Chapter 14
Alaric returned to MIT and found Professor Lockwood, cutting straight to the point.
“Professor, I need Stella’s contact information at the research facility. I’m bringing her back.”
Professor Lockwood stared at him as if he’d grown a second head.
“Are you serious right now? This is a classified government initiative, not some corporate retreat. These researchers are handpicked from thousands of applicants. Once you commit, you don’t just walk out because your boyfriend shows up!”
Alaric, typically the picture of composure, felt something unfamiliar churning inside him. His words tumbled out with uncharacteristic urgency.
“You don’t understand the situation. Stella doesn’t actually want this project. We had a fight a few days ago, and she’s just doing this to get back at me.”
Yes.
Even now, Alaric clung to the belief that Stella was simply reacting to their recent conflicts.
He continued: “She’ll cool off in a few days and regret it, which will only mess up your project timeline. Better if I just bring her back now before things get complicated.”
Professor Lockwood looked at him with a mixture of confusion and disbelief.
“That’s completely wrong. Stella didn’t make this decision recently at all.”
Alaric froze.
As Alaric walked out of the research building, he moved like a man sleepwalking.
The professor’s words kept replaying in his mind-
“Stella contacted us about joining the Nebula Initiative last week. She was completely determined. We verified her commitment multiple times to be sure. This was absolutely not an impulsive
Chapter 14
decision.”
Alaric stopped mid–stride.
Last week…
Right when he had first mentioned their wedding date.
Stella had indeed talked about breaking their engagement even then.
He had dismissed it as another emotional outburst, as usual.
But she had been deadly serious–simultaneously breaking their engagement while arranging her escape?
But why?
The auction incident hadn’t happened yet, nor the drugging, nor the fire.
What had made Stella so determined to leave?
Alaric couldn’t make sense of it. In a fog, he returned home, only to find his father sitting in the living room wearing a self–satisfied smile.
“Alaric, there you are. Great news–I’ve solved our wedding problem!”
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