Awakened Housewife: Ignore Betrayer\u2019s Begs\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 319 Power Play\u00a0<\/p>\n
:\u00a0<\/p>\n
64\u00a0<\/p>\n
Finished\u00a0<\/p>\n
Given this, when Vincent made his threat, Thomas still couldn\u2019t believe he would actually follow through.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Perhaps sensing Thomas\u2018 skepticism, Vincent simply stood up. He looked down at the seated professor, Itis tone final. \u201cMr. Newman, I assure you, this is no joke. If you choose not to believe me, time will tell. The future of several key research initiatives at the foundation rests entirely on your decision.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
With that, he guided Sabrina out of the private room, leaving Thomas sitting alone in stunned silence.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Not long after, Thomas\u2018 phone rang. He answered to hear the strained voice of a project coordinator. \u201cMr. Newman, I\u2019m afraid the shipment of the new spectrometers and lab equipment\u2026 It\u2019s been halted.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Confused and alarmed, Thomas demanded, \u201cWhat do you mean, halted? On whose authority?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cOrders from the top, sir,\u201d the coordinator replied, sounding helpless. \u201cThe funding source has flagged the procurement. There\u2019s nothing we can do.\u201d The call ended abruptly.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Sitting in the now\u2013chilly, empty dining room, a cold realization settled over Thomas. He picked up his phone again and dialed Vincent\u2019s number.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Vincent answered promptly, a note of smug satisfaction in his voice. \u201cMr. Newman. Have you reconsidered?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Thomas was seething. \u201cVincent, this is an academic institution, not your personal fiefdom. You can\u2019t strong\u2013arm scholarship.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cMy terms are simple,\u201d Vincent replied coolly. \u201cYou will instruct Nolan to develop a viable, publishable research framework for Sabrina. The execution of the experiments and the writing of the dissertation, she will handle herself.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Thomas let out a short, bitter laugh. \u201cTo elevate a woman, you resort to tactics this underhanded, Vincent? You are more pathetic than I imagined.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Vincent fell silent, offering no defense to the personal jab.\u00a0<\/p>\n
When he didn\u2019t speak, Thomas pressed on, his voice heavy with disdain. \u201cSabrina lacks the intellectual foundation to operate at that level. Even if you use your influence to hoist her up, the only certainty is that her fall will be from a much greater height.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Then, Thomas hung up. He knew Vincent had him checkmated, for now. But that wasn\u2019t the true tragedy. The real loss was that this shortcut for Sabrina would lead to a far shakier\u00a0<\/p>\n
1\/3\u00a0<\/p>\n
20:08 Wed, Jan 14\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 319 Power Play\u00a0<\/p>\n
foundation than any path built on genuine merit ever could.\u00a0<\/p>\n
*****\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u0f62\u0f71(64)\u00a0<\/p>\n
Finished\u00a0<\/p>\n
That same afternoon, just as Scarlett was finishing her shift, Nolan came to find her at the hospital.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cDinner?\u201d he asked.\u00a0<\/p>\n
After a brief moment of thought, Scarlett nodded. \u201cAlright.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
She had promised to treat him to a meal after Vincent had abruptly summoned her away from her parents\u2018 house. Since she was free tonight, it seemed like a good time.\u00a0<\/p>\n
At an upscale, modern fusion restaurant, Nolan handed the menu to Scarlett. She gently pushed it back toward him. \u201cNolan, this is my treat. Please, you order.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Hearing this, Nolan simply smiled and took the menu back without argument.\u00a0<\/p>\n
After he had placed their order, Scarlett glanced up to signal a server and saw the heavy curtain at the entrance being swept aside. A couple walked in.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The man was Damian. Handsome, with the build of an athlete, his expression was one of open, lazy charm.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Beside him was a woman in a cream\u2013colored slip dress under a tailored camel coat. Her makeup was impeccable. Damian\u2019s arm was draped casually over her shoulders.\u00a0<\/p>\n
As they entered, they turned several heads. Scarlett recognized the woman from television and magazine covers. She was a rapidly rising starlet, the current \u201cit girl\u201d of the moment.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Of course. Damian changed companions as often as he changed his Italian loafers. Beautiful women were never in short supply around him.\u00a0<\/p>\n
And what was she, Scarlett, in that lineup? Nothing. A fleeting, forgettable blip.\u00a0<\/p>\n
As Damian and the actress passed their table, Scarlett was looking down at her phone. Nolan, seated beside her, was carefully pouring warm water from a carafe into her glass.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Once the glass was full, he nudged it toward her. \u201cThe air in the city is so dry this time of year. This might help.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Only then did Scarlett look up at him, forcing a small, polite smile. \u201cThank you, Nolan.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Damian, his hand now resting possessively on the small of the actress\u2018 back, seemed to be in no hurry. Whether he was deliberately moving slowly or was too absorbed in their whispered exchange, he didn\u2019t proceed to a table immediately.\u00a0<\/p>\n
2\/3\u00a0<\/p>\n
20:08 Wed, Jan 14\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 319 Power Play\u00a0<\/p>\n
64\u00a0<\/p>\n
Finished\u00a0<\/p>\n
Instead, he engaged in some very public, very intimate flirtation right there in the aisle.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The restaurant was busy, but Damian displayed no concern for an audience. He pulled the actress closer, his hand firm on her waist as she melted against his chest with a practiced sigh.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cMr. Langley, you\u2019re being awfully bold\u2026 holding me so tight right here,\u201d the actress purred, her voice a low, provocative tease. \u201cAren\u2019t you worried I might\u2026 make a scene?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Her own hand drifted, tracing a suggestive line along his abdomen through his fine sweater.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Damian\u2019s smile widened into a wolfish grin. He looked down at her, his voice dropping to a murmur that was, unfortunately, still perfectly audible. \u201cPressed against me like this, darling, who else would be making a scene but you?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
He followed this with a rich, unrestrained laugh that drew a few more glances.\u00a0<\/p>\n
They were standing mere feet from Scarlett\u2019s table. Every word, every intimate nuance, carried clearly to her ears.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Noticing the tight line of Scarlett\u2019s mouth, Nolan reached over, his brow furrowed with concern. \u201cAre you alright? You\u2019ve gone a bit pale.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Scarlett shook her head slightly, summoning another faint smile. \u201cI\u2019m fine. Really.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Nolan could tell her mood had shifted, though he didn\u2019t connect the change to Damian\u2019s dramatic entrance.\u00a0<\/p>\n
And in truth, Scarlett wasn\u2019t overwhelmed by heartbreak. Remembering the moments when she had actually been moved by Damian\u2019s gestures, she now felt nothing but foolish derision for her own naivete.\u00a0<\/p>\n
1.1K\u00a0<\/p>\n
B\u00a0<\/p>\n
3\/3\u00a0<\/p>\n
Editorial Board: Our editorial team works behind the scenes to refine each chapter, maintain consistency, and deliver the best reading experience.<\/p>\n
Silent Dreams Never Die \u2014 Author: John Miller 319 Awakened Housewife: Ignore Betrayer\u2019s Begs\u00a0 Chapter 319 Power Play\u00a0 :\u00a0 64\u00a0 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[81],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-27683","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-the-impossible-condition-novel"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27683","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=27683"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27683\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=27683"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=27683"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=27683"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}