Chapter 380 The Car Accident
Abella had just stepped out of the academic building when she spotted a familiar figure from afar. What was he doing here?
Joanna, who had been clinging tightly to Abella just a moment before, suddenly released her grip and stammered to the man, "I—I brought your wife. Gotta run."
As Abella watched her dash off, nearly tripping in her haste, she couldn't help but chuckle.
"Why are you here?"
"Let's see, how many days have you ignored me now?" Phillipe, oblivious to the stares of a cluster of girls nearby, reached out and caressed Abella's face. "Buried yourself in your work and forgot all about me, huh?"
Abella replied after thinking about his comment, " It's true I've been spending all my time on my research lately. I was slow to reply to messages, missed calls, and even cut back on our nightly video chats..."
"Come on, I've got something to show you." Phillipe took her hand, and they left the campus together.
Soon, Philllipe's car pulled up at his current residence.
Abella followed him up to the third floor, where she was surprised to see that he had transformed the entire level into a vast and open laboratory.
Not only did the lab host the same type of medical equipment that Grandpa Wilson had invested a fortune in, but it also housed an array of cutting-edge technology.
Some were even more advanced than what Grandpa Wilson had.
"What's all this?" she asked.
"With all this, I'm sure you'll come by more often," Phillipe said, taking her hand and brought her on a tour. "Drug research, drug analysis, drug manufacturing. All kinds of systems—I've got all of the best here."
Abella's gaze skimmed over the medical instruments, and her heart raced.
If only Grandpa Wilson were here, they could start experimenting at once.
Phillipe caught the sparkle in her eye. It was way brighter than when she looked at him, and he couldn't help feeling a twinge of jealousy.
Were these cold, hard machines really that exciting? More so than him?
"Don't I deserve some praise?" he prompted.
Phillipe was expecting a few kind words, but instead, Abella tipped on her toes and gave him a quick kiss. Then, she immediately began working on one of the systems, inputting the data from today's work to be analyzed for pros and cons.
This system could greatly reduce the time she had to wait for results. It was something she had always wanted but had been too reluctant to splurge on because it came with a hefty price tag.
Phillipe froze for a second, then jolted back to reality. He noticed her earnestly entering strings of data. Each number and each symbol were memorized by heart...
She had memorized them more diligently than she memorized his cell phone number...
Her eyes were particularly focused and serious, watching the screen as she waited for a result that matched her expectations.
Phillipe found himself inadvertently drawn to her gaze until, minutes later, the system processed reams of data. Abella's face lit up with joy, and she couldn't resist pulling out her phone and dialed a number.
"Grandpa, we've got our results," she said excitedly. "TR1 and VO3 are reacting just like we hoped, which means our approach is working."
After three failed attempts, success with this latest one pumped excitement into her voice.
"Really? But weren't we supposed to wait a week for the results? How did you find out so soon?"
"We don't have to wait for a week anymore."
Thanks to Phillipe's investment in medical equipment, she could drastically reduce the experiment time.
Grandpa Wilson didn't quite grasp what Abella meant, but hearing the excitement in Abella's voice also charged him up. "So, we can move forward with the next phase now?"
"Yes, if all goes well, we'll complete it soon and be ready to come into the market."
Abella felt a surge of excitement within. Once they hit the market, they could save more lives.
After hanging up, her attention returned to the screen. Remembering the Alzheimer's project that she was working on in private, she input a series of new data into the system to establish a fresh file.
Phillipe watched on silently.
'Although Abella's focused demeanor in the lab is captivating, I don't fancy spending all day cooped up like a statue...' Phillipe thought to himself.
Hence, he cleared his throat, "Abella..."
"Just a second." Abella was engrossed in her screen, and only after a good while did she respond, "What's up?"
"..." Phillipe glanced at the clock, thinking, 'Half an hour has passed before my darling even acknowledged me.'
"It's been thirty minutes."
Abella thought, 'What? Has it been that long? The data entry was really time-consuming!'
Seeing her fiancé feeling sidelined, Abella quickly saved her work and asked, "All right, what's the plan for today?"
Considering he had splurged on all this equipment, she decided to play along.
"I want to take you somewhere."
A spark returned to Abella's eyes. "More equipment?"
Phillipe hadn't realized just how much she valued the equipment. He felt a pang of jealousy. "Just me. Do you want that?"
"Suppose that'll do..." The sparkle in Abella's eyes dimmed once more.
Phillipe was speechless.
"Seems I really can't compete with lab equipment."
As they left the house, Abella looked back reluctantly. "Pick me up tomorrow."
Phillipe brightened at her words but then felt a drop in spirits, realizing she was likely looking forward to the equipment again, not him.
"I'll have more time for you once I finish the experiment." Abella seemed to catch onto his mood, offering him an encouraging smile.
"When you're done, there'll just be more experiments waiting for you." Phillipe knew that her research was a never-ending odyssey.
Stuck with a research-loving fiancée, what could he do but dote on her?
Just then, their car was aggressively rear-ended, and Phillipe instinctively shielded Abella in his arms as their driver called out, "Mr. Bourbon, Miss Abella, heads up, it's an ambush."
Another car slammed into their tail, and Phillipe held his girl tight, a violent fury blazing in his eyes.
"It’s okay if they come after me. But if they dare to scare my girl..."
Cars were closing in from both sides, with another relentlessly pursuing them from behind. The driver glanced at the rearview mirror, assessing both flanks, "Mr. Bourbon, Miss Abella, brace yourselves."
They had to smash their way through; getting surrounded was not an option. They were on a desolate suburban stretch and they were being relentlessly chased by cars.
The driver yanked the wheel, ramming the car on the left, then swiftly turned to hit the car on the right. But the car from behind, seemingly seeking revenge, rammed them hard.
Suddenly, a large truck appeared ahead, blocking their escape.
The driver hit the brakes hard.
Phillipe's car was hemmed in by vehicles from the front, back, and two sides. His driver pressed the emergency call button built into the car, bridging an internal line directly to the head of security and transmitting their live coordinates.
"I've got this. Just stay put and wait for me, okay? Do not get out of the car without my consent," Phillipe instructed gently, looking into the eyes of the girl beside him. "You hear me?"
"Mhm." Abella nodded. She thought, 'Though in truth, I didn't catch a single word he said; his earlier words were lost to me.'
After Phillipe and his driver got out of the car, a number of figures also emerged from the four vehicles that had closed in around them.
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