?Chapter 195:


    Steven had hoped to use this time to build some rapport with Ste, but William had clearly disrupted that.


    Turning to him, Steven muttered in frustration, “You’re supposed to help me out, not ruin things.”


    Momentster, Ste returned with the drinks. Steven’s expression brightened once more. “There’s a concert at the music hall this week. A friend gave me two tickets. If you’re free, we could go together.”


    William’s voice cut through the air again. “There’s a seminar scheduled at the institute this week. Everyone on the project team has to attend.”


    Steven was beginning to regret inviting William at all.


    Was he here to lend support or simply sabotage the moment?


    Though Ste was genuinely interested in going, work still came first. “I’m sorry, Mr. Harrison. Maybe another time,” she said politely. She picked up the document and signed it, coffee in hand. “I should get going. I have some data I need to update.”


    Steven watched her leave, trying to maintain his smile, but his posture slumped as she walked away.


    He turned toward William, who sat motionless, entirely unbothered.


    “Seriously, why are you even here today?”


    “Weren’t you the one who invited me?” William’s tone remained even. The moreposed William sounded, the more Steven felt something was off.


    William had imed he wasn’t interested in Sylvia, so why did he keep interrupting Steven’s ns with her?


    Steven thought back to their conversation at the club. When he’d brought up William’s childhood crush, William had mentioned following up on some leads.


    From what Steven had gathered, William had been spending time at the institutetely, right where Sylvia worked.


    That couldn’t be a coincidence.


    A suspicion sparked in Steven’s mind.


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    Could Sylvia actually be the girl William had been trying to find all these years?


    He leaned in closer and whispered into William’s ear, “William… is Sylvia the one you’ve been looking for?”


    William cast him a side nce, expression unchanged, and said nothing.


    Knowing William’s nature, Steven’s chest sank.


    If it weren’t true, he would have denied it without pause. His silence was as good as a confession.


    The sky outside, once filled with sunshine, had turned overcast, casting a gloomy shadow across Steven’s face.


    His small hope had shattered.


    He rarely found himself drawn to anyone—only to discover that the girl he liked was the same one William had spent over ten years trying to find.


    Ste stepped out of the coffee shop, intending to grab lunch and return to the institute to finish her work.


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