Carter as the primary contact throughout the trial duration."There was a brief pause. "Nicole," Marlon said, in the voice he used when he was genuinely impressed but was trying to frame it as mild approval. "You had the documentation ready before she filed the escalation.""I had the documentation ready the day I saw her accept my apology too easily," I said.He laughed — a short, warm sound. "The directorship is goin
Tate pov "Because when the trial results are published, my real name will be on them," she says. "The methodology will be scrutinized. Someone will eventually connect the anonymous foundational patient to the researcher. I did not want you to read it in a paper."I press my lips together. "You wan
Nicole's POV A few days later, I arrived at the conference room twenty minutes early. This is deliberate. I need to be seated when he walks in. It doesn't give me a real advantage, but being the one who is already waiting changes the feel of the moment. I have walked into too many rooms defense
Nicole pov "Yes," I say. "Because of that and because" I stop, looking at the blinking path light below the window. "Because I told him it meant nothing. I built the argument very carefully, and he accepted it without arguing." I pause. "Which is exactly what a man who has actually changed does, a
Nicole's POVThe rooftop lab at midnight is a different place than the rooftop lab in daylight.During the day it is functional—the good equipment, the clean lines, the view of the campus that I look at when I need perspective and then look away from when perspective is not what I want. At midnight







