?Chapter 686:


    Sure enough, when she opened the door, there he was—still in his neatly pressed suit, lookingposed as ever.


    “Mr. Briggs. Just getting off work?” she asked lightly.


    Without a word, William handed her a document.


    Ste nced down, confused, then froze. It was the exact experimental data she’d been trying to track down all day.


    Seeing her hesitation, William’s voice dropped low. “Didn’t you say it was urgent?”


    Her fingers tightened slightly on the doorknob. “I did. But… I already received this document earlier today. Thank you for the effort, Mr. Briggs.” He’d even printed it out for her.


    William’s hand paused midair, still slightly extended. A brief silence passed before he asked, “Was it Rutherford?”


    Aside from Rutherford, there was really no one else who could’ve sent the data that quickly.


    Ste didn’t bother denying it. She nodded.


    “He emailed it to me about five minutes ago. Still, thank you for going out of your way, Mr. Briggs.”


    Then she slowly closed the door.


    It clicked shut between them—not loudly, but final enough to make William feel the gap growing. They were still neighbors, just a few feet apart… but in that moment, she felt miles away. He couldn’t bring himself to ept defeat. He stared at the closed door for a few seconds, then walked back to his apartment.


    As he stepped into his study, he looked down at the file in his hand—the one he’d carefully prepped just for her.


    His fingers loosened. The papers slid from his grasp and fluttered into the trash. It was useless now.


    Back inside her ce, Ste stood still for a moment, watching the door she’d just shut. She hadn’t expected both Rutherford and William to respond to her online request so quickly.


    Even more surprising—they both had her on social media.<fna559> Official source is Find[?]ovel</fna559>


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    Thinking back to the look in William’s eyes, a twinge of guilt crept into her chest.


    She shook her head, trying to clear it, and turned back to her work.


    The next morning, as Ste pushed open theb door at the research institute, Elbert and the others looked up. “Sylvia, that data you sentst night came in clutch,” Elbert said, visibly relieved. “We would’ve fallen behind today without it.”


    Ste wasn’t too concerned with falling behind—it was a long-term project, not a race. Still, she understood howpetitive her team could be. They thrived on momentum.


    By midday, she stepped into the lunchroom to grab some hot water. Just as she pressed the button, a mocking chuckle rang out behind her.


    Then came the familiar voice as Nina walked up to her. “Well, well… Sylvia, I didn’t know you were this shameless.”


    Ste didn’t even bother looking at her. Once the water finished pouring, she picked up her cup and turned to leave. After dealing with Nina’s petty antics a few times already, she’d learned it was better not to engage.


    But Nina wasn’t going to let her off so easily. She stepped in front of Ste, blocking her path. Her tone turned cold. “What? You can put on a show but can’t take a little criticism? You act like you’re above everyone, but we both know how you really got in here.”


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