Love Burned, She Rose Unscathed

"Darn it!" Leda swatted away the hotdog she accidentally dropped on her shoulder, standing up straight and thankful she flicked her cigarette away in time.Material © NôvelDrama.Org.

Roseanne had to make a considerable effort to close her mouth, "Um... Leda, you forgot your bag..."

She had only come to deliver a bag, but what did she end up witnessing?

Leda cozying up to a guy, looking all close and intimate? And why did his silhouette seem so familiar?

The moment the two turned around, the mystery unraveled - it was York?!

So... This was the "collaborator" Leda mentioned?

Leda stepped forward, taking her bag: "Thanks, Anne! Coming all the way here late at night just to deliver my bag, you should head back, it's late, and not safe. I'll watch you go up to your apartment, just wave at me from the balcony, and then I'll leave." "Sure."

Roseanne turned around and headed home.

She knew what Leda was like, seemingly carefree but always with a plan.

So, she didn't say much.

Sometimes, silence was the greatest form of respect between friends.

True to her word, Leda stood there until she saw Roseanne wave from the balcony, and only then did she feel at ease to leave.

"Wait... you took my car. Aren't you going to give me a lift?!" York caught up.

"We're not headed the same way, how could I give you a lift?"

York was speechless.

"Just call a cab, it won't cost much," she sincerely suggested. As she spoke, she revved the engine, counted down silently, then released the handbrake. The car shot out like an arrow. York's voice was left far behind:

"Leda, your car was fixed, right? Why take mine?! Be careful, it's new, don't scratch it. I've barely driven it myself—"

However, his sacrifice saw Leda zooming past the financial district in his little Maserati the next day.

The top down, her little dog sitting in the passenger seat!

"Darn it-"

York stood there, gritting his teeth.

Why did it feel like he was nurturing a greenfield overhead?

...

By the end of July, Roseanne had finally finished drafting her three papers.

After all the data came in, she spent a week, with Owen' help, revising them six times. Once sure everything was in order, she submitted them to three different scientific journals. Now, all she had to do was wait for a response.

No need to rush to the lab early in the morning, no need to prepare lunch ahead of time to take with her, nor worry about oversleeping during the lunch break and not completing the day's data.

With her newfound free time, days seemed to slow down.

She could leisurely stroll through the farmer's market, care for her plants at a relaxed pace, and even try out new ecipes when the mood struck.

She also had more time to video chat with her parents, often talking for half an hour at a stretch.

Norris: "...Finished all three?"

"Yeah. I owe it to Mr. Reynolds for lending me his lab; otherwise, who knows when I would've gathered all the data."

Of course, without the data, the papers would have been impossible to write.

"Ressor gave them to you fo

"Resources others would kill for, and

that

free You should really thank him Properly"

Roseanne later learned just how in-demand Owen' lab was.

Before her, many had tried to borrow or even rent it with money, all refused by Owen.

Yet, he made an exception for her.

No wonder those four - Jen, Stoddard, Sammy, and Liz - looked at her so strangely at first.