?Chapter 44:
Ste hunched her shoulders, fiddling with the cor of her coat as she answered without hesitation, “I’m heading to the research institute.”
He’d assumed she was out for reckless revenge, but maybe she wasn’t as impulsive as he thought.
William arched a brow, then said calmly, “Come on. I’ll drive you.”
The ride passed in silence, Luca focused on the wheel while William and Ste sat quietly in the backseat.
Ste sat with her gaze lowered, picking at a loose thread on her coat, her mind miles away.
When they reached the dormitory entrance at the research institute, William pulled over. Ste quietly murmured her thanks, still avoiding his eyes, and slipped out of the car toward the building.
Lainey was waiting in front of the elevator and flinched in surprise when she caught sight of her. “Ste? What on earth happened to you?”
Lainey’s voice pulled Ste from her daze. Her outfit, ripped during the hotel chaos, left her lookingpletely unkempt.
Her injuries had been tended to, but the skin still bore bold smears of reddish-brown iodine, impossible to miss.
Lainey’s eyes went wide, her shock clear. How could Ste look like this? She’d seemed fine when she left the institute just hours ago.
“I’m alright, Lainey,” Ste murmured, her words muffled as she kept her head low.
She hadn’t let herself cry in front of William—afraid he’d see her as weak or overly dramatic.
But with Lainey, the friend she trusted most here, the urge to fall apart pressed painfully at the back of her throat.
Lainey’s concern cracked something in Ste. She couldn’t hold back any longer—tears spilled down her cheeks in heavy, silent drops.
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Lainey’s chest tightened at the sight. She wrapped Ste in a fierce hug. “Oh, dear, what happened? Don’t be scared, I’m right here. Tell me—who did this to you? I’ll handle them.”
Pressed close to Lainey’s shoulder, Ste wiped her nose, her voice trembling.
“It was Marc and Haley.”
The mention of those two names sent a bitter jolt through Lainey’s chest. “Marc? Did hey a hand on you? Has hepletely lost it? Thest time he hurt you was already more than enough!”
“No, he didn’ty a hand on me. Can we talk about this inside?”
Once they’d stepped into the lounge, Ste began to exin everything that had happened that day.
Lainey’s jaw nearly hit the floor the longer she listened, her eyes going wide with shock.
“Wait—Haley actually did that to you? She ought to be behind bars!”
Taking in Ste’s fragile demeanor, Lainey felt a fierce protectiveness rise up in her chest.
“Lainey, Haley forced me to imprint my fingerprint on the document when I had no strength left to fight her. I’m done working with them on that patent—they just stole it outright,” Ste insisted, her voice trembling but resolute. This wasn’t a partnership anymore—they’d t-out stolen the patent from her.
Lainey, who understood how much that patent meant to Ste, reached out and squeezed her hand. “Don’t stress, Ste. I’ll help you get the patent back. Remember, you told me before you didn’t want to sell to the Walsh Group? Well, I went ahead and found another buyer for you. I’ve actually been putting together the contract these past few days.”
Ste’s shoulders slumped in defeat. “But… Haley already took the contract with my fingerprint.”
Lainey reached for her hand, her tone gentle but certain. “The buyer I found is trustworthy. Once you sign his contract, he’ll take care of everything for you.” That contract Haley snatched hadn’t been obtained through any fair or legal means. If this dragged out to court, the Walsh Group would only end up losing.
Ste nced at Lainey, a flicker of hope brightening her eyes. “Thank you.” It had never urred to her that things could be dealt with like this.
Lainey’s indignation simmered just beneath the surface, her jaw clenched. “Marc, honestly—how could he stoop so low? I used to believe he was dependable, the way he always hovered around you, acting like the perfect partner. Now it’s obvious it was just a facade. It makes me sick. All those years together, and he never felt a thing.”
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