Chapter 325: Sloane Bennett Violently Shook Off the Hand Resting on Her Shoulder

Sloane Bennett violently shook off the hand resting on her shoulder, cigarette ash fluttering from her fingertips.

Clara Whitmore nearly dropped her purse.

Her eyes widened as she watched her best friend arm-in-arm with a man.

That silhouette was painfully familiar.

The air froze when they turned around.

Julian Cross?!

Clara's mind went blank.

So this was the "business partner" Sloane kept mentioning?

"You forgot your bag." Clara handed over the purse, her fingers icy.

Sloane grinned as she took it. "Thanks, sweetie!"

She nudged Clara toward the apartment complex. "Go on up. I'll wait until you're inside."

Clara nodded.

The night breeze lifted strands of her hair.

She knew Sloane too well—carefree on the surface, calculating underneath.

From her balcony, Clara waved.

The streetlamp stretched Sloane's shadow long across the pavement.

"Where's my car?" Julian demanded, catching up.

Sloane already had the engine roaring. "Not going your way."

Leaning out the window, she called, "I'll reimburse your cab fare."

The Italian grand tourer shot forward like an arrow.

Julian's furious shout dissolved in the exhaust fumes. "That's my brand-new car!"

Next afternoon.

the financial district's glass facades reflected a speeding red convertible.

A chestnut-haired boy lounged in the passenger seat.

Julian's coffee cup creaked under his grip.

He stared at the retreating taillights.

A vein throbbed at his temple.

* * *

The last day of July.

Clara sealed three thesis copies into an express envelope.

Elias Mercer had verified her data for the sixth time.

The printer spat out its final page.

At last, she could sleep in.

Morning light flooded the bustling farmer's market.

Clara leisurely selected tomatoes.

Her phone screen lit up—a video call from her father.

"Professor Mercer arranged that lab just for you?"

Daniel Whitmore's voice crackled through the speaker.

Clara wiped damp hands on her jeans. "Yes."

Only later did she realize—

That was a lab others couldn't access with money.

Elias had made an exception.

She encountered him during her morning jog.

The physicist had already run five kilometers.

Spotting her, he turned back. "I'll do another two with you."

Sunlight dappled through sycamore leaves.

Their shadows moved in tandem.

Clara's breathing gradually steadied.