جميع فصول : الفصل -الفصل 270

Sydney shook her head without thinking. "It doesn't hurt."It was only a scrape, barely skin deep. Even when she had cleaned and dressed it, she had felt nothing. Now it was scabbed over. As long as no one gripped her the way he just had, it wouldn't hurt at all.The moment she shook her head, Julian was hit by a memory of Sydney as a child.She had never tolerated pain. At the first sign of fever, when the family doctor came to put in an IV, she would start crying before the medicine was even mixed.Back then…Tears streamed down Sydney's face like beads on a broken string. One hand was pinned by the doctor, so her free hand clung desperately to Julian's.Between sobs, she barked orders in a small, trembling voice. "Julian, cover my eyes, quick!"She couldn't even watch a needle. She was fragile to the bone.Julian covered her eyes, muttering his disdain, "You could just shut them yourself."She was trouble, through and through.But Sydney shook her head, still sniffling, an

For the first time after sending a message, Caleb didn't close the chat window. He kept his phone in hand, waiting for her reply. He didn't want Sydney turning to Julian for help with this investigation.Everything they had uncovered so far made the Sterling family's adoption of Sydney look suspicious. The family's record wasn't exactly clean. The only thing Caleb knew for sure was that the Sterlings weren't involved in drug trafficking.First, the Hampton and Sterling families had been close for generations, and their backgrounds were well documented. Second, Sydney's identity was special. When she was adopted, the orphanage would have verified her safety with the police.Still, who would have guessed that even if the Sterlings weren't directly tied to drugs, they might still have connections to a drug lord?Until he uncovered the truth, Caleb had no intention of letting Julian take over the investigation.If Sydney's parents' deaths really were linked to the Sterling family, wha

When Sydney didn't rush to argue, Hugh pressed harder, fanning the flames. "Checking the footage is one thing. But if nothing turns up, what then? Every other department will start whispering that R&D is crawling with traitors. They'll look at us and see nothing but spies."Sydney set the falsified report aside. Her voice stayed steady. "I know what I'm doing. Once the footage is reviewed, the truth will be clear."Wallace jumped in at once, eager to sound loyal. "Exactly. Don't you all know who Ms. Wilson is? She studied under the same mentor as Mr. Shepard—Alan Conton, the titan of medicine. If she says something's wrong, she can't be mistaken."It sounded like support, but Sydney's brows drew together.As expected, Hugh followed right on cue. "But if no mole is found, doesn't that mean the data's fine? Which would leave only one explanation: the problem lies with Ms. Wilson's abilities. After dragging us all through suspicion, how does she plan to bear that responsibility?"The

Sydney arched a brow as she turned to Henry. "Mr. Linus, do you have the security chief's number?""Juan Lopez?" Henry echoed, thinking aloud.She nodded. "Yes.""What do you need his number for?" Henry asked, uncertain of her intent. Still, part of him suspected she had been steering this from the start.Hugh sneered, "Yeah, what for? Don't tell me you're trying to dodge responsibility and call the security team to stir things up."At her age, impulsiveness would not have been surprising. But Sydney's gaze turned cold. She tapped the glass panel, pointing toward the ceiling fixture inside the lab. "Do you know why this lab has two smoke detectors?""What's strange about that?" Wallace scoffed. "This is R&D's most important lab. Most of our core data comes from here. Of course there's extra fire protection."None of them had ever paid attention before."No," Sydney said with a faint smile. "It's not for fire. It's for people."Hugh frowned. "What's that supposed to mean?""Th

Once Caleb calmed down, he knew he could not push Sydney too far. But leaving her here alone didn't sit right either. It would only give others an opening—like Marcus, who had just dropped her off.The moment Sydney heard he planned to move in downstairs, her whole body tensed with discomfort. But there was nothing she could do. She couldn't exactly buy the entire building.She kept her tone even. "That's your business. You don't need to tell me."In other words, she was saying, "Move if you want. What's it to me?"Her cold eyes and flat voice hit him harder than he let on. For a moment, he wanted to drag her back to Viridian Garden, where he could see her every second and ensure that she couldn't slip away again.But Julian's presence forced him to hold back for now. Maybe not for long, though. If he uncovered proof that her parents' deaths were tied to the Sterling family, Sydney herself would never want to live across from Julian again.The elevator doors opened. Ignoring the