âYouâre already off?â she asked him.
âYeah, I didnât spend any time with you last night. Today Iâll make up for it.â Kathy should have been thrilled at his response, but not after the day sheâd just had. He asked, âHas something happened?â
She hesitated, then pulled a report from her bag. âThis details the third stage of our drug development. Thereâve been different degrees of repelling reactions, but I canât find a reason why.â
Joseph furrowed his brow, and didnât take the report. âThis drug is still in development. Iâm not part of the company.
âGood point. Never mind,â she said, shaking her head.
But though sheâd not asked him, that night Joseph received an email from Edith regarding the drugâs problems. Kathy, sitting at his side, saw it and asked, âWill you reply?â
âIs this project important to you?â he asked.
She bit her lip and did not respond. She was very hopeful about this drugâafter all, it was the only one of its kind, and it could be enormously helpful in treating heart disease. But she also didnât want to be involved. Her grandfather had wanted her to enter the Booth Groupï¼and everything she did was preparation for that.
She shook her head. âI donât want to refuse my grandfather, but this project is part of Booth Groupâs research and development. I donât want anything to go wrong.â With Josephâs help, they might even be able to get it on the market early. His skills were unmatched.
âMy services are expensive,â he smirked. Edith requesting his help surely had something to do with Kathy. She understood that to help her was to help Kathy.
âI know. If you donât want to do it, itâs okay. Youâve already done so much, I donât want to make trouble for you.â She reached over and deleted the email herself.
âSure?â He took her by the chin, looked deep into her eyes.
âYes,â she nodded.
Apparently unwilling to wait for Josephâs response, Edith called. Joseph happened to be in the shower, and Kathy did not answer it, instead waiting for Joseph to finish. He didnât even look at it, instead rubbed a towel over his wet hair and pulled Kathy in for a kiss.
She pushed him away. âAnswer the phone!â
He frowned, and did not. Kissing her mouth aggressively, he pushed her beneath him and said lowly, âIf I answer, youâll get jealous.â
â... I will not.â
âYou will.â Taking her by the back of the head, he made sure he had her full attention.
...
Over the course of the next week, the drug did not progress at all. As she was having lunch with Zack, she could feel his displeasure. âIâm not hungry,â he said, waving a hand.
Kathy looked at his bowl full of porridge, and frowned with worry. The doctors said he barely ate anything these days, and that his mood had to improve, else his condition would worsen. âGrandfather, what do you want to eat? Iâll go make it.â
âNo need. You go to work. I just want the drug finished!â he said decisively.
âItâs going smoothly. Thereâs no need to worry,â said Bertie, stepping in from outside.
Kathy raised her eyebrows. Smoothly? The past few days in the laboratory, problems had piled up without end.
Zackâs eyes lit up. âIs that so?â
âIt is. I promise you weâll get it on the market.â
âThat makes me feel much better.â It seemed Zack took Bertie seriously, and trusted him.
But Kathy didnât. When they left the room, she demanded of him, âDidnât the third-stage trial fail?â
âYes, but Edithâs already launched a new stage of the drug. The testing began today, and the results are promising.â
âSo fast?â asked Kathy skeptically. And how could she not have known that? She was actually the person in charge.
âGrandfather canât wait too long. I want to finish this before he passes,â Bertie said seriously.
Thinking of her grandfatherâs health, Kathyâs eyes brimmed with tears. She knew why her grandfather was so anxious for this drug to make it to market. It was perhaps the only way she could help him. âLetâs go to the lab.â
He quirked a brow. âAre you willing to ride in my car?â
âNo, Iâll get my own.â She left promptly.
But he followed her out, saying, âTaxis canât enter here. To leave the neighborhood, youâve got to walk at least an hour.â
âThen Iâll have the driver take me.â
âThe carâs gone in for repairs today.â With a smirk, Bertie invited her to his car.
His expression made her nervous, but she had no choice. With a deep breath, she got in. âThis isnât premeditated, is it?â she asked as she buckled her seatbelt.
âPerhaps. After all, itâs my honor to take you to work.â
She turned to look out the window, ignoring him. Sheâd thought he was taking her to the lab, but actually he took her to Booth Group.
âThe lab is doing testing right now. You can wait for the results before going.â
âSo?â asked Kathy with annoyance.
âWeâll walk around here, Iâll show you around.â
Sheâd been here once before, but was hardly familiar with the place. Though Bertie did not have an official role within the organization, everyone knew him as Zackâs confidant, and treated him with respect. In order to spend as little time with him as possible, Kathy was even willing to go look for her mother.
âSeems you really enjoy avoiding me?â Bertie asked, blocking her.
She smiled coolly. âYou are right.â
âSir, Iâve some things for you to sign,â said a secretary, rushing over.
Bertie saw that Kathy had already scuttled off toward the elevator and pushed the button for the top floor.
Knowing Kathy had come, Linda had delayed her afternoon meeting. âDid you come with Bertie?â she asked.
âYes, I thought he was taking me to the lab.â
Linda furrowed her brow. âItâs good you came. Thereâs a dinner tonight, youâll accompany me.â
My Sweetheart ï¤Chapter 285 Mrs Joseph, Do you Really Want Me to Marry Other People?
Genius Son Sells his Mom to Dad ï¤Chapter 488 A New beginning It'll Come Naturally ï¤Chapter 1809 The Ending (Part Four)
âBut Iâm not dressed for it.â Really, she just didnât like attending those sorts of things. Sheâd gone to a few with Joseph, but had never managed to quite fit in. She wasnât part of that social scene, and had nothing to discuss with those sorts of people.
âA makeup artist will come, donât fret.â
âMother,â Kathy hedged.
Linda saw her hesitation, and soothed, âKathy, youâre our daughter. There will be many such dinners in the future. You must get used to it.â
Kathy lowered her gaze and nodded dejectedly. She told Joseph about it as she was getting her makeup done, and he said, âOnce itâs over Iâll come get you.â
âIâm a bit nervous,â she confessed. Before heâd always been at her side, allowing her to relax a little.
âNeed me to accompany you? Hmm?â