Chapter 101
Chapter 101:
A sharp, painful memory surfaced behind her eyes. She was back in Dr. Zhang’s office, seven years ago, telling him she was leaving the lab to marry Cole Compton. She remembered the absolute, crushing disappointment that had settled over the old man’s face.
June swallowed. A tight knot formed in her throat.
She looked down at the invitation.
“I will go,” she said. Her voice was quiet, but it was forged from solid steel. “I will attend as the core representative for Apex Bio p>
Silas exhaled with visible relief. A wide smile broke across his face. He knew that the moment June stepped onto that stage, the entire industry would drop to its knees.
Miles away, inside the sunlit penthouse of Compton Tower, Alycia sat on the edge of the white leather sofa, flipping through a high-end society magazine. She stopped on a full-page spread for the Global Bio-Tech Summit, its headline branding it the Oscars of the Medical World.
Her eyes lit up.
Organize your library on.com
Every major Wall Street billionaire and old-money aristocrat in New York would be in that room. If she walked in on Cole’s arm, her place in New York society would be permanently and publicly secured.
Cole came out of the master bathroom rubbing a towel through his wet hair, his phone buzzing steadily with urgent emails about the SEC compliance freeze.
Alycia dropped the magazine and arranged her expression into something soft and vulnerable. She crossed the room and wrapped her arms gently around his waist, pressing her cheek to his chest.
“Cole,” she murmured, “I was reading about the Bio-Tech Summit tomorrow. As someone with a medical degree, I really want to attend — to learn about the new advancements p>
Cole frowned and stopped drying his hair. “Those summits are incredibly boring. I was going to send the VP of Acquisitions p>
Alycia let out a small, fragile sigh and looked up at him with wide, glistening eyes. “I know. But the rumors online have been so cruel lately. People say I am just a pretty face. I want to prove my professional worth.” She paused. “I want to make Caleb proud of me p>
The mention of his dead brother’s name landed like a direct hit.
A suffocating wave of guilt crashed into Cole’s stomach. The invisible chain around his neck drew tight. He felt the old, familiar pull of obligation.
He tossed the towel onto a chair and picked up his phone. “Get me two front-row VIP passes for the Global Bio-Tech Summit tomorrow,” he told his executive assistant. “Whatever it costs p>
Alycia let out a soft sound of delight. She rose onto her toes and pressed a kiss to Cole’s jaw, her eyes bright with barely contained vanity, then turned and hurried toward her walk-in closet to choose a dress.
Cole hung up the phone and watched her go. He did not feel satisfied. He felt a strange, heavy dread settling into his bones. He moved to the floor-to-ceiling window and stood there, staring down at the Manhattan traffic below.
For no logical reason whatsoever, the image of June’s pale, stubborn face filled his mind.