Chapter 217\u00a0<\/p>\n
The car unlocked as she spoke, and she went to pull open the\u00a0<\/p>\n
passenger door.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cGet in and wait for a bit.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine held onto the door, confused. \u201cAren\u2019t you getting in?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m going to go look, see if I dropped the keys somewhere.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cOh. Okay, go ahead.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine got in the car, leaning on the open window to wait\u00a0<\/p>\n
for her.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She expected to run into Adrian.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Rebecca didn\u2019t look surprised at all; she just walked toward him\u00a0<\/p>\n
calmly.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Usually, she\u2019d smile whenever she saw Adrian, her eyes full of\u00a0<\/p>\n
admiration.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But now, her face was blank, even a little cold.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 217\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cProfessor Shaw.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Adrian nodded and pulled a car key from his pocket.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIs this yours?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYeah, thanks.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
She reached for it, but just as she was about to touch the key,\u00a0<\/p>\n
Adrian closed his hand around it.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Rebecca frowned, looking at Adrian in confusion.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Their eyes met, and the indifference Adrian had been faking\u00a0<\/p>\n
started to crack.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He seemed to let out a soft sigh.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cDon\u2019t you have anything you want to say to me?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI do.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Rebecca didn\u2019t shy away. She nodded openly, then held out her\u00a0<\/p>\n
hand. \u201cGive me the key first.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
For once, Adrian was acting like a stubborn child.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 217\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat if you take the key and just walk away?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
His words made Rebecca laugh. She said, a bit helplessly, \u201cThis\u00a0<\/p>\n
key isn\u2019t that important.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
It wasn\u2019t important.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But she still came back for it.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Maybe\u2026 it wasn\u2019t the key that was important, but the person\u00a0<\/p>\n
who took it.\u00a0<\/p>\n
After a moment of silence, Adrian gave the key back to\u00a0<\/p>\n
Rebecca.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He stood there without moving or speaking, just waiting for\u00a0<\/p>\n
Rebecca to say something to him.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m sorry.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
What he got was an apology.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Adrian was clearly not satisfied with that, and his handsome\u00a0<\/p>\n
brows furrowed.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cAll you have to say to me is \u2018I\u2019m sorry\u2018?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIs that too simple?\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 217\u00a0<\/p>\n
Then let me apologize more formally. I\u2019m sorry, Professor Shaw.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I shouldn\u2019t have faked my identity to get close to you.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Rebecca\u2019s tone was calm, and she kept looking into Adrian\u2019s\u00a0<\/p>\n
eyes as she spoke.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The more open she was, the more Adrian felt like a pair of\u00a0<\/p>\n
hands were squeezing his heart.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Rebecca continued speaking.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI admit, I did it because I wanted to invite you to join the\u00a0<\/p>\n
Whitman group. I saw your interview; you didn\u2019t want to do R&D\u00a0<\/p>\n
for a pharmaceutical company, you just wanted to focus on\u00a0<\/p>\n
your own projects.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
As Rebecca spoke, she pressed her lips together, probably\u00a0<\/p>\n
feeling a bit shameless.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI could only hold on to a one\u2013in\u2013a\u2013million chance, hoping to get\u00a0<\/p>\n
close to you, persuade you, and get you to join the Whitman\u00a0<\/p>\n
group.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
She shrugged. \u201cI didn\u2019t expect you to find out so quickly. It\u2019s not\u00a0<\/p>\n
all bad, though. To be honest, this whole time has been\u00a0<\/p>\n
agonizing for me.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 217\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cAgonizing?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Adrian thought he must have misheard.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He gritted his teeth. \u201cDo you mean lying to me was agonizing, or\u00a0<\/p>\n
that being with me\u2026 was agonizing?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIs there a difference?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cOf course there is!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Adrian was getting a little emotional. He clenched his jaw, and\u00a0<\/p>\n
his eyes trembled almost imperceptibly.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Rebecca had been meeting his gaze, but she couldn\u2019t stand\u00a0<\/p>\n
being looked at like that and glanced away.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s all the same to me.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Adrian\u2019s voice was low and restrained. \u201cYou really think there\u2019s\u00a0<\/p>\n
no difference between the two?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
He took a step forward, closing the distance between them, his\u00a0<\/p>\n
gaze burning into her.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Rebecca instinctively took half a step back, her hand holding the car key tightening slightly.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 217\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cProfessor Shaw, we were never supposed to get this involved\u00a0<\/p>\n
with each other.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
She said softly, \u201cYou\u2019re a genius in academia, and I\u2019m just a\u00a0<\/p>\n
businesswoman. My intentions for approaching you weren\u2019t\u00a0<\/p>\n
pure from the start, so why are you so hung up on this?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cNot pure\u2026\u201d Adrian chuckled. \u201cThen tell me, what is pure?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Rebecca was silent for a moment, then finally looked up at him.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cAt least it shouldn\u2019t be lying.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cBut you lied.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Adrian stared at her, saying slowly, \u201cYou lied to me, and now\u00a0<\/p>\n
you think a flippant sorry can just wipe it all away? Rebecca,\u00a0<\/p>\n
what did our time together even mean?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Rebecca took a deep breath, suppressing the tightness in her\u00a0<\/p>\n
chest.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThen what do you want?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Adrian laughed, but the smile didn\u2019t reach his eyes.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat do I want?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 217\u00a0<\/p>\n
He repeated the question, stepping closer to Rebecca. \u201cYou\u00a0<\/p>\n
don\u2019t even know what I want?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you\u2019re looking for a resolution, I\u2019ve already apologized. If you\u00a0<\/p>\n
still think that\u2019s not enough, I can make a public statement that\u00a0<\/p>\n
won\u2019t affect your reputation at all.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
She tried to back away, but Adrian\u2019s hand shot out and grabbed\u00a0<\/p>\n
her arm.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat if I want you?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Cedella is a passionate storyteller known for her bold romantic and spicy novels that keep readers hooked from the very first chapter. With a flair for crafting emotionally intense plots and unforgettable characters, she blends love, desire, and drama into every story she writes. Cedella\u2019s storytelling style is immersive and addictive\u2014perfect for fans of heated romances and heart-pounding twists.<\/p>\n
Night Carved Paths Into Silence by Zyrel Ash ` 217 Chapter 217\u00a0 The car unlocked as she spoke, and she […]<\/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":[85],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-29514","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-the-heart-surgeons-last-patient-novel"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29514","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=29514"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29514\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=29514"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=29514"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=29514"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}