?Chapter 1684:


    Far ahead, Rufus walked alongside Ste, deliberately keeping quiet. They continued in silence for some time before Ste finally exhaled softly. “Rufus, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have pulled you into my private issues.”


    Rufus didn’t seem bothered at all. He rubbed the back of his head, looking slightly embarrassed. “Honestly, Ste, I should be the one apologizing. It looks like I might have made Mr. Briggs misunderstand things. Maybe you should go back and talk it through with him. I don’t want my presence to cause problems between you two.” After all, they were on the verge of getting married, and Rufus had no intention of being the reason tension formed between them.


    Ste curved her lips into a tired but gentle smile. “I really am sorry about all this. Let’s swap numbers. When I have some free time, I’ll help you with your thesis.”


    Rufus was visibly delighted, clearly not expecting her to offer her contact information so readily. They exchanged numbers, and once that was done, Ste said her goodbyes and made her way back to the vi on her own.


    ???????? ???????? yo??r p??о???? o?? ????????оv??????.c????


    By the time she arrived, William was already there, seated quietly on the sofa as though he had never stepped out at all. A heavy, strained silence hung over the vi. Without addressing him, Ste went upstairs and headed straight to her room.


    She had barely sat down on the edge of her bed when her phone buzzed in her pocket. Pulling it out, she saw Lance’s name on the screen. She inhaled deeply, steadying herself, then answered.


    “Ste, I’ve got great news!” Lance’s voice brimmed with unmistakable excitement. “The antidote ising along really well. If nothing unexpected happens in the final phase, we should have it ready in about two weeks.”


    Ste’s pulse jumped, disbelief flickering across her face. She had assumed the process would drag on far longer — she never imagined that in just half a month, William might finally be released from those artificial memories and reim who he truly was. It was happening much faster than she had ever dared to hope.


    Her voice quivered slightly. “Lance, are you certain? Your friend’s antidote… it really works?”


    Lance replied without hesitation. “Ste, my friend is an expert in this field overseas. I’ve already exined William’s condition in detail. He said there’s about an eighty percent chance it’ll seed.”


    An eighty percent sess rate was already remarkably high. Relief and happiness surged through her all at once, and the hardship she had endured these past days suddenly felt justified. As long as William recovered, every sacrifice she had made would be worth it.


    Her voice dropped to a soft murmur. “Thank you, Lance.”


    Lance’s tone grew gentler. “You don’t need to thank me, Ste. We’re family. How have things been on your end? Has he had any more incidents?”


    Right now, his greatest worry was Ste herself. The memory of seeing her injuredst time still weighed heavily on him.


    .


    .


    .