?Chapter 676:


    As they rode down, Rutherford nced at William and said casually, “Ms. Gilbert works for Neb, but I’m borrowing her today. Hope that’s not an issue.” There was…


    A glint of mischief colored his tone, as if the words were meant to poke at William—and they did. He was still stewing from the night before, and this only added fuel to the fire.


    William clenched his jaw slightly, then said, “If she skips work today, she’ll lose this month’s performance bonus.”


    It was a poor attempt to keep her from going, but he couldn’t bring himself to say he didn’t want her spending the day with Rutherford. So instead, he threw out this awkward warning.


    Ste stayedposed and replied, “I’m just helping out for a bit. It won’t take long. But if you’re really concerned, I don’t mind losing the bonus.”


    She knew skipping work came with a cost, but that didn’t bother her.


    William, seeing that the bonus didn’t sway her, tried again. “The project deadline’sing up. We can’t afford dys.”


    “I know,” Ste answered calmly. “We’re ahead of schedule. Everything’s under control.”


    It was Saturday anyway, technically their day off.


    And during theirst project meeting, William himself had praised her team for their progress.<fne915> Readplete version only at Find_Novel(.</fne915>


    So she didn’t feel guilty about taking a breather. She knew how to deliver results, but she also knew when to unplug. She had no intention of letting work take over her weekend.


    The elevator doors opened, and William couldn’te up with anything else to stop her. All he could do was watch as she got into Rutherford’s car and they drove off.


    The moment the car disappeared from sight, William pulled out his phone and called Luca.


    “Find out where Rutherford’s taking her.”


    Luca was caught off guard. He didn’t even know Ste had gone with Rutherford. “Why not just ask Mr. Schoenberg directly?”


    He said it like it was a reasonable idea, like Rutherford and William were still on good terms.


    William sighed and rubbed his temple. “Just do what I asked, Luca.”


    Luca had been getting a bit too talkativetely, probably from spending so much time working with Ste.


    A few minutester, Luca texted him the address.


    William opened the message, grabbed his keys, and headed straight to his car, determined to find out exactly what Rutherford was up to.


    Rutherford brought Ste to the port, where their shipment was waiting. They popped open one of the crates, and right on top was the new research equipment, perfectly packed and looking pristine.


    The moment sheid eyes on it, Ste’s excitement was hard to miss. She could tell this was top-tier gear. Imported equipment like this always had a certain edge over what was avable locally.


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