Chapter 689 Looks Pretty Good
Caroline was kinda taken aback. Before she left for her trip, Nicholas could barely stand without wobbling, but now he was standing tall and steady.
She thought, "He must've been working really hard on the down-low."
Nicholas was lying on the bed, holding Caroline's hand tight, not letting go.
Caroline asked, "Aren't you gonna sleep?"
Nicholas replied, "Stay with me."
'What should I do?' she wondered, feeling a bit hooked.
Looking into Nicholas's eyes, Caroline found it hard to say no.
So she sat by the bed, letting him hold her hand while he closed his eyes to rest.
Josie came home from school and didn't see Caroline.
"Grandma, where's Mom?" Josie asked, dropping her backpack and looking around.
"Your mom's resting with your dad," Linda said with a smile.
"Dad's here?" Josie's eyes lit up.
"Yep, your dad got drunk," Linda said, picking up Josie. "How about Grandma practices the violin with you?"
"Okay," Josie agreed, following Linda to practice the violin.
Nicholas slept the whole afternoon. Caroline, feeling bored, played on her phone and eventually dozed off too.
It wasn't until dusk that Caroline woke up and found herself lying in Nicholas's arms, with one leg draped over his waist.
Nicholas looked at her fondly. "Did you sleep well?"
Caroline was silent.
'How did I end up in bed?' she wondered.
"Yeah," Caroline said awkwardly, getting up.
Nicholas propped himself up with his hands, his gaze still soft and a bit hazy from the alcohol.
Seeing he didn't look too lively, Caroline asked, "Still not sober?"
Nicholas replied, "Nope, Daniel's wine is too strong. I might not be able to walk."
Caroline thought, 'Nicholas is definitely planning to stay here tonight.'
"I'll make you some hangover soup."
"Okay."
Nicholas hid out in the guest room, claiming he was still not sober and barely ate anything for dinner.
Knowing how he was, Linda told Caroline to take good care of him before she went to check on Daniel.
Nicholas managed to spend the night at The Wolf Mansion.
The next day, Daniel woke up with a headache and went downstairs to see Nicholas. His eyes widened.
"Why are you still here?"
Nicholas grinned, "Mr. Wolf, I got drunk yesterday too, so I had to crash here."
'He got drunk?' Daniel thought, puzzled.
He remembered drinking with Nicholas the day before.
Yesterday, he didn't think much of it when he got drunk, but now that he thought about it, Nicholas's alcohol tolerance was way better than his.
He thought, 'How could Nicholas get drunk with just a little? He's too sneaky!'
After a day and night of effort by Gabriel and his team, the data was finally restored, but some important info had already been leaked, and the project couldn't go on.
If they wanted to continue, they'd have to start from scratch.
"We were so close, just a bit more, and the project would've succeeded. But at the critical moment, there was a leak, and all our previous efforts went down the drain," Harrison said, his usual playful demeanor gone. After staying up all night, his eyes were bloodshot.
Gabriel sat in a leather chair, leaning back with his long legs crossed on the table, eyes closed.
Alex hurried in.
"We've checked everyone's phones and found nothing."
All the computers in the lab had been checked, and no leaks were found.
Everyone's phones had also been collected and checked, with no findings.
Every inch of the lab was under surveillance, and nothing fishy showed up on the cameras.
All the lab staff had signed super strict confidentiality agreements and hardly ever took vacations.
Gabriel didn't say a word, and it was hard to tell if he was asleep or just deep in thought.
Alex and Harrison stood quietly on the side, wanting to call out to him but too scared to.
After a couple of minutes, Gabriel's dry lips finally moved.
"Harrison, keep this under wraps. No one outside can know about this."
Harrison nodded, "Got it!"
"Alex, get everyone together for a meeting!"
"On it!"
Everyone rushed to the conference room with their laptops as soon as they got the notice.
Ten minutes later, the meeting kicked off. Gabriel, looking worn out, started laying out the next steps to salvage the project.
Sophia had been busy all morning and used her lunch break to text Gabriel.
She had no idea if Gabriel had gone home or if the issue was sorted out.
"Sophia."
"Hmm?" Sophia snapped back to reality.
Jennifer looked at her with concern. "Got something on your mind?"
Sophia said, "No."
"Is it work stress?"
"No."
"Or do you just like the food in my bowl better?"
Sophia then realized she had been so lost in thought that she was putting food into Jennifer's bowl.
Jennifer smiled, "If something's bothering you, just spill it. Maybe I can help."
"It's nothing, Aunt. I might not have slept well last night, so I'm a bit out of it."
Jennifer advised, "If the fashion show prep is too much, just let me know and I'll get someone to help you out."
"No need, Aunt. I can handle it."
When she first got this task, Sophia might have been a bit unsure, doubting herself, but now, she was feeling pretty confident.
After lunch, Sophia lay down in the lounge, closing her eyes, but all she could see was Gabriel's face.
She picked up her phone, but Gabriel hadn't replied.
Unable to sleep, she decided to text Caroline.
Caroline replied instantly: [Sophia, what's up?]
Sophia: [Gabriel didn't come home last night. He said he had something important, and he hasn't replied to my messages.]
Caroline: [So you miss him?]
'Miss him?' Sophia was taken aback for a moment.
Sophia: [Just worried about him.]
Caroline: [You're in trouble. You're falling in love.]
Sophia was silent.
After work in the afternoon, Sophia had planned to work overtime, but Jennifer insisted she go home to rest, so Sophia had to pack up and leave.
As she stepped out, she saw Jake again.
It was rush hour, and Jake stood there, looking so handsome that people couldn't help but stare.
Some girls even blushed when Jake glanced their way.
When Jake saw Sophia, he immediately broke into a bright smile.
"Sophia!" He eagerly ran over.
Sophia stood still, feeling a bit conflicted inside.
"Sophia, I came to pick you up from work." Jake's cheeks had a faint blush, like a shy boy meeting his crush.
Sophia looked at him deeply.
Jake touched his nose. "Why are you looking at me like that? Is there something on my face?"
He reached out his well-defined fingers to touch his cheek.
Sophia smiled as usual. "No, I just think you look quite handsome."
Jake's face turned even redder.
'Sophia praised me!' he screamed in his head.
Sophia got into the car with Jake.
"It's still early. Do you want to grab a bite to eat?" Jake asked.
Sophia shook her head, "I promised the kids I'd be home for dinner tonight. Maybe next time."
"Okay."
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