Chapter 822
She had no right to expect such of Sophie when even she, as a mother, could not do so.
Charmaine was at a loss for words.
“Caleb, I’m sure this isn’t what Mom meant. This is the first time you’ve been back in a while. I’m sure she’s just worried about you.”
Willow hurriedly spoke up for Charmaine.
Caleb almost couldn’t bear acknowledging the person Willow had turned into.
She had always been the vainest of them all. Despite being only twenty years of age, she now resembled a woman a decade older from the rural countryside.
No matter what had happened, his heart ached for Willow, and he couldn’t find it within himself to continue chastising her.
“Willa, now that I’m back and our family is whole, stop involving yourself in such a mess in the future. Let’s cherish the time we have together and let bygones be bygones. It doesn’t matter who was in the wrong. The most important thing is our happiness as a family.”
“I understand, Caleb. Don’t worry. I get where you’re coming from.” She hoped never to experience life on the remote island ever again.
Sophie was someone she could not afford to offend.
She finally understood that after everything that she’d gone through.
“Caleb, you should get some rest. I’ll be preparing a scrumptious dinner later.” Despite being unhappy with Caleb’s attitude, Charmaine didn’t want to cause tension in their relationship, as it was a rare
occasion that he returned.
On the other hand, Sophie was occupied with work until eleven at night and only saw Tristan’s text message while taking a break.
She replied: “Thank you.” Just then, she saw someone smoking on the balcony. She walked toward him and asked for a joint, which she placed in her mouth.
“Do you need a lighter?”
The man inquired after noting that her cigarette remained unlit.
She shook her head.
She did not like smoking. However, she was so stressed that she’d settle for inhaling the tobacco scent.
Sophie was an outstandingly gorgeous woman. At that moment, she was dressed in a lab coat while languidly resting her arms on the railing.
Despite being fitted in such simple attire, she looked magnificent.
She was one of those natural beauties that could be doing absolutely nothing yet still turn heads.
The man next to her swallowed instinctively.
“Ms. Tanner, I—”
Sophie turned in the direction of his voice and saw a good-looking man who was tall and well-built.
“Is anything the matter?” She cocked her brows.
He was intimidated by how aloof she seemed and shook his head at once.
“It’s nothing.”
He had planned to flirt with her as it would be considered a win even if all he could get was a one-night stand from such a stunning woman.
However, he gave up under her piercing stare.
Once the man had left, Sophie was left alone and started feeling bored. She’d been spending the entire day cooped up in the lab and was about to go mad.
She decided to give Tristan a call. “What’s up?”
“I was thinking about you.”
“Tristan, don’t you think you’ve become rather cheesy as of late?”
“Is that so? Not at all! But I was indeed thinking of you. I always am.”
“Fine! I admit that I miss you too.”
“What is it? Haven’t had a breakthrough yet?”
“Yes.”
“Darling, why not come back home and rest for a day? Perhaps you should have a change of scenery since working non-stop for days hasn’t yielded any results. Who knows, this might be just what you need to achieve a breakthrough?”
He couldn’t offer any help regarding the virus except for providing her with moral support.
“Don’t worry. I won’t be coming home tonight. Be good.”
The cigarette was still positioned between Sophie’s lips.
“Okay. I will!”
They continued chatting and hung up only when Arius came looking for Sophie.
“D*mn, I doubt I can take this much longer! All these failures are starting to take a toll on me.”
Sophie gave him a side-eye.
“That’s about enough. Whining doesn’t solve anything.”
Arius saw her biting a cigarette and surmised she was troubled as well.
“Sophie, are you regretting your choice to pursue medicine?” It was often exhausting to study in the medical field.
“Not really.” Although she was at an impasse, she believed that she’d pull through eventually with a little more grit and perseverance.
“Well, you sure have strong faith!”
“That’s enough chit-chat for now. Back to work!”
Arius held her back immediately.
“Do you have any idea what time it is? Enough talk about work. Go back and have some rest!”
Just then, someone called out to the both of them.
“Professor Gullifer, I have bad news. Dr. Smith has fainted!”
Barney had regained consciousness by the time Arius and Sophie reached him.
Thankfully, it was due to over-exhaustion and wasn’t anything serious.
“Dr. Smith, haven’t I told you to take a break and head home if you feel tired? You should accept that your body is aging and is not as it was before.” Arius was at a loss for words. What was the point of pushing past your body’s limit so others could remember you for your achievements?
Isn’t one’s body their most important asset?
Barney was behaving irrationally out of sheer desperation as he’d reached a research bottleneck.
Alas, he’d collapsed at such a crucial juncture.
In the end, he would not even be able to contribute to the research.
“Dr. Smith, you may leave matters regarding the virus to Arius and me. Rest assured that nothing will go wrong with us around.”
As Barney was far from being young, it’d be better for him to recuperate in the hospital for a few days instead of excessively pushing himself.
“But…” Barney was still worried.
“No buts. You’d best remain here and break a leg. All hell would break loose in Anglandur if you fell ill.”
She dared not imagine how the public would react to news of such a critical figure in solving their current predicament breaking under its weight.
That was why Barney’s fainting incident had to be kept under wraps.
“Sophie, I’m fine, truly. All I want to do right now is to solve this problem we’re facing!” He would not rest as long as their issue persisted.
“Dr. Smith, do you not believe in Arius and me?” They understood his need for urgency, but this was not something he was capable of solving alone.
Everyone needed to work together.
Barney seemed to have aged years as he became overcome with distraught. He was becoming increasingly unsure of himself in terms of finding a way out of their plight.
Arius knew he was feeling upset and consoled, “Dr. Smith, you’ll only be taking a break for two days. You’ll be back with us once you recover. I’m certain you’d find it difficult to concentrate on your research with the physical state that you’re in right now.”
At that moment, the president of Anglandur made an appearance. He’d dropped everything to make the trip over immediately after receiving a call about Barney’s incident.
