Roxanne, Lucian, and Colby stood next to the lab counter. “Dr. Galloway, Mr. Damaris isn’t here today, so please conduct the experiment with me.” Done with all the preparations, Roxanne glanced over her shoulder at Colby, who was standing at the side.
Colby had a feeling that something was off about the experiment that day. He was downright reluctant deep within, but he could only bite the bullet and concur so that he wouldn’t appear even more suspicious. Stepping forward, he walked over to Roxanne.
As Roxanne went about the experiment, she uttered, “You should be clear about the steps for this experiment, so I’m not going to repeat them. I merely want to see where exactly things went wrong.”
Colby flashed her a forced smile. “Okay, I’ll do my best.” Without looking at him, Roxanne vaguely muttered an acknowledgment.
She wasn’t sure whether it was her mind playing tricks on her, but after that brief interaction, she found his reaction seemingly strange. Consequently, she became very distracted throughout the experiment.
Finally, they came to the segment where the accident occurred. Surprisingly, no smoke billowed out from the flask as it did the other day. Roxanne stood at the side with her eyes lowered, rendering her expression indiscernible.
Just as Colby was about to speak, he glimpsed her suddenly turning and casting a glance in Lucian’s direction. When the couple looked at each other, helplessness showed on Roxanne’s face.
Colby keenly perceived the expression of her emotions, and a wave of jealousy surged within him. I’m standing right next to her, and I understand the experiment far better! So why? Why is she asking him for help?
Come to think of it, they also came to the research institute together this morning. It seems that their relationship is much closer than I expected! Belatedly, something occurred to him. Argh! I might have accidentally benefitted him!
At that realization, intense fury and envy instantly displaced the guilt within him. The leash he kept on his expression slipped as well. When Roxanne turned back, she was greeted by his insidious expression.
“Dr. Galloway,” she reflexively called out, her heart clenching. In all the years they had been acquainted, she had only known him for always being gentle and elegant. That was the first time she had ever witnessed such a dark side to him.
In a flash, Colby jolted back to reality. The baleful expression on his face disappeared in the blink of an eye, a warm smile taking its place. “What’s the matter?”
Roxanne’s lips parted, but her heart was so heavy that no words came out. While she was at a loss in facing such a veritable stranger, Lucian’s voice rang out behind her.
“If you don’t mind, I’d like to have a look.” Lucian casually inserted himself between the two of them, separating them both. Naturally, Roxanne had no objections since that was part of their plan.
Contrarily, Colby’s heart lurched. “The experiment has always been thus. There must have been a mistake somewhere along the way that day. Even if you take a look, you won’t be able to find anything.”
Acting as though he didn’t hear the man, Lucian shifted his gaze to Roxanne beside him. “What is this? I don’t think I saw you using it during the experiment.”
Following his gaze, Roxanne caught sight of a transparent bottle on the counter. After scrutinizing it for a while, she answered, “Nothing important. It’s just distilled water for supplementation.”
“In that case, there shouldn’t be any problem adding this in, yes? From the surveillance footage, the amount of liquid in this bottle seems to have dwindled, probably having been used in the experiment. But you didn’t use it earlier.”
As Lucian said that, he had already reached out and picked up the bottle.
