CHAPTER 156: CHAPTER 156: DON’T WORK THERE ANYMORE

Ryder turned his head to look at her, still not speaking, and let out a barely audible sigh.

Sheila Yardley pursed her lips, staying silent for a long time before speaking, her voice quivering as she asked him, "Do you not like me anymore?"

"No."

The denial from his mouth didn’t put Sheila at ease, because his indifferent attitude was a far cry from how he used to be.

"Are you dealing with something at work? You never used to bring those emotions onto me before."

Ryder took a deep breath, turned his head to look at Sheila Yardley, whose eyes were a little red, and suddenly said, "I’m sorry."

His apology left Sheila momentarily bewildered, not understanding why he was apologizing.

Ryder’s gaze became scattered for a moment, feeling slightly guilty and uneasy, his Adam’s apple bobbing as he said, "I shouldn’t have left you alone, shouldn’t have lost my temper with you."

Hearing Ryder’s words of apology, Sheila’s tears were on the verge of falling, "You mustn’t ignore me like this anymore. Do you know how upset I’ve been during this time? I even thought you had fallen for someone else."

Seeing her aggrieved and tearful appearance, Ryder reached out to clasp her shoulder, pulling her into his embrace, and recalled what he had done in recent days, feeling increasingly sorry for her.

"Is it a problem at work? I might not understand what you’re going through, but you can tell me, don’t just brood over it alone."

"It’s nothing now, I won’t take my anger out on you like that again."

Sheila looked up at him, wiped her tears with her hand, and said, "I know it’s because you care about me that you were angry, I’ll pay more attention in the future too."

Bringing up the matter, Ryder seemed still unable to let go, and after a moment of silence, he said, "Don’t work there anymore."

Sheila stiffened slightly, looking at Ryder for a couple of seconds in silence, weighing the job against Ryder, it was a choice between career and love, a job she could find again in the future, but she couldn’t bear to lose Ryder.

Even though she was reluctant to give up that hard-won job, Sheila chose to compromise for Ryder, nodding and saying, "Alright, I won’t go once the semester starts."

"Okay, and don’t look for other part-time jobs either, just focus on your studies, and take time to rest."

Although Sheila knew that if she needed money, Ryder would give it to her without hesitation, she didn’t want to spend Ryder’s money on everything.

But agreeing for now seemed like the wisest choice, they could reconsider these issues once their relationship had smoothed out.

"... Are you still going to be busy with work tonight?"

Ryder hesitated for a moment, thinking about Lynn Kendall who was still waiting for him, and then looking at Sheila, he was about to say that he would stay at the hospital with Sheila, but his phone abruptly rang from his pocket.

Sheila released him, glanced at his pocket, and watched him stand up, pull out his phone from his pants pocket, and walk a few steps toward the stairway before answering the call.

Sheila sat on the chair, her eyes fixed on Ryder’s back as he took the call.

She didn’t nosily try to listen to who he was speaking with, but a slight unease stirred within her because Ryder had never taken calls out of her sight before.

After hanging up the call, Ryder walked back, and Sheila saw his troubled expression and proactively asked him, "Is there more work you need to do?"

Ryder looked slightly dazed, his eyes wandered a bit before nodding.

"Then you should go back, there’s nothing happening here at the hospital tonight, no place to sleep if you stay."

"Alright, take care and rest well."

"You too, don’t overwork yourself."

Ryder smiled gently and ruffled her hair, "What would you like for breakfast tomorrow?"

Sheila tilted her head, thought for a moment, and with a smile, said, "I want the beef noodles from the shop below your apartment."

"Anything else?"

"That’s enough."

Ryder smiled, leaned down, and kissed her forehead, "Alright, goodnight."

"Goodnight." Sheila reluctantly walked him to the elevator, watching the doors close.

She had a vague feeling that something was different, but she didn’t overthink it. They had reconciled, and that was enough.

Ryder drove home, searching his bag for the keys to unlock the door, and Lynn Kendall opened the door from inside.

The heater was on inside, and she was wearing a seductive, sexy red silk slip dress, "You’re back?"

Ryder didn’t speak as he walked inside. While changing his shoes, he turned his back on Lynn Kendall and said, "Just leave, don’t come looking for me anymore."

Lynn responded with no surprise or sorrow. Instead, she wrapped her arms around Ryder from behind, slipping a hand through the gaps of his shirt buttons, softly saying, "Ryder, have you thought this through?"

Ryder stood upright with his back to Lynn, his face tense in silence, yet he didn’t stop Lynn’s distracting hands.

"Did you just go see your girlfriend?" Lynn said, "Are you feeling guilty towards her?"

At the mention of Sheila Yardley, Ryder seemed to snap out of it suddenly, grabbing Lynn’s hand and turned to look at her, saying, "You should go."

Lynn laughed and sidled up to him, poking his chest with her finger while grabbing his hand, placing it on her thigh, "Ryder, my presence doesn’t interfere with you and your girlfriend. You two can be together, and you can come to me when you miss me. Don’t speak too harshly, after all, I think we’ve been quite compatible these days, haven’t we?"

Ryder swallowed, and his passive hand slowly became active, with Lynn falling onto the sofa in response.

In the end, desire prevailed, passion ensued...

Lynn picked up a towel from the floor, casually wrapped it around herself, and looked at Ryder, who was smoking on the sofa, smiling, "Ryder, shall we shower together?"

Ryder didn’t respond, only took a drag from his cigarette. Lynn looked at him, clearly understanding his internal struggle, and walked barefoot to his side, saying, "Ryder, you shouldn’t feel guilty towards that girl. She’s not as pure as she seems, she’s been around with other men behind your back. Think about it, you’ve been careful not to have sex with her, wanting to wait for marriage, but she might not think the same."

Ryder’s action of smoking paused, listening to Lynn continue, "You know sometimes desires are uncontrollable. When temptation happens, there’s no rationality. She might have already been with other men, and this between us might just even things out, so there’s nothing to feel guilty about."

"Do you know who she’s slept with?"

"I don’t know for sure, but she used to be quite close with our previous Boss Lockwood. Think about it, Boss Lockwood has so many students, why would he promote her of all people? It’s hard to say whether there’s any exchange between them."