I Was His Wife, Then His Widow, Then No One's But My Own novel Chapter 239

Stepping out of Professor Vance's office, Nora had barely reached the corner of the hallway when Seraphina darted out from the adjacent break room.

She was wearing a light gray suit today, her makeup as flawless as ever, but she couldn't entirely mask the lingering gloom under her eyes.

Blocking Nora's path, her tone was much more restrained than it had been in the conference room yesterday, even bearing a forced hint of a smile.

"Since phase two of the experiment is partnering with the Fletcher Group, as a member of the institute, I should be involved. After all, I'm the most familiar with their resources. I can help you coordinate whatever you need."

Nora halted and stared at her coldly.

The hangover headache still hadn't completely faded, and she had absolutely no patience to play games with Seraphina. She crushed her hopes with her very first sentence.

"I am solely responsible for the phase two experiment. I won't agree to you joining. Furthermore, I don't believe working together would yield any productive results."

Seraphina's expression shifted wildly. The sheer humiliation of being rejected to her face flashed through her eyes before she forcibly shoved it down.

She forced a tight, suffering smile. "Nora, I'm only thinking of the institute. After what happened yesterday, I'm worried the partners might get the wrong idea about us. Having me keep an eye on things would also prevent you from taking the fall for any unwarranted accusations. I hope you understand where I'm coming from."

Nora smiled too—polite but distant, exactly the same expression she had worn in the conference room.

She looked at Seraphina, her tone leisurely. "Of course I understand you, but that doesn't mean I have to accept you. If you want to handle collaboration projects, you're free to lead other ones. With your status, Dr. Shaw, as the future lady of the Fletcher family, I'm sure they'd agree instantly. After all, you said it yourself—your status speaks for itself, right?"

Seraphina was grinding her teeth so hard they felt ready to shatter.

Nora pushed the door open and stepped inside.

Finnegan was seated at his desk, reviewing documents.

Nora walked up, placed the prepared file folder on his desk, pushed it toward him, and skipped all pleasantries, cutting straight to the chase.

"This is the complete data for our experiment. Since we're collaborating, everything needs to be fair, open, and transparent. I require the clinical data from your hospital for cross-comparison. I hope you can arrange it as soon as possible."

Finnegan looked up at the woman before him. Dressed in a dark suit, her hair meticulously pinned up, her face devoid of any extraneous emotion.

He suddenly felt a suffocating tightness in his chest. Every time she treated him like a complete stranger, it inexplicably ignited a spark of irritation inside him.