Chapter 643

Chapter 643:
What he didn’t say was that he had waited for her each of the last three days, even asking Steven to help check where she had gone overseas. He had spent those days in quiet frustration, not knowing how she was or what had happened.
Listening to his explanation, Stella responded, “And what makes you so sure it was a false accusation? What if it really was plagiarism?”
William didn’t even pause. “That’s impossible.”
His certainty caught her off guard.
She realized that those around her seemed to believe in her unconditionally, even including William.
Stella didn’t ask why he had so much faith in her. Instead, she quietly said, “I’ve mostly taken care of everything. But thank you for worrying, Mr. Briggs.”
Just as she was about to unlock her door, William stopped her hand. “You kept this from me on purpose, didn’t you?”
Her breath caught, and her eyes widened slightly. She hadn’t told anyone, so how could he know?
William continued calmly, “We’ve spent enough time together for me to understand a few things about you. Next time something like this happens, just let me know. Even if not as a friend, I’m still your boss. I have the responsibility to stand by you.”
Stella looked at him. Her mind was quiet, but her heart thudded loudly. She gave a small blink, trying to hold back her feelings, and quietly said, “Alright, I get it.”
Satisfied, William stepped back a little. “Get some rest. I’ll see you at the research institute tomorrow.”
She nodded and gently closed the door, her eyes lingering on William until he disappeared from sight.
He had promised Nina that he would get to the bottom of everything within three days, and that deadline would be up by morning. But seeing how calm and trusting Stella looked just now brought him a small sense of relief. He just hoped tomorrow wouldn’t bring any more chaos.
The next morning, Stella got a text from Rowan, letting her know that the result of the complaint had been emailed to her.
When she opened it, she saw that an immediate investigation had been approved into the institution that had changed Rowan’s project schedule without approval.
ⓞⓡⓔ ⓘⓝ
Still, it didn’t mention how long the investigation might last.
Knowing this wouldn’t be resolved quickly, Stella took a deep breath, steadied herself, and made her way to the research institute.
Just as she entered, she heard footsteps behind her. Turning slightly, she saw Nina walk in.
Nina sneered the moment their eyes met, her tone dripping with mockery. “Well, look who decided to crawl back. I thought you were too scared to ever show your face here again.”
Stella gave Nina a cool once-over. “You know what they say, Nina. Keep doing wrong, and eventually, it’ll catch up with you.”
Nina, who had grown up abroad, blinked, not quite catching the meaning. She frowned as Stella walked into the elevator, then turned to a colleague. “What did she mean by that?”
The coworker hesitated, then gave it to her straight. “Basically… if you keep screwing people over, it’s gonna blow up in your face.” It was blunt, but the message landed.
.
.
.