Chapter 1762

Karina questioned herself. “What am I even thinking? Dr. Wilfred has been so kind to me. What does his personal life have to do with me?”
For someone as emotionally oblivious as Karina, the realization hit her hard. She was acting out of character. The subtle closeness she had felt toward Wilfred, born of gratitude, now felt awkward and unwarranted. A pang of guilt surged through her, making her want to retreat entirely.
Wilfred, noticing her silence, assumed she had concerns. “Why aren’t you saying anything? If you have any reservations, speak up now. We can deal with them together.”
He didn’t like leaving issues unresolved, which was why he offered so openly.
But how could Karina let him know what was on her mind?
Even imagining the look of disdain that might cross Wilfred’s face if he found out made her feel as though she were being ripped apart from the inside.
Steeling herself under his questioning gaze, she forced a smile and said casually, “No concerns. Miss Walker was very easy to talk to. We had a pleasant conversation that day.”
As soon as she finished, she noticed Wilfred’s brows relax, and guilt stabbed at her chest.
For the first time, she lied to Wilfred-half-truths intertwined with half-lies, and somehow, she managed to pull it off.
Wilfred didn’t seem to suspect anything. He was perceptive, yes, but not a mind reader. And he certainly wasn’t well-versed in understanding women’s thoughts. The only time he noticed something was amiss was when women made blatant advances. Besides, he trusted Karina.
Seeing that she didn’t mind Nina’s actions, his attitude toward her softened noticeably. “Come sit down. No need to stand there. While you’re here, take a look at this-our latest test results.”
He handed her a blood test report.
Finally, they were talking business.
Karina let out a quiet sigh of relief
and focused her attention on the
report. She examined it close the el
her
brow furrowing as she scanned the
data.
Shaking her head repeatedly, she muttered, “This isn’t right. Why has the cell count multiplied several times over?”
Wilfred leaned back slightly, exuding calm.
“That’s exactly what I wanted to discuss,” he said. “The project started about a month ago. In that time, we developed an agent to slow cell division. Initially, we didn’t dare use it on the patient, so we tested it on Tab mice instead.”
He clarified, “The mice showed no adverse reactions, which gave us the confidence to try the agent on the patient.”
Karina couldn’t hold back her question. “I don’t quite understand. Isn’t delaying aging a good thing? Why-”
“Why would the patient want to revert to normal, right?” Wilfred interrupted, anticipating her thought.
Adjusting his gold-rimmed glasses, he crossed one leg over the other, resting his hand lightly on his knee His black wristwatch caught the light, reflecting an icy sheen, perfectly complementing the
vern
detached look in his eyes.
At that moment, his gaze felt almost mechanical-pure, unfeeling logic that sent a chill down her spine.
With a calm, low voice, Wilfred said, “Not everyone sees this so-called gift as a blessing.”
Karina’s eyes flickered with emotion. It took her a moment to gather herself and look away, pressing a hand lightly against her chest.
Even through her clothes, she could feel the rapid, steady thrum of her heartbeat-loud and clear, as though echoing her inner restlessness.
The realization unsettled her. It wasn’t Wilfred she feared-it was herself. She was terrified of losing control.
To her credit, Karina had made progress over the past few weeks. At least for now, even sitting this close, Wilfred hadn’t noticed anything amiss.