“Plus, everything happened so quickly. Just an hour ago, the Williams family still seemed to have full control of the situation. Now, in just a matter of minutes, it’s all unraveled. They must be losing their composure,” one of Steven’s friends commented in the group chat.
“The speed of this is reminiscent of the PR team at Martin Group,” another friend added, with admiration.
Steven didn’t know how to respond. As he read through the comments and analyzed his friends’ thoughts, he felt his concern grow. His brow furrowed even tighter. Skylar had remained calm throughout everything. But he still had no idea where she had been staying since leaving the Williams residence. Was she truly as lost and hurt as he thought? Was Christopher’s betrayal clouding her judgment? Or had she found some new support, some backing?
Steven’s mind raced. Janine had told him that Skylar had even given her money recently. Could that be a sign of a bigger plan unfolding? Skylar was a natural beauty—he knew how easily society could take advantage of people like her. With Christopher deceiving her and the Williams family oppressing her, had she found someone or something to lean on in this difficult time?
His thoughts were interrupted as he jumped to his feet. His colleagues nearby stared at him, startled by his sudden movement. “Calm down, Steven,” one said, trying to settle the tension. “Kenny has some history here in Jipsburg. We don’t have any solid proof that he stole your research paper. Why not just write a new one? It wouldn’t help to go against him.”
“Everyone knows Kenny stole your paper,” another colleague added. “He wouldn’t dare act so blatantly against you in the future. If not for his family’s connections, he would’ve never even made it into the company.”
Steven’s expression hardened as he listened. He wasn’t going to let Kenny off the hook, but he had other priorities. “I’m not planning on meeting him again. He can steal my paper, but he can’t steal my execution. He’ll never be able to handle the experiments when they come his way,” he replied firmly.
His colleagues let out a collective sigh of relief. “You scared us there, Steven. We thought you were going to get revenge on him.”
Steven glanced at his phone again, tempted to call Skylar. But he hesitated. Right now, he was only making guesses. He needed to talk to her face-to-face, to get a clearer picture of what was really going on. So, he decided to wait until after work.
Meanwhile, Joe had just finished a meeting at Martin Group and glanced at his phone. He noticed a missed call from his grandmother, Gloria, but since his phone had been on silent during the meeting, he hadn’t heard it ring. He dialed her number.
“Any reason you were looking for me, Grandma?” he asked after she picked up.
“What? Do I need a reason to call my grandson?” Gloria huffed in response. “Can’t I call you even when nothing’s happened?”
Joe couldn’t help but smile at the familiar energy in her voice. He pinched the bridge of his nose. “Of course, Grandma. You can call me anytime.”
“Well, you don’t need to come to the hospital today. A few of my old friends have come to visit with their great-grandchildren. If you show up, you might embarrass me,” Gloria said.
Joe sighed, accustomed to his grandmother’s complaints. “Alright, I won’t come by then.”
“You should take Skye to the hot springs instead,” Gloria suggested, her voice mischievous. “It’s a good opportunity for the two of you to spend the night at our family’s hot spring hotel and get to know each other better. It’ll be even better if you can create my future great-grandchild tonight. Then I can show them off next year!”
Joe’s face froze. “Grandma, I’m swamped with work today.”
“What’s wrong with Martin Group? You’re turning 30 soon—why aren’t you getting down to business yet?” Gloria shot back, unimpressed by his excuses.
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