?Chapter 466:


    William turned his face away. “I’m tired.”


    Willow bit her lip. “I’ll stay and watch your IV then. I won’t bother you.” He didn’t respond. He just closed his eyes.


    Ste didn’t look back.


    With the fiancée there, it was better to leave.


    No point sticking around only to be used of trying to steal someone’s man. But the next day, as soon as she walked into the research institute, someone stopped her.


    William.


    “Why’d you just walk off yesterday?” he asked.


    Ste blinked. Was he being serious?


    “Your fiancée was right there taking care of you. I figured I wasn’t needed, so I left,” she said.


    He looked at her like a kicked puppy.


    That faintly wronged expression made her feel weirdly ufortable.


    She rubbed her arms. “You’re already discharged? Shouldn’t you have stayed a few more days for observation?”


    Acute gastroenteritis wasn’t exactly light work. Discharged the same day and back to work the next? That was pushing it.


    William turned and headed inside. “My body’s not that weak.”


    Ste rolled her eyes but followed him in. As they walked, his phone rang. He picked up, said a few words, then hung up with a darkened look on his face.


    Once inside the elevator, he slipped the phone back into his pocket. She kept her eyes on her shoes, when he suddenly asked, “Do you know how to appraise antique paintings?”


    That caught her off guard. As the famous Sterion, she’d done her fair share of research in that field. She could definitely manage a decent evaluation. But she wasn’t ready to let that part of herself be known—not yet. So she hedged. “Why do you ask?”


    “My grandpa got this painting, but some guest at the house said it was a fake. He got so pissed he nearly lost his breath, and now he’s holed up at Briggs Mansion, sulking.”


    g?lnσν????s holds stories for every mood


    Ste hesitated. “I’ve dabbled a bit—not a pro or anything—but if it’s a super obvious fake, I can probably tell.”


    William gave her a look, then calmly pressed the button for the first floor again. “Thene with me.”


    Ste blinked. “Uh, I’ve got work, you know.”


    Was he just dragging her off like this? That had to count as skipping work. So much for her perfect attendance bonus.


    “It won’t count as skipping work,” William said casually.


    Next thing she knew, he was driving them straight to Briggs Mansion.


    As soon as they stepped through the gate, Ste spotted an older man—probably in his seventies—slouched on the couch, a damp towel on his forehead, clearly upset.


    Her eyes swept across the room, briefly meeting a few unfamiliar faces. The middle-aged man with the beard had to be Cesar. The woman in the dress next to him—Stephanie.


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