All Chapters of Rejected, I Mated With Ex's Father: Chapter 81 - Chapter 90

CLAIRE'S POV:I always knew that doing well would come at a price. So I tried to be as careful as I could.When people smiled at me, I looked closely to see if they were quite smiles. It was better to avoid fake friends.Some praises were laced with envy. And I ignored side glances that lingered just a beat too long.It had all started the moment Theo announced I was spearheading Project Lycanrest. I could feel the shift in the air, like static before a thunderstorm.But no one stirred the storm more than Nicole.She hadn’t congratulated me. Not once. Instead, she’d shown up in the lab the next morning, wearing a smug smile and stilettos that clicked louder than her words. She claimed she was there to assist, but she spent most of the day hovering around my workstation, pointing out non-issues and correcting things that didn’t need correction."Claire, shouldn’t this be categorized under serum reactions, not hormonal volatility?" she asked sweetly, peering over my shoulder.I didn’t l

CLAIRE'S POV:I had come in early, just to collect my thoughts. After the disaster that was yesterday’s presentation, I hadn’t slept a wink. Not because I was worried about losing my job—no. I was furious. I knew I didn’t mess up that data. Someone had tampered with it. And I had a pretty damn good idea who.I was quiet all morning, avoiding any form of conversation with any of the staff. I kept myself busy with work until it was break time.I held my thermos tightly as I walked past the break room, only to hear a familiar shrill laugh."She probably cried herself to sleep last night," Nicole sneered."I can't imagine how embarrassed she must have felt," Celestina replied, chuckling. "Imagine presenting corrupted data in front of Theo Valmont. Talk about a career-ending moment."Nicole sniffed smugly. "She won’t survive it. I made sure of that. There’s no coming back from this one."“Of course. It's a matter of days before she's gone. I can't wait to see the look on her face when she'

CLAIRE'S POV:I worked for a few more hours, anticipating a dinner date with Theo. It has been a while since we went on a date. And I craved an intimate moment with him. It always made me feel alive.I glanced at the time on my phone: 3:00 PM. I could barely suppress the little thrill that danced in my chest as I gathered my things and informed the front desk that I was closing early today.It wasn’t just any evening—Theo and I had a dinner date. Our first real one since the chaos that had turned Valmont Corporation into a battlefield of jealousy, sabotage, and cold, calculated smiles.I took a cab and went home quickly. I needed a nap, at least thirty minutes nap to help revive my nerves.By 4:pm, I was in the bathroom washing off the accumulated stress and soaking myself in a warm soapy water. By the time I had spent twenty minutes in the bathroom, I felt refreshed.Jennifer shot me a grin as I stepped out of my room, elegantly dressed. "You better make him propose to you, Secretary

CLAIRE'S POV:Well, Theo should have indeed fired Nicole. Because now, she has made it her duty to frustrate my efforts.These days, I spend most of my office hours in the lab. This morning, I was in the lab again, my hands gloved and my eyes fixed on the set of blood samples in front of me. The low hum of the centrifuge filled the background as I triple-checked the readings from last night.Something felt off.“Claire, the parameters you submitted yesterday for Batch E look different from what you put into the system today,” Eliza, one of the junior researchers, pointed out, handing me a printed comparison.My brows furrowed as I looked it over. She was right. The gamma-tolerance threshold had shifted from 0.6 to 0.8—a small change, but one that could alter the compound’s metabolic reaction in werewolf physiology. If injected, it could cause paralysis instead of repair.“I didn’t change this,” I murmured, a pit sinking in my stomach.“Then who did?” Eliza asked, eyes wide.I knew exa

CLAIRE'S POV:I typed furiously on the keyboard as I updated the drug stability logs. The harsh white glare from my monitor illuminated the office, casting sharp shadows against the walls. It was nearly 10:30 p.m., and the entire Valmont Corporation building had long since gone quiet. I should’ve been exhausted, but I had a deadline to beat. So I decided to work overnight.I reached for the half-empty cup of coffee on my desk, only to realize it had gone very cold.Great.The door suddenly creaked open behind me, startling me.“I told you to stop turning into a lab goblin after 9 p.m.,” a familiar voice said.My shoulders relaxed, and I turned to see Theo standing in the doorway, holding a brown paper bag and two cups. He looked too good for this late at night—his shirt sleeves rolled up to his elbows, top button undone, hair slightly tousled like he’d run his hands through it on the way over.It wasn’t fair. He looked too tempting.I smiled despite how exhausted I was. “If I don’t be