Lucian’s expression turned chilly. “As long as he was the one behind it, he would definitely feel guilty in such a situation. Even if not, he’ll be afraid of dying!”
Upon hearing that, Roxanne fell silent for a few seconds. Yet in the end, she still relented. She took out her phone and gave Colby a call, informing him that she would be making a trip to the research institute tomorrow.
On the other end of the phone, Colby readily agreed without a trace of oddity in his voice. After she had hung up the phone, doubts again surfaced within her. If it was truly his doing, how could he have hidden it so well? Could it be that… we’ve really misunderstood him?
As though discerning the misgivings within her, Lucian lifted his hand and placed it on hers. His voice was calm and steady. “Trust me. If it really wasn’t him, you can also rest assured.”
Pursing her lips, Roxanne bobbed her head. That night, she didn’t sleep a wink. No matter what, she couldn’t accept that a partner with whom she had worked together for many years turned out to be the culprit who almost killed her.
Her only hope was that she would obtain an answer tomorrow. Early the following morning, Lucian was already seated in the living room when Roxanne went downstairs.
She hadn’t slept well, so she was somewhat dazed. At the sight of him, she spaced out for a few seconds before asking in a murmur, “Are we going over right now?”
At her wan look, Lucian’s gaze darkened. “We’ll go over as soon as possible when you’ve had breakfast. We can’t give him any breathing room.”
If it was really Colby behind the incident, he’s exceedingly meticulous. With just a bit of breathing room, it’ll be enough time for him to do many things.
Roxanne nodded with a heavy heart. After eating some food, she bid Archie, Benny, and Estella farewell before getting into Lucian’s car to head to the research institute..
By the time they arrived at the research institute, Colby was already there, busy with something or other.
The instant he saw Roxanne and Lucian appearing together, his expression stiffened for a heartbeat. “Dr. Jarvis, Mr. Farwell, why did you both come together? You should’ve told me in advance.”
“Does Dr. Jarvis need to tell you before returning to the research institute to work?” Lucian retorted unceremoniously. At once, Colby froze, the smile on his face stained with a hint of guilt.
Sighing inwardly, Roxanne said to Colby, “Please bring me to the lab for a look. I can’t shake off the feeling that there was some problem with the experiment that day.” At that comment, even greater guilt swamped Colby.
He had come over early in the morning to go over everything on the laboratory counter and replace the medicine he switched with a bottle of the same size to prevent discovery.
Unexpectedly, Roxanne and Lucian had arrived. before he could do so. Worse still, Roxanne was requesting to reconduct the experiment.
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.
Colby watched Lucian’s actions intently, his breathing catching for a second. Despite knowing that it wasn’t the bottle of medicine from that day since he had personally replaced it with the bottle of distilled water, he still couldn’t help breaking into a cold sweat. He actually realized that someone had used that bottle of medicine! D*mn it! I didn’t even notice that tiny detail!
“Dr. Galloway, I can add this in, right?” Without warning, Lucian turned and looked at him.
Colby’s pupils constricted. He dug his nails into his palms to force himself to remain calm. “Of course. It’s only going to dilute the solution. Perhaps Mr. Damaris added it that day, but we didn’t notice it.”
While saying that, he took a step back to make room for the man. Inclining his head, Lucian walked over and occupied the freed space. Uncorking the bottle, he slowly poured the liquid inside into the flask.
At the same time, a pill slipped out of his hand, which was in Colby’s blind spot. After falling into the bottle, it dissolved upon contact with water, blending with the colorless and odorless distilled water before mixing with the liquid in the flask.
“All done.” He corked the bottle back and moved away. “Let’s observe for a while longer and see whether there’s any unusual reaction. Maybe it was a problem with the distilled water.”
Colby couldn’t shake off the feeling that something was amiss. Nonetheless, he steeled himself and returned to his place at the counter. His entire body tense, he stared at the flask that was still in the midst of reacting
Shortly after, the same gas as that day gradually filled the flask. For a moment, Colby’s breath caught. He gaped at the gas in the flask before glancing at the distilled water at the side, his eyes brimming with disbelief.
How could this be? I personally placed the distilled water there. How could there be gas? Could it be that… someone switched the liquid inside?
As panic inundated him, Lucian’s voice split the air hauntingly. “Does this bottle really contain distilled water, Dr. Galloway?” Stiffly turning around, Colby trained his gaze on Roxanne beside him.
In her eyes, he could see the reflection of himself that appeared all tense and guilty. Behind him, Lucian’s scorching gaze bore into him as though wishing to see through him..
Abruptly shuddering, he whirled around and took off without an ounce of hesitation. It wasn’t until Roxanne had witnessed that scene that she truly believed Colby was the culprit behind everything.
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.