Chapter 67

Stella wanted to vanish from sheer.embarrassment until she realized he was wearing pants the whole time.

So... she'd completely misunderstood the situation.

Pressed against his chest, she could hear his steady heartbeat-calm, firm, and totally opposite to her own, which was racing like crazy.

From this close, she picked up the clean,faint scent of his body wash. It wasn't overpowering-just smooth and refined, like it belonged to him.

William reached over her to grab the clothes,and when he finally stepped back, Stella felt like she could breathe again, as if light had returned to the room.

She quickly stepped back, this time carefully.

"I'll wait outside, Mr. Briggs. Just let me know when you're done," she said, then turned and walked out without glancing back.

Outside, she exhaled deeply and patted her chest like she was trying to calm her nerves.That had been way too much for one day.

About ten minutes later, William stepped out,perfectly dressed and once again looking like the cool, collected version of himself.

"Mr. Briggs, we're scheduled to collect some samples outside. Shall we go now?" Stella asked,putting on her professional tone.

William gave a small nod and began walking beside her, his pace steady and purposeful.

Compared to before, he seemed completely unbothered now.

As she followed his tall, straight figure, Stella thought maybe he hadn't taken the earlier awkward moment seriously after all.

While her nerves were still tight, William seemed completely calm, as if nothing had

shaken him at all.

This was their first official assignment at the research institute, and thankfully, collecting the samples turned out to be pretty easy. In about an hour, they were done and headed back.

With the day's work wrapped up, everyone at the institute gathered for dinner in the cafeteria.

As usual, gossip filled the room. Someone whispered, "Did you hear? There's still one more person who hasn't shown up for the project."

Stella looked up curiously, wondering who they were talking about.

"Apparently, it's some genius who studied overseas. And get this-rumor has it she and Mr. Briggs had a thing. Maybe she's avoiding coming here to skip the drama," the gossip continued.

That surprised Stella. She always thought someone like William wouldn't be interested

in romance.

The person added, "They say there's still something going on between them. Like,maybe neither of them moved on."

Stella looked down and poked at her food,suddenly feeling a little guilty.

Even though what happened earlier wasn't on purpose, it looked like she might've caused some trouble for William.

Maybe she should find a moment to apologize once dinner was over.

Thinking that, she finished her meal a bit faster until she heard footsteps and voices approaching from the hallway.

Looking up, Stella saw a graceful-looking woman surrounded by a few people walking past them.

They were carrying bags-it looked like she had just arrived.

Strangely, Stella had a feeling-no proof, just a gut instinct that this was the woman from

the rumors. The one William liked.

Although she'd never seen her before,something just told her it had to be her.

Stella kept watching as the woman walked away, her eyes lingering on her back for a long while.

It was a pity she hadn't gotten a look at the woman's face-just her silhouette.

"If Mr. Briggs likes her, she must be really stunning," someone nearby commented.

"I honestly thought he didn't have feelings for anyone," another person chimed in."Every time I look at him, it's like staring at an ice statue. Who would've thought he's actually been carrying a torch for someone this whole time? That's some real dedication."

Stella quietly held her fork, her gaze drifting over to William, who was sitting calmly at another table.