Chasing the Unexpected

Damon was silent for a few seconds before telling Spencer, “Have him come to my office at 10:00 a.m.”

Spencer nodded. “Got it.”

Just as he was about to leave, Damon suddenly called him back. “Wait, go to the pharmacy and pick up some stomach medicine to send to the lab.”

Spencer knew exactly who it was for without needing to be told–no one else in the lab had the privilege of Damon personally sending someone to buy medicine for them.

“Okay, I’ll head there right away,” he answered.

Nyla had just arrived at the lab when Spencer walked in.

“Ms. Kinsey, this is the medicine that Mr. Sumner asked me to get for you,” he informed her.

Seeing the bag in Spencer’s hand, filled with various stomach medications, she couldn’t help but chuckle. “Mr. Hogg, I’m fine. I just overate this morning.”

Spencer handed her the bag. “Ms. Kinsey, just accept it. This is Mr. Sumner’s kind gesture, and I need a good reason to report back.”

“Alright, please thank him for me,” Nyla said, accepting the medicine.

“It’s best to thank him in person at lunch today. Your work is important, so I won’t keep you any longer.” With that, Spencer turned and left.

Nyla looked down at the bag filled with stomach medicine and recalled how every time she thanked Damon, it seemed to involve him either placing her on his lap to kiss her or hinting that he needed a wife. It gave her a bit of a headache.

Just as she put the stomach medicine away, Ruby walked into the office.

Ruby looked pale and exhausted. When she met Nyla’s gaze, she instinctively looked away.

Nyla didn’t initiate a conversation either, merely grabbing her notebook and heading to the

lab.

A few minutes later, Ruby stood beside her, and they began their work for the day.

After setting up the experiment and placing the reagents in the apparatus to start the reaction, Ruby finally looked at Nyla, her expression hesitant.

Nyla pretended not to notice and focused on the reaction bottle.

Ruby bit her lip, finally summoning the courage to speak. “Nyla, I want to talk to you about the delivery job from yesterday.”

HOOL KAME

Nyla turned to her. “Sure, what do you want to discuss?”

“Can you keep my delivery job a secret from the others in the lab?” Ruby asked.

Her nervous and cautious demeanor made Nyla feel a pang of sympathy.

“I can keep your secret, but if you’re delivering every day, there’s no guarantee you won’t run into someone from the lab,” she replied.

“I understand,” Ruby answered.

“Then can you tell me why you decided to take up a delivery job? Was the money I lent you not enough?” Nyla asked.

Ruby shook her head. “The money you lent me will last until next month, but…” Content protected by Nôv/el(D)rama.Org.

At that point, she looked down at her feet, hesitating about whether to tell Nyla about Sullivan.

Before she could decide, Nyla’s gentle voice interrupted her thoughts. “Ruby, I’ve watched you work hard in this lab to get to where you are today. I know how much effort you’ve put in, and I empathize with what you’ve been through. After all your struggles, you should focus on your work in the lab, not on running deliveries after hours.”

A person’s energy was limited–it was impossible to keep working non–stop every day.

In Nyla’s eyes, Ruby would be better off using that time to study more, as it would yield greater returns.

Ruby hurriedly lifted her head. “Nyla, don’t worry! I won’t let my delivery job affect my work in the lab.”

Seeing her stubbornness, Nyla decided to be more direct. “You say it won’t affect your work, but if you’re running deliveries until midnight every day, do you really think that’s sustainable? Can you guarantee you’ll maintain your usual high standards?

“Yesterday, you left right after work for deliveries. What will you do if the experiment needs you to work overtime?”