?Chapter 310:


    Doreen shook her head, a touch of earnestness in her voice. “I’m not just trying to cheer you up. I mean every word.”


    He nced over at her, catching the open honesty in her eyes.


    Doreen really was unlike anyone else—innocent and guileless, untouched by the games everyone else seemed to y. Ste had once been that way, too. Why had she changed so much?


    If only she still resembled Doreen—things might have turned out differently. Marc cleared his throat, pushing the thought aside. “You barely ate anything earlier. Why don’t we find somece else and grab a real meal?”


    Doreen’s eyes lit up with genuine delight. She pressed a hand to her stomach, nodding shyly.


    Perfect, she thought. Her ovtion window was approaching. Just a few more days, and her n would finally begin to unfold.


    Inside the restaurant, Shaun left shortly after Marc. He was smart enough not to disturb Ste’s dinner. Before leaving, he gave her a quick wave and motioned as if to suggest they should stay in touch. Ste looked away, not responding, while Shaun threw William a deliberate nce.


    Once the brief exchange passed, Sandra pped her hands lightly and encouraged everyone to continue eating. The atmosphere quickly settled. No one brought up the earlier scene. No gossip, no questions—just quiet understanding. Ste was relieved.


    After dinner, the group parted ways. Sandra and the others went home, leaving only Ste and William heading back toward the research institute’s dormitory. The walk wasn’t far, and Ste opted to go on foot to work off the heavy meal. William walked beside her at an easy pace.


    “William,” she said after a pause, “I’ve always been curious. The Briggs Group is huge—you don’t need to spend your days running ab or working on experiments. Why are you so invested in this field?” She figured there had to be something behind it. A reason he’d given up the corporate path.


    William looked down at her. “Then what about you? Why are you so passionate about research?”


    Ste didn’t hesitate. “I’ve always had a knack for it. Even as a kid, I enjoyed solving problems. After I won that university patent award, I knew this was it for me. It feels like I’m doing something meaningful.”


    Stay tuned for more g??lnoνe??s.c?m


    Not everyone was cut out for scientific work. But she believed she was, so she had to keep going.


    Then she returned the question. “What about you?”


    William was quiet for a moment. “At first, I just didn’t want to follow my grandfather’s orders. I didn’t want to take over thepany.” He paused. “Later, I found the work interesting. So I stuck with it.” She was right. Why put talent to waste?


    Ste nced at him in surprise. She’d expected something more dramatic. She let out a softugh. “I thought you’d say it was your lifelong dream to save the world.”


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