CHAPTER 77: CHAPTER 77: VICTORIA SINCLAIR REJECTS NATHAN AUSTIN

"Long time no see." Nathan Austin walked up to her, "Are you going back to the office? I’ll give you a ride."

"No, thank you." Victoria Sinclair directly refused.

Nathan pointed to the car ahead, "I’m taking Angela back to the office, passing through here, it’s just along the way."

Victoria looked in the direction Nathan pointed, and not far away was a Xiaomi new energy car, with Angela Austin sitting in the passenger seat, waving at her with a bright smile.

Victoria smiled and waved back.

She looked at Nathan again, "I’m not going to the office today, my little nephew is hospitalized at the First People’s Hospital, and I need to take care of him."

"That’s just on the way, after dropping off my sister, I’m heading back to work at the hospital." Nathan glanced at the bus stop sign nearby, "There’s only one bus here and it comes every twenty minutes, it’s quite a wait."

Victoria shook her head slightly embarrassed, still feeling a bit uneasy since they weren’t very familiar with each other.

"Come on, if it’s on the way and I don’t give you a ride, my sister won’t let me off." Nathan directly grabbed Victoria’s wrist and pulled her towards the car.

Victoria tried to pull her hand back, but he held it tightly, "Nate, really, I can just take the bus."

"You’re too polite." Nathan opened the door to the backseat for her.

In the passenger seat, Angela playfully pretended to be angry, "Victoria, are you so used to your husband’s two million Mercedes that you look down on my brother’s new energy car?"

"That’s not what I meant."

Victoria stopped being stubborn and got into the backseat.

Her heart felt a little awkward, after all, she wasn’t really familiar with Nathan.

Not far away.

Eugene Vaughn drove out of the neighborhood, stopped a hundred meters from the bus stop, and watched Nathan escort Victoria into the car with a calm expression.

The car in front drove away, but his car didn’t move.

He was as still as a dead man.

Motionless, his eyes hollow and lifeless, his large hand gripping the steering wheel almost powerless, slowly slipping off.

——

First People’s Hospital.

Victoria got out of the car and politely thanked Nathan, "Thank you, Nate."

Nathan locked the car and walked with Victoria, "It’s me who should thank you. Without your help, I wouldn’t have had the chance to study abroad for two years and come back to be promoted to associate director."

Victoria was genuinely happy for him, "Congratulations."

"After submitting the thesis that year, I went abroad after the hospital’s review and didn’t have time to properly repay you." Nathan’s eyes were deep, and his smile gradually became gentle, "When do you have time, let me treat you to a meal."

Victoria looked around, seeing no one nearby, she whispered, "Nate, let’s not mention the thesis."

After all, academic fraud isn’t something to be proud of.

Two years ago, under Angela Austin’s persistent pleading, she broke her principles and revised Nathan’s thesis.

To put it nicely, she revised it, but in reality, she wrote eighty percent of it herself. And Nathan, with this thesis on drug side effects causing mental disorders, outperformed all the competing doctors in the hospital and won the only opportunity to go abroad.

Nathan was also deeply aware of the seriousness of this matter, knowing that if it leaked, it would directly affect his career, he nodded.

"You don’t need to treat me to dinner." Seeing his sincerity, Victoria didn’t want to disappoint him and suggested, "If Nate really wants to thank me, give money to Angela, let her treat me to a big meal."

Nathan chuckled, "Can’t I join you?"

Victoria felt a bit awkward and explained with a smile, "I’m more familiar with Angela, it’s more comfortable to have a meal together with her."

Nathan pretended to be hurt, "So you’re saying that having a meal with me would be uncomfortable?"

Victoria didn’t pretend and simply nodded.

Nathan smiled helplessly, his tone low, "You’ve been best friends with Angela for eight years, and I’ve known you for seven years. In my heart, you’re the same as Angela, like a sister, yet you’ve always kept such a distant feeling with me, do you have a problem with me?"

"I have no problem with you."

Nathan stuck his hands in his pockets, gazing at her, "Then why?"

"Except for my brother and my dad, I treat all adult men this way." Victoria maintained a polite and gentle smile, but her voice was cold.

"Including your husband?" Nathan raised his eyebrows lightly.

Victoria felt offended, her tone became more serious, "A husband is an even more intimate relationship than a father or brother, how can they be compared?"

Nathan chuckled lightly and nodded in acknowledgment.

"I’ll head in first, goodbye." Victoria bid farewell, decisively turned away, and walked towards the inpatient building.

Nathan didn’t have time to say goodbye, watching her cool back with a helpless smile.

With over eight billion people on Earth, there are over eight billion personalities. The one belonging to Victoria Sinclair is unique.

As a deputy chief physician in the department of psychiatry, Nathan understood and respected Victoria’s perspective.

Victoria entered the pediatric inpatient department, waiting for the elevator.

Suddenly, her phone rang.

She took a look at the screen, and it was Professor Lee calling.

She answered and held it to her ear, gently saying, "Professor Lee."

On the other end, Professor Lee’s voice was almost trembling, "Victoria, the ten monkeys locked in cage 02 are missing, you... you have to come back immediately..."

Victoria’s scalp tingled, her blood felt frozen, and her heart stopped for a few seconds, urgently turning to run out, breathlessly commanding, "Report it immediately, call the fire department, mobilize everyone to search, now."

She hadn’t run so fast in her life, as if racing against time.

Nathan hadn’t gone far, seeing Victoria running out in a panic.

Victoria reached the roadside, watching the vehicles go by, waiting for a taxi while also pulling out her phone to call a rideshare, her fingers shaking as she tapped the screen.

Because it was morning, rideshares were few, requiring a queue. She was anxious, cold sweat on her forehead, restlessly keeping an eye on whether there was a taxi ahead, while also watching the countdown on her phone screen.

The ten monkeys in cage 2 were all carrying an experimental virus; if it infected humans, it could lead to a catastrophic disaster.

Just as she was at her wit’s end, Nathan’s car suddenly pulled up in front of her, "Victoria, get in."

Nathan didn’t ask why, only knowing she was in a hurry.

Victoria didn’t hesitate, opened the door, and got in, "Thank you, Nate, please head back to the office."

Nathan started the car and drove off quickly.

"Is it urgent?" Nathan asked curiously.

Victoria nodded, her forehead perspiring, "Yes, very urgent."

"What is it, need any help?"

"No, thank you."

This is a national disaster-level incident, needing strict confidentiality. It must be reported immediately, whether to handle it publicly or secretly, all requires following higher instructions.

At that moment, Professor Lee called again.

Victoria answered quickly, highly tense, "Professor Lee, were they found in the lab?"

"We searched everywhere, no sign."

Victoria was puzzled, "Such a secure cage, bulletproof glass walls, and infrared thermal surveillance, how did they manage to escape?"

Professor Lee’s tone was heavy, "Yes, I was just about to say, Xiaohao is unreachable, we just repaired the destroyed surveillance, and it captured him sneaking back last night, stealing all ten monkeys from lab 2."

Walter Yates was Professor Lee’s prized student and a nationally significant pharmaceutical research scientist.

Victoria felt speechless, holding her forehead as her temples throbbed painfully.