Chapter 20 What a Waste Not to Pursue Science
Finished
Keh''s irritation deepened as he stared at Lauren''s bloodied face. There was no satisfaction, no sense of victory-only a relentless, suffocating frustration.
His gaze turned icy as he spat out a single word. "Leave"
But Lauren didn''t seem to hear him. She kept bowing, each dull thud of her forehead against the floor hitting Keh like a weight pressing down on his chest.
A vein pulsed at his temple, his patience wearing thin. "I told you to leave. Are you deaf?"
Lauren''s mind was nk, her ears ringing. She couldn''t hear him. All that remained was the instinct to bow, to beg, to
survive.
Keh''s face darkened. In one swift motion, he strode forward and reached down to pull her up
But the moment his hand moved toward her, Lauren recoiled. Her body curled up in pure instinct, arms shielding her head as she choked out a broken sob. "Please don''t hit me."
Memories of prison crashed over Lauren-blow after blow, her body covered in bruises, the endless darkness and agony that had broken her piece by piece. The weight of it all overwhelmed her, pushing her past the brink
Keh''s eyes narrowed, his outstretched hand going rigid in midair. For a long moment, he didn''t move.
His gaze stayed locked on Lauren, curled up on the floor, trembling as if she were bracing for an impact that never came. A storm of emotions churned inside him, tangled and unsettling.
For a fleeting moment, he saw her as she used to be-shy, full ofughter, her bright eyes sparkling like stars.
The first time he had heard her name was from a teacher.
The man had praised her without hesitation. “Keh, your biggestpetitor in this year''s physicspetition is a freshman from Hoverdale Academy-Lauren That girl is a natural talent.
At sixteen, Keh had been full of pride, unwilling to back down. "My talent is just as good as hers."
As the reigning top student at Kingsley Private School, he hadn''t thought much of her.
Until she defeated him in thatpetition. And the next. And the one after that. Again and again, she outranked him.
Before he even realized it, he was chasing after her-entering everypetition she did, drawn to the challenge, drawn to
her.
At some point, even he didn''t know if he waspeting to prove himself or just for the chance to see her.
For three years, everypetition ended the same way-Lauren first, Keh second..
Even now, he could still hear their teacher''s words. “Lauren is the kind of genius this country needs. She''s destined to make a real impact on the world."
And he had believed it.
In their finalpetition, he had asked her why she was so determined to win. "Are you trying to get noticed by the higher-ups?"
She hadughed. "Nope. The first-ce prizees with money, I just need the cash. My real dream is to be a teacher-to guide students, watch them grow, and help them seed. That''s how I''d feel like I made a difference."
Keh had scoffed. "You''re so gifted. Not pursuing science would be such a
waste.
She had grinned at him "And you? What''s your n?"
"Me I''ll inherit the family business,"
Chapter 20 What a Waste Not to Pursue Science
They had shared a nce-and for the first time, he hadughed with her.
Finished
Back then, he had even felt relieved. If her dream had been to be a scientist, he knew he would never be able to stand. on equal ground with her. Not even as the heir to Gray Corporation.
He had fought against his arranged marriage to Willow for years. Whether it was her or the Bets lost daughter, he had wanted nothing to do with either of them.
It wasn''t until Willow''s graduation banquet that he finally realized-the girl who had upied his thoughts for years was none other than the Bets'' real daughter.
The one he had been engaged to since birth was Lauren.
The news had left him ted, overwhelmed with a joy he couldn''t contain.
fonly if only things hadn''t turned out the way they did.
The Lauren he remembered-bright, confident, full of life-was gone.
The woman standing before him was nothing like the bold, confident girl he once knew.
Keh''s expression shifted, emotions flickering behind his cold exterior.
Something caught in his throat. He wanted to speak, but no words felt right- anything he said now would be meaningless.
Lauren''s trembling frame, the raw terror in her eyes-it cut through him like a de, striking a part of himself he thought was untouchable. For the first time, the iron grip around his heart faltered, just slightly, as if a crack had formed in the walls. he had spent years fortifying.
"You can leave" His voice finally broke the silence, stripped of its usual coldness,ced instead with something almost imperceptible exhaustion.
Slowly, he lowered his hand, fingers curling into a tight fist.
Lauren didn''t move. She stayed frozen on the floor, curled in on herself Keh''s brow furrowed, an impulse rising in his chest-a sudden, inexplicable urge to pull her into his arms, to steady her, to offerfort.
But the moment the thought surfaced, he crushed it.
"Get out-now,"
Lauren couldn''t hear him. The mix of blood and tears blurred her vision, making it impossible to see his lips.
Panicked, she wiped at her face with a shaking hand, her wide, wide eyes locked onto his lips, desperate to read his words.
Then it clicked
Leave. He was telling me to leave. Was he.. letting me go?
A rush of overwhelming relief flooded her-part disbelief, part liberation, but mostly
the raw, desperate gratitude of someone who had just narrowly escaped.
Til leave. Right now."
Her voice was hoarse and unsteady, but she didn''t stop. She couldn''t. Ignoring the sharp pain in her knees and the throbbing wound on her forehead, she scrambled to her feet, hands bracing against the floor as she pushed herself up. Her injured leg barely holding her weight. She stumbled, nearly falling multiple times, but the fear of Keh changing his mind kept her moving. Terrified that Keh might change his mind, she didn''t dare hesitate. Without looking back, she bolted out of the room. desperate to escape.
Keh stood there for a long time, unmoving. Only when her battered figurepletely disappeared from sight did he finally look away
Chapter 20 What a Waste Not to Pursue Science
Finished
Sitting down at the edge of ine''s bed, he reached out, tracing a finger lightly over the hollow curve of her brow. "ine. I let her go so easily. Are you going to be mad at me?"
But what could he do? No matter how hard he tried, he could never be truly cruel to her.
ine remained motionless, lying there in silence, offering no response.
The harsh fluorescent lights in the hospital hallway stung Lauren''s eyes, making
her squint as she stumbled forward.
Her body felt unsteady, crashing into walls and brushing against passing strangers, but she didn''t care.
People shot her wary nces, but their stares meant nothing to her. Right now, there was only one thought in her mind-get as far away from Keh as possible.
She couldn''t slow down. If she did, he might catch up.
In her rush, she failed to notice someone stepping out of a nearby consultation
room.
She mmed straight into them, the force of the collision knocking her backward. Before she could hit the ground, a firm hand caught her waist. With a slight pull, she found herself steadied against a strong familiar chest
"Laurie A voice-familiar, yet distant-spoke above her.
The moment her eyes met Lucass, she was caught in his gentle, unwavering
gaze in his eyes.
e she c
could see
e her own resistance mirrored
Ajolt of panic surged through her. She quickly pushed him away, dropped her
gaze, and turned to leave.
But she had barely taken two steps when a strong hand wrapped around her
wrist.
Lucas didn''t even need to use force-his grip alone was enough to stop her in her
tracks.
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