Semua Bab Rejected, I Mated With Ex's Father: Bab 161 - Bab 170

CLAIRE'S POV:By the time the sun started sinking behind the city skyline, I was exhausted and ready to call it a day. The experiments had finally given us a real breakthrough. For the second time in weeks, the cultures didn’t just survive, they actually started to recover.It wasn’t perfect. Not yet. But damn, it was progress.I packed up my laptop with all the data and the coded sequences we’d run through the system. Adrian had asked to see results today, and I wasn’t about to keep him waiting. Even if it meant dealing with Nicole again.Because these days, I couldn't help but notice how Nicole clung to Adrian like a lifeline. It didn't even matter that her office was in a different wing.I walked down the quiet hallways of Valmont Corp, dragging my feet with deliberate effort. My chest tightened as I reached Adrian’s office door. I knocked once, then pushed it open.And, of course, Nicole was there.She sat on the edge of Adrian’s desk like she owned the place, twirling her hair an

ADRIAN'S POV:I don’t even remember when exactly I slept off. The last thing I remembered was dancing with Nicole, drinking some wine and making plans about what to change and what not to change in the security codes of the company's database.Wait, why would I discuss such a sensitive matter with Nicole? She's my fiancee, I know, but lately I have been having doubts. I can't even remember the extent to which I disclosed some information to her. I guess the wine must have had a great influence on me.When I opened my eyes, everything was dim and it was already past midnight. The music had stopped. My neck hurt like hell from the awkward angle on the couch. I sat up, rubbing my face, and that’s when I realized Nicole wasn’t anywhere in the living room.I frowned, glancing around. The wine glasses were still on the table. Her heels were still by the door. So she didn’t leave. But why wasn’t she here?And why didn’t she wake me up so we could go to bed together?I shook my head. There’s

THEO’S POV :I had just gotten back from my trip, still jet-lagged but buzzing with energy the moment I sat down in my office chair. My mind wasn’t even on the paperwork stacked in front of me. It was on Claire.She made video calls to me twice and sent a few messages while I was away. Still, I missed her.Like clockwork, a knock came on my door.“Come in,” I called, straightening up.The door opened, and there she was. My heart damn near jumped outta my chest. Claire walked in with that quiet confidence she always carried, but my eyes weren’t looking at her face first. Nah, I took in every inch of her.She had on a fitted white blouse tucked into a navy pencil skirt that hugged her hips in a way that made me forget how to breathe. Her black heels clicked against the floor as she stepped closer. Her hair was neatly pulled back in a low ponytail, but a few strands framed her face, softening her look.And hell, she smelled good too, like fresh roses mixed with something sharp I couldn’t

CLAIRE'S POV:I went to work quite early, trying to carry out some research in the lab, but my phone wouldn’t stop buzzing. At first, I thought it was just lab updates. But when I opened it, my whole world tilted.Amelia, one of my team members sent photos of me, sitting with executives from Ridgeway Biotech. She said these photos were all the internet. Twitter, Facebook, blogs, even science news outlets. In those pictures, it looked like I was passing files to some man in a suit.My chest tightened. “Oh my God… what the hell is this?” I whispered, scrolling with shaky hands.Jennifer came to visit me and we sat together in my office chatting. She glanced up at me when she noticed that my countenance has changed. “What’s wrong? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”I turned my phone to her. “Look!”Her eyes widened. “Claire who are those men?’“I don't know them.”Jennifer tilted her head to look at me. “You don't know them? Yet you took pictures with them?”“No, Jen, this is fake! I ne

CLAIRE'S POV:I was still holding the warm cup of chamomile tea in my hands, the steam brushing my face, when my phone started buzzing on the couch cushion beside me. I glanced at the screen, and my stomach dropped.“Adrian,” I muttered under my breath.Jennifer leaned over to see, her brows shooting up. “Adrian’s calling? After everything they did to you?”I stared at the phone like it was some kind of snake ready to bite me. My thumb hovered over the decline button. “I don’t wanna talk to him.”Jennifer frowned. “Why not? Maybe he’s calling to give you an information that might help you investigate who set you up.”“Or maybe he’s calling to mock me,” I snapped, my throat tightening. “He wanted me fired the very first day I got employed at Valmont.”“But that was then, Claire. Now, he seems to have realised his mistake.”I stared at Jennifer, wondering if she was right. Has Adrian really realised his mistake?The phone kept buzzing. Jennifer grabbed it from my hand before I could hit