?Chapter 1072:


    Paul immediately caught on. William knew exactly what he meant and was simply pretending otherwise. He gave a small shrug and tried to change the subject. “Oh, nothing. Just that he’s supposed to be really smart. Talented kid. Bright future.”


    But William steered the conversation right back. “He and Ste don’t have any other rtionship.”


    Paul blinked, momentarily caught off guard, then nodded quickly. “Right, right. They don’t seem like… you know. Nothing going on there.”


    Then, without warning, William turned to him, his voice sharp and cold. “Who said there was something?”


    Paul stiffened, heat creeping up the back of his neck. “Oh—just rumors going around the institute. You know how it is. People love to talk. It’s just noise. Nothing serious.”


    Trying to smooth things over, he poured William another cup of tea.


    William raised an eyebrow, his voice low. “Who said I cared?”


    Right. Of course not. Not a hint of jealousy there.


    Paul gave up then. There was no point in poking the bear. Some things were better left alone.


    One afternoon, while helping Ste sort through experimental data, Jeff asked offhandedly, “Ste, what do you usually do on weekends?”


    Ste stopped typing mid-sentence, her fingers hovering above the keys. “Most of the time, I’m either buried in research at home or stuck at the office.”


    She wasn’t a student anymore. Life had already weighed her down with too many responsibilities.


    Jeff blinked in surprise. “You don’t go shopping? Or watch movies? I thought girls liked that kind of thing.”


    He had noticed that most of the girls in his ss spent their weekends hanging out at the mall.


    A quietugh escaped Ste. “Researchers barely get time to breathe. Finding a free day feels impossible, especially when I’m managing apany on top of it.”


    For her, a full day spent doing nothing at home was a luxury she rarely enjoyed.


    Jeff nodded, mulling it over. After a moment, he asked, “Then what do you do when you actually get a break?”


    The question caught her off guard. Ste didn’t even know how to answer at first.


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    “Maybe I just stay home and rx,” she said.


    Even as she spoke, she couldn’t help thinking how in that sounded.


    After that easygoing conversation, Ste and Jeff found themselves chatting like that more and more often. Jeff seemed genuinely interested in Ste—her routines, her preferences—but he always kept things light and respectful, never pushing beyond what wasfortable.


    A week passed, and Ste’s arm had almost fully healed, though she still avoided lifting anything too heavy.


    That afternoon, she needed to send an important batch of samples to anotherb building. Sandra and the rest of the team were away on a field study, leaving her behind to recover.


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