Chapter 252: Chapter 252: Don’t Want to Enter Each Other’s Lives?
"Kenny, you can do whatever you want as long as it’s not dangerous; Mommy supports you."
Kenny’s beautiful, clear eyes were shining brightly as he dove into Ann Vaughn’s arms. "Mommy, from now on, when you slobber all over Kenny’s face, Kenny won’t complain about it secretly in his heart!"
Moreover, he absolutely couldn’t let Mommy know what he was actually doing, or it would just make her worry even more.
Ann Vaughn was caught between tears and laughter. "You’re actually complaining about your Mommy’s slobber!"
"It’s because Kenny is a clean-loving baby. Even after eating hot pot, he’s fresh and doesn’t leave behind any smell! Mommy, you get what I mean, right?"
Faced with the eternal hot pot problem, Ann Vaughn laughed so hard she could burst, but her attitude remained firm. "Don’t even think about it, go to sleep!"
After Little Dumpling fell asleep, Ann Vaughn took the experiment data she got from the research institute and went to the lab.
Jane Sheridan intentionally excluded her, and Ann Vaughn didn’t have the authority to view many important core materials.
Unless she could get a virus sample to analyze on her own, which was much simpler and more direct than going to great lengths for core data.
The next day at the research institute, Ann Vaughn brought up this request to Jane Sheridan.
As an esteemed consultant with quite mature experience in virus studies, this request wasn’t difficult to propose.
But the challenge was, Jane Sheridan refused.
"You should know the virus samples must not leave the research institute. Everyone in our A Group has their own tasks, and we can’t spare lab space for you. So, just wait until we’re done to look at the data."
The implication was, we have our own plans, so you just stay out of the way.
This confirmed to Ann Vaughn that Jane Sheridan truly had a grudge against her.
And it wasn’t light.
"Team Leader Sheridan makes a good point. In that case, when will you finish the research? This week or next? Surely by then, you’ll be able to give me a complete answer, right?" Ann Vaughn wasn’t angry at all, but instead smiled cheerfully.
"Research primarily requires time, haste is not the answer..."
"Team Leader Sheridan, that’s where you’re mistaken. Time is the most crucial element in research. The longer it drags, the worse it is for future developments." Ann Vaughn’s eyes curved with a smile at her lips, "Team Leader Sheridan, you haven’t been at the institute for long, you still have a lot to learn."
Does she want to play mind games with her?
Ann Vaughn didn’t want to engage in these games, but if Jane insisted on being an obstacle, don’t blame her for her sharp tongue.
Jane Sheridan quietly clutched the documents in her hand, her lovely smile unchanging, "I do need to learn more, but Consultant Vaughn shouldn’t be dismissive, thinking that our entire team is inferior to just one person like you."
Upon hearing this, Ann Vaughn curved her red lips into a smile, her eyes brightening slightly, "Research is about the process and the result, unrelated to anything else. As an A Group consultant, I have the right to inquire about all internal matters."
"But with Team Leader Sheridan’s constant obstruction, are you questioning my ability, or deliberately hindering the project’s progress?"
The gentle, tender voice rang out word by word in the expansive lab, confident yet unafraid, leaving people speechless.
Jane Sheridan’s poised smile nearly cracked, casting an unfathomably dark look at Ann Vaughn.
The team members working nearby exchanged glances but didn’t dare intervene.
One was a special consultant, an internationally renowned Divine Doctor.
The other was the leader of A Group, the daughter of Marinia’s richest family, the Sheridans.
With the gods fighting, it was better for these small fry to stay out of the way.
Ann Vaughn unsurprisingly obtained the OX virus sample and applied to Shane Shaw for access to a private lab for her research.
In the A Group lab, Jane Sheridan stood with a cloudy face, glaring at Ann Vaughn’s vacant seat as if she were trying to burn a hole in it.
"Team Leader, there’s nothing wrong with Consultant Vaughn doing her job. Maybe with her joining, this project might actually progress..."
"What nonsense are you talking? Team Leader has been steeped in the lab for almost half a month and made just a bit of progress. Do you think this project is easy?"
"Honestly, she looks so young, she doesn’t really seem like she could be such an accomplished Divine Doctor..."
Because of Jane Sheridan’s status there, the team members hastened to console her.
Jane Sheridan softened her expression and smiled at them, "Everyone, continue working. I was just surprised that Consultant Vaughn is a bit hard to get along with. However, she’s using our long-standing research reports directly for experiments, so with her competence, completing this project should be easy for her."
These words made the team members feel somewhat uneasy.
After all, they put in great effort over such a long time, only for Consultant Vaughn to walk in and use it for an experiment.
Any achievements she might make.
Aren’t they just stepping on their hard work?
Approaching five o’clock.
When Ann Vaughn left the lab and greeted the team members, she noticed the looks they gave her were different.
But having just overcome a major hurdle, Ann Vaughn didn’t think too much about what might have happened and left the institute with the data she just worked on.
However, even leaving the research institute an hour and a half early, Ann Vaughn couldn’t escape being caught by Cyrus Hawthorne and taken into the car.
Lowering the car window to let the cool breeze drive away the irritation in her heart, Ann Vaughn couldn’t help but ask, "Why are you here so early?"
"Just happened to pass by." Cyrus’s eyes held a hint of pleasant amusement as he spoke in a deep voice.
Ann Vaughn looked skeptical. "The research institute is out in the wilderness, ’just happened to’ sounds rather convenient."
"Picking you up isn’t about coincidence; it’s about perfect timing."
He had just slipped away from a business dinner and, for some reason, wanted to check on the research institute—just in time to see her coming out with things in her arms.
Ann Vaughn’s heart seemed to skip a beat, quickly averting her gaze from his deep and mysterious eyes.
The car came to a stop beneath the apartment building.
For the first time, Ann Vaughn didn’t immediately get out. Turning from the window to Cyrus, she found him watching her the whole time.
The profound emotions in his gaze almost overwhelmed her.
"If I wasn’t clear enough before, let me repeat myself." Ann Vaughn took a breath, her face calm. "Cyrus Hawthorne, I hope you stop doing these things."
"Regardless of whether you were trying to make amends for me or ease your own guilt, I won’t accept it."
"You should understand that beyond the physical, we won’t have any other connections. I don’t have feelings for you, and I hope you feel the same and avoid causing us both distress."
Upon hearing this, Cyrus’s expression cooled slightly, and he looked at her with a faintly amused glint in his narrowed eyes. "So, you’re saying you just want to be involved physically and not in each other’s lives?"