All Chapters of Married To a Stranger : Chapter 41 - Chapter 50

While Natalia's hospital suite was shrouded in tension, Matilda's was lively and full of conversation. “What did we have for lunch today?” she mused out loud, straining her brain to remember. “Porridge… No, that's not it. It was noodles, right?” Owen nodded, a gentle smile on his face. “That's right.” Grandma Matilda beamed proudly. “See, I told you I'm fine. My mind is sharp as ever.” Owen remained silent. His smile was hollow. They'd eaten rice for lunch, but Matilda had forgotten again. Her memory was deteriorating with each passing day, and he didn't know how to stop it. From across the room, Ruby asked lazily, “Grandma, what color was Mr. Knight's tie yesterday?” Matilda frowned. “Sweetie, I don't like that. You call him Mr. Knight.” She turn

Ruby's email stared right back at Chris. His heart skipped a beat. There was no way. She could have solved it, or so he thought, not even Julian Rhodes, with his fancy doctorate, could crack a core problem like that on such a tight deadline. So how the hell was some undergrad supposed to solve it? I don't care how much Professor Miller hyped her up, Chris thought inwardly. He moved his mouse, opened the email and froze. A sharp bang echoed through the office as Julian Rhodes slammed a thick stack of documents onto the conference table. He pointed at them. “Meeting. Now.” Chris didn't move. His eyes stayed glued to the screen. “Chris,” Julian barked. “Is your ass glued to that chair?” Chris flicked his gaze back to the email. It looked empty. Blank relief rushed through him.

"What's been your deal all afternoon?" someone snapped. "We've been busting our asses in here, and you've been completely MIA." "What did you solve? Don't tell me you cracked the core problem," another team member said skeptically. The words hung in the air. Chris nodded eagerly. "Yes, the problem has been solved." He grabbed Julian's arm and dragged him to his workstation, jabbing at the screen. "Dr. Rhodes, look, the reason we were stuck was because we were attacking it from the wrong angle. It can be done like this." And then he walked them through it, fast, precise, almost frantic, like he was afraid the universe might snatch the solution back if he slowed down. By the time he finished, the room had gone completely silent. Then...

Ruby's head snapped around. The thermos was already in the air, spinning as it flew straight toward her. Before she could react, someone stepped in front of her. Owen. The thermos hit his back, and burst open. Hot liquid spilled across his suit, and a thin cloud of steam rose. As the smell of scorched fabric filled the room, Ruby sucked in a sharp breath. "Are you okay?" she asked, panic creeping into her voice. "I'm fine," Owen said. But his eyes were fixed on Sheila, and the slight furrow in his brow said otherwise. Sheila had gone pale. She lifted her shaking hands. "I didn't mean to. I swear I wasn't aiming at you." Before anyone could even respond, she turned abruptly and ran down the hallway, disappearing from sight. No one followed her. Instead, everyone gathered around Owen and quickly ushered him

When her phone buzzed with a reply, Isabel smiled. She was certain Dr. N had agreed to help. After all, Thalia's relationship with them had always been solid, but the message was nothing like what she expected. "I am only answerable to Ruby Anderson. Any issues with the Knight Group are not my concern." Isabel's smile froze. Carter saw her expression falter and frowned. "What's wrong?" She swallowed her panic, forced a smile, and lied without missing a beat. "Dr. N says it'll take a few days to sort this out." Carter let out a sigh of relief. "That makes sense. It's definitely a tricky problem. I actually made a bet with Ruby that we'd have a solution by Friday." "That shouldn't be an issue, right?" "Not at all," Isabel said confidently, though her eyes flickered. But the words hit her a moment too late. A bet with Ruby. Why was he even talking to her? Her fists tightened at her sides. Anger burned beneath the surface. But she said nothing. She only watch