Lullaby 288
That old witch.
This was supposed to be a partnership, but instead, she sent people to watch her every move, as if she needed to be guarded against.
All right, then.
Once she secured the rights to this drug, she’d turn around and sell it to another pharmaceutical company. Let’s see if that old witch could handle
the shock.
Either way, no matter who ended up being the business partner, she’d still be the sole developer behind this new medication.
When that time came, even the old witch wouldn’t dare to mess with her
so easily.
And as for Elissa…
Ha.
When she finally made a name for herself, putting a failure like Elissa in her place would be child’s play.
Meanwhile, Elissa was so busy in the lab she could barely straighten her back, completely unaware that even as her project was still in
development, someone was already plotting behind her back.
At five o’clock, Cliff washed his hands and glanced at Elissa with a smile. “Let’s call it a day. The rest will have to wait for the new data anyway.”
“Sounds good.”
Elissa beamed and peeled off her gloves, heading to the sink.
Nearby, Xavier couldn’t help but remark, “Dr. Drummond, Dr. Cliff–watching you two work together is like watching a well–oiled machine.”
They almost looked like comrades who’d fought alongside each other for
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years.
Cliff grinned, making light of it. “You should ask her how many years I’ve been her assistant. I’ve picked up a thing or two over time.”
Elissa arched an eyebrow, thinking for a moment. “Four years?”
They’d met thanks to their mentor.
From the very first day, their professor decided Cliff should shadow Elissa and learn from her.
Cliff had never hesitated–he’d followed her lead all these years. It was only by chance, much later, that he discovered Elissa was the mentor’s legendary protégé.
“This is the fifth year, actually,” Cliff said, smiling as he grabbed his coat–and hers, too. “Come on, if we don’t leave now, we’ll get stuck in traffic.”
Tonight, Cliff had chosen the restaurant.
He was thoughtful, and he knew how to make a girl feel comfortable. Instead of picking some private, fancy place, he went with something stylish–one of those trendy spots that looked good on the outside, though most of them were all show and no substance.
But this one supposedly had a solid reputation.
They headed downstairs together, about to walk toward the parking garage, when they spotted Frank striding steadily in their direction.
Frank’s gaze darkened a little when he saw Cliff, but with Elissa present, he kept his composure. “Elissa, I was planning to wait upstairs for you, didn’t expect you’d finish early today.”
If Frank didn’t have the only clues to her parents‘ deaths, after the incident at Greenwood Manor, Elissa would have cut him off on the spot.
As it was, her tone held no warmth. “What do you want?”
At this point, the only thing she and Frank could discuss civilly was what
happened to her parents.
Everything else was off–limits.
Frank could sense her dislike, his lips pressed thin. “It’s your birthday today. I made a reservation–I thought maybe we could have dinner together.”
“I already have plans with a friend,” Elissa replied, curt and resolute. She glanced at Cliff. “Let’s go.”
“Of course.”
Cliff smiled, subtly stepping between her and Frank, blocking Frank’s path without making a scene.
If she liked Frank, he’d respect that.
If she couldn’t stand Frank, he’d support her just the same.
As long as she was happy, that was all that mattered.
They’d barely taken two steps when Frank caught up and blocked their way, struggling to suppress the urge to drag Elissa away then and there. He kept his voice steady. “Elissa, please. Just this once. I’ve never celebrated your birthday with you before. Give me a chance, will you?”