Semua Bab The Perfect Wife Walked Away: Bab 151 - Bab 160

[Alice’s POV]She took in the scene — Adam bristling at David, Adam holding my hand, David looking disheveled and devastated. A slow, calculating smile spread across her face, but it didn't reach her eyes. To anyone else, it would look like a cheerful girlfriend arriving to save her friends.To me, in that instant, it looked like a predator assessing the kill."Oh, my goodness," she said, her voice high and sweet. "Did I interrupt something?"Marie didn’t wait for an answer. She sashayed into the hallway, her heels clicking a cheerful rhythm that completely contradicted the heavy tension in the air. She moved like she owned the place, and perhaps in her world, she did.She stopped next to Adam, sliding her arm through his free one, pressing herself against his side. But she didn't look at him with jealousy. She didn't look at our joined hands with anger. Instead, she looked at David, her nose wrinkling in delicate distaste."Alice, darling," she cooed, looking at me past Adam’s should

[Alice’s POV]The conference room at the Zurich Research Institute’s headquarters was a far cry from the drafty, concrete bunker I’d been operating in. This was the face of the company — the polished, sleek, moneyed face.Floor-to-ceiling windows offered a panoramic view of the Swiss Alps, prettily dusted with snow. The table was mahogany, long enough to seat twenty people. The air smelled of expensive leather and fresh coffee. It was the kind of room where deals worth millions were made with a handshake and a smirk.I sat at the table, dressed in a simple black blouse and slacks. I felt out of place. I felt like an imposter. I was a doctor, a researcher, someone who was more comfortable in scrubs covered in bio-fluids, than in a boardroom filled with sharks.Dr. Endall Andorra sat on my right, looking nervous but determined. On my left was an empty chair. The doors at the far end of the room opened, and the energy in the room shifted instantly.They arrived one after the other.David

[Alice’s POV]All eyes turned to me.David’s expression darkened; he hated being interrupted, especially by me. Adam looked at me with a mixture of fierce pride and deep, underlying worry — he could see the pallor of my skin, the slight sheen of sweat on my forehead that I tried to hide. He knew I was pushing myself to the limit."This isn't about ROI," I said, walking slowly toward the presentation screen at the front of the room. "And it isn't a bargaining chip for your personal pissing contest."I picked up the remote control. My hand was steady. "This is about life."I clicked the button. The projector hummed to life, casting a massive image of Toby’s brain scan onto the screen. It was a map of devastation, red and inflamed tissue marking the progressive death of his motor neurons."Two months ago," I said, my voice gaining strength as I turned back to face the room. I clicked again. A new image appeared beside the first — healthy tissue, glowing bright green. "And, this morning."

[Alice's POV]The air in the corridor grew heavier with the oppressive weight of David’s threatening stance. It felt viscous, like we were wading through deep water. Every breath was a struggle, thick with the menace rolling off David in malevolent waves.He loomed over Endall, casting a long, predatory shadow, looking at the younger man not as a person, but as a minor nuisance to be swatted away.I knew that look, intimately. He had used it on me. I had seen it leveled at business rivals; or terrifying lawyers and anyone else who dared to question his authority. David didn’t just argue; he dismantled."I’m serious, Newcombe. Leave her alone," Endall repeated, though his voice was quieter now. He stood his ground, but I could see the flicker of concern in his eyes. He was brave, but he was young. And he hadn't spent nearly a decade learning how to navigate David’s particular brand of cruelty, like I had. Fighting back only served to make the predator hungrier. Perhaps Lily was the onl

[Alice's POV] The air between the two men was electric, vibrating with years of suppressed jealousy, lost friendship, and rivalry.I watched them, my heart hammering against my ribs. I wanted to step in, to tell them to stop, to remind them that I was standing right there. But the pain in my belly was a vice, tightening with every breath I took. I felt lightheaded, detached, as if I were watching a movie, rather than living it.David let out a short, harsh laugh. He took a step back, smoothing the front of his jacket. The aggressive posture melted away, replaced by a look of smug, calculated triumph."Her side," David repeated, rolling the words around his mouth like a fine wine. "That’s very noble, Adam. Very chivalrous."He turned his gaze to me, but he was speaking to Adam."But tell me," David continued, his voice silky, poisonous. "How does your fiancée feel about you taking Alice's side? How does Marie feel about you playing the devoted protector to another woman?"I froze.Ada