Semua Bab Reborn Without You: Bab 1081 - Bab 1090

The next day after school, Evelyn headed for the sporting goods store near campus, her steps light.The cash in her bag felt heavy, folded neatly, and tucked deep inside. It was the money her mother had given her for sports day. She had counted it three times the night before putting it away.She stopped at the entrance and reached into the outer pocket of her bag, only to find it empty.Her heart dropped.She hurriedly took off her backpack and searched every compartment. Her pencil case, notebooks, and storybooks were all still inside. Everything except the cash.Her face went pale as tears gathered in her eyes.She remembered clearly putting the money in the outer pocket of her backpack that morning. How could it be gone?Had she dropped it somewhere, or had someone taken it?She stood frozen at the door, stamping her foot in panic. Amelia's gentle smile flashed through her mind.Amelia had been so busy, and she had still given her the money to buy what she needed. And now,

Amelia ran a hand through Evelyn's hair, her tone gentle but steady. "You get to choose your own friends. That includes Nathan. You grew up together. There's nothing wrong with spending time with him. All I want is for you to be happy. If you enjoy being with him, don't hide it. Just be honest about it."Evelyn's eyes lit up, her smile returning. "Really? Then I can hang out with Nathan more often?""Of course." Amelia nodded. "Just be careful when you go out, and call me if anything comes up.""Okay!" Evelyn cheered. She threw her arms around Amelia and kissed her cheek. "You're the best!"Amelia held her, something in her chest softening.What happened between adults shouldn't fall on a child. Evelyn had the right to choose her own friends and grow up without carrying that weight.Amelia realized she had been holding on too tightly to the past and, without realizing it, had overlooked her daughter's feelings.That night, after helping Evelyn with her bath, Amelia watched the

Amelia met Jasper at the restaurant.He tapped a finger against the section on technical sharing, his brows drawn tight. "Corvex Solutions wants in on optimizing the core algorithm. We can't give in on that. That's Nova Nine's foundation."Amelia nodded, about to respond, when her phone rang. Evelyn's name lit up the screen.She answered. Her daughter's soft voice came through right away. "Mommy, Nathan is treating us to something good. Come over, okay? It's that family restaurant we went to before.""I'm working right now," Amelia said gently, though a trace of guilt slipped in. "Go ahead and eat with Nathan first, alright?"Over the past few days, she had been so busy coordinating with Corvex Solutions that she barely had any time for Evelyn."No, you have to come." Evelyn's tone turned coaxing. "Nathan said we should wait for you."She hesitated, then added, "And… it seems like he has something he wants to tell you."Jasper smiled and nudged her arm. "Go. I'll review the det

A dozen pairs of eyes turned to Amelia at once. The tension in the room pressed in, thick and suffocating.A failure report lay open on the conference table, the loss estimate marked in red. It wasn't just tens of millions in hardware. Missing the government timeline would cost far more.Samantha sat near the head of the table. The moment she saw Amelia, she stood. Her eyes were already red, her voice tight with grievance."Amelia, what took you so long? When you handed things over, you never said Module Three's parameters needed real-time calibration! Now the system's down. It won't connect to Corvex Solutions' database. What am I supposed to do?"Her voice wavered, as if she were the one being wronged, though there was a faint edge underneath.Around the table, engineers exchanged looks. A few softened, drawn in by her expression.Amelia didn't answer right away. She walked to the table, opened her laptop, and pulled up the handover email, projecting it onto the main screen."

The movement woke Amelia.She opened her eyes, still dazed, and saw Lincoln's profile above her. His jaw was set, his focus fixed as he hurried toward the elevator."Mr. Spencer…" Her voice came out weak, rough with congestion.He glanced down at her, his tone softening. "You're awake? Hang in there. We'll be at the hospital soon."She looked at him, close enough now that it made her pause."I…" she spoke, but he cut her off."At a time like this, you don't need to keep your distance." His gaze stayed steady. "You're Evie's mom, and you matter to Nathan. Helping you is the least I can do."Amelia turned her head and looked toward the dark outside the elevator, something unsettled shifting in her chest.The elevator reached the first floor. Lincoln carried her straight out to the parking lot, settled her into the passenger seat, and draped his coat over her."Are you cold? Just hold on. We'll be there soon."She shook her head and leaned back, closing her eyes.As the car pul