Lahat ng Kabanata ng Once a Doormat, Now Untouchable: Kabanata 721 - Kabanata 730

In the hospital, Helen lay in bed, every trace of color drained from her face. She watched Leon step in from the balcony, his expression dark after the phone call.Something stirred in her chest. She quickly arranged her face into an urgent expression and made a show of trying to sit up. "Mr. Kingston, I've already said your wife didn't push me on purpose. Please don't argue with her because of me..."She had spent enough time beside Leon to develop a decent read on Diana. A woman that proud would never lower herself to explain a misunderstanding to her husband. The harder Leon pressed, the further apart they would drift.What Helen hadn't expected was the look on his face when his eyes settled on her.His gaze sharpened. He said nothing. He simply watched her, his scrutiny open and unguarded.Helen maintained her composure for the first minute or so. Then the weight of his stare began to wear on her. Her scalp prickled, her expression tightened slightly, and discomfort edged into

A cold wind moved through the dark.Leon stood beneath a streetlamp in his precisely tailored suit, his silhouette stretched long across the pavement, carrying a faint, unintentional loneliness."Hugo, you're here too?" He acknowledged his brother with a glance before looking past him toward Diana, who stood a few steps away.His throat tightened. "Diana. I'd like to talk."Diana looked at him, her expression unreadable.She had expected this. Turning back to Hugo, she said, "Hugo, have the driver take you to the hotel. If you need anything, contact me or Ray."Some matters were easier handled through Raymond."Of course." Hugo gave a small nod, his tone calm and unhurried. "Diana, if anything comes up... you can always reach out to me too."His gaze shifted to Leon for only a moment. The look was shallow and unreadable, revealing nothing on the surface that could be named. Even so, it left Leon with a distinct and inexplicable sense of pressure.The car pulled away. The sound

Leon's brow furrowed as he told his driver to pull over.They stepped out one after the other and moved beneath the shadows of the trees lining the pavement."You waited here on purpose." Something in Leon's voice carried an emotion he couldn't quite identify.He and this half-brother had always kept their distance. Whatever brought Hugo there tonight, it was no coincidence.Hugo stood with one hand tucked into the pocket of his overcoat, his posture loose and unhurried. The easy warmth he showed around Diana had vanished completely. In its place was something cold, sharp, and unfamiliar."Convenient timing," he said flatly. "Though I did want to talk."Leon studied him without much surprise. If anything, his curiosity had been stirred. "About what?"He genuinely couldn't imagine what they had to discuss. The inheritance? That matter had already been settled. Beyond that, they had never shared a single common interest or hobby.Hugo glanced at him, his tone almost casual. "Abou

Sydney smiled but didn't argue. She took the tablet into the lab, made the necessary adjustments herself, and handed it back to Marcus."The data's been corrected. You can run the simulation again tomorrow." Her voice was light, unhurried, and completely certain. "If everything goes smoothly, we should be entering clinical trials by the new year at the latest."Marcus blinked. "That soon?"He had been stuck on that dataset for longer than he cared to admit. She had walked in and solved the problem without breaking a sweat.Then again, that was exactly why Alan had taken her on as his direct student. It was hard not to favor someone who possessed both talent and dedication.They left the lab together.Marcus glanced at her, then hesitated before speaking. "Should we scale back your clinic hours a little? Just to be safe."He was concerned about how much strain her body could handle."No need." Sydney shook her head gently. Her hand drifted to her rounded belly before she realize

Julian didn't move.Sydney pressed both hands against his chest and turned her head away. "No way."She wasn't about to let this become common knowledge.Julian rested his forehead against hers. His dark eyes watched her, and his voice was low, unhurried, and thoroughly amused. "What do you mean, no woman could interest me?"Sydney shot him a look. "You're not just interested. You're an absolute, complete..."She had known for a long time what kind of person he really was beneath the surface. The problem was that he hid it so well in public. Everyone else only ever saw the cold, restrained version.The elevator chimed. The doors opened, and cool air from the parking level drifted inside.Julian let her go without pressing the issue. He straightened at an unhurried pace and took her hand as he turned. "Let's go."Peter saw them emerge and immediately rose to his feet, opening the rear passenger door. "Sir. Miss."Julian gave a short nod, waited until Sydney was settled inside,