Chapter 430 Mr. Smith, are you going to fire me?
"I never said you haven't made any efforts, but Ms. Wendy harassed my dad after the divorce and caused him to fall and get hurt. This needs to be dealt with." Sharon's face was icy as she glared at Leo with disgust.
If it hadn't been for Karen's interference, she wouldn't have such a strained relationship with her dad. Now that they were divorced, she shamelessly wanted a cut of the house's demolition compensation. Wasn't that just too disgraceful?
Leo's hand, hanging by his side, clenched tightly. His gaze was deep and filled with sorrow. "This time, it was definitely my mom's fault. I apologize on her behalf and will make sure she goes to the hospital to apologize to Mr. Wright. As for Mr. Wright's medical and nutritional expenses, I'll take full responsibility."
Sharon's face remained tense. "These are things you should do, and I won't let her off. I've already handed the surveillance footage to the police. If my dad was pushed by her, I will definitely sue her!" Her attitude was firm, leaving no room for negotiation.
Leo was silent for a moment before saying in a low voice, "Don't worry, if my mom did it on purpose, I won't cover for her either."
Sharon didn't quite believe him. After all, Karen was his biological mother. Anyone would choose their own blood over a stepfather with no relation. "You'd better keep your word."
Not wanting to talk to Leo any further, Sharon walked past him to find the police to proceed with the next steps.
Soon, only Leo and Seb were left in the hall. The two didn't like each other, so there was nothing to say, and the atmosphere was tense. Leo didn't even bother to greet Seb and turned to leave.
After finishing the procedures, Sharon walked to Seb. "Let's go back. We'll wait for the police to notify us."
"Okay." Seeing her furrowed brows, Seb reached out to smooth them. "Don't worry, I'll find some caregivers for Mr. Wright. You can visit him when you have time."
Sharon thought for a moment and didn't refuse. After all, she wasn't a professional and couldn't take care of him as well as caregivers could. "OK."
The two walked out of the police station and quickly got into the car and left. Watching the black Cayenne gradually disappear from sight, Leo's eyes were filled with gloom.
More than half an hour later, Karen finally came out of the police station, looking very upset. Getting into the car, she complained angrily, "What do these police mean? Treating me like a criminal? I've said many times that I didn't push him, but they keep asking!"
She vented her anger for a while before noticing that Leo had been silent with a stern face. Karen was a bit afraid of her son now. Since he returned from abroad, she couldn't understand him. Sometimes, his cold gaze would scare her into silence.
Although his personality had become unpredictable, he was still generally good to her. But today, he seemed very angry.
"Leo, what's wrong? Who upset you?" Karen had already gone in to make a statement before Sharon arrived, so she didn't know that Leo had met Sharon at the police station.
Leo's cold gaze fell on her face, making Karen feel like she was being stared at by a snake, her spine chilled."Leo, why are you looking at me like that?" Karen stammered nervously.
Leo asked coldly, "Are you sure you didn't push Mr. Wright?"
Meeting his questioning eyes, Karen frowned. "No, didn't I tell you? Don't you believe me?"
During her struggle with Robert, he accidentally fell. She had been questioned by the police many times, and now her own son was doubting her.
Seeing no signs of lying from Karen, Leo started the car and said coldly, "I'll take you home."
After dropping Karen off at the door, Leo's cold voice sounded again before she got out, "Besides apologizing, don't go looking for Mr. Wright again. If you need money, I can give it to you."
Karen paused, her expression changing. It took her over ten seconds to respond, "That's my business, not yours."
This completely ignited Leo's anger, and the temperature in the car dropped rapidly. "Every time you go shopping, you spend more than the money from Mr. Wright's house demolition. Why do you keep going to him?"
Karen's back stiffened, and her face looked very unpleasant. "It's none of your business."
With that, she opened the car door to get out.
Leo's cold voice came from behind, warning her. "Since you chose to divorce him and marry into the Bridges family, there's no turning back. Don't end up offending everyone. The Bridges family won't let you off."
For a family like the Bridges, they wouldn't show mercy to a woman who had been married three times and was unfaithful to her husband.
Leo had the ability to protect Karen, but he didn't want her to go back to Robert. Because if they got back together, he and Sharon would be impossible.
"I know what I'm doing. I don't need your reminder." Karen slammed the car door and walked into the villa.
Since Karen married one of Ayla's uncles, she and Leo had fewer private meetings, mostly during important events at the Bridges family. But even when they met, there wasn't much to say.
After Karen's figure disappeared from sight, Leo started the car and left.
On the other side, on the way back, Sharon and Seb received a call from Ariana. "Sharon, there's a problem with some data in the lab. We might need to work overtime to redo it."
Sharon asked which data had the issue, thought for a moment, and said, "Okay, I got it. I'll head over soon."
As soon as she hung up, she noticed the displeased look on the person beside her. Sharon turned to meet Seb's slightly cold eyes and instinctively asked, "What's wrong?"
Seb replied, "You've had a long day. What you need most now is to go home and rest, not to work overtime in the lab."
Sharon retorted, "That data is urgent. If we don't fix it, it will delay the next experiment. Besides, I'm working overtime to speed up the drug development. As the boss, shouldn't you be happy to see employees working overtime?"
"I don't encourage employees to work overtime. If they can't finish their work during office hours and have to stay late, they're not suitable for Silvercrest Group." Seb's expression was indifferent, and his words were very unkind.
Sharon raised an eyebrow. "So... Mr. Smith, are you going to fire me?"
Seb replied, "You're not an employee of Silvercrest Group, so I have no authority to fire you."
Seeing that he still looked a bit upset, Sharon leaned in and kissed him on the cheek. The moment her lips touched Seb's cheek, his previously calm eyes trembled. It was like a stone thrown into a calm lake, creating huge ripples that took a long time to settle.
Sharon said, "Alright, don't be upset. Besides me, Ariana also has to work overtime on the experiment, and don't you often stay up late reading documents?"
Just as Sharon was about to pull back, a strong hand encircled her waist, yanking her back into his possessive embrace.
Then desire was ignited. The moment Sharon's lips were captured, all her senses seemed to be stripped away, leaving only the sensation of their lips and teeth intertwined.
She felt like a small boat in a storm, clinging tightly to Seb's clothes to avoid being swallowed up.
After what felt like a long time, Seb finally released Sharon's lips. Her previously pale lips were now slightly swollen, glistening with moisture.
Seeing Seb staring at her lips with deep, predatory eyes, Sharon quickly pushed him away and retreated from his embrace.
She couldn't help but be scared; Seb's gaze just now was like a beast eyeing its prey, ready to devour her at any moment. Sharon sat far away from him, afraid he might lose control and do something to her.
Seeing her defensive look, Seb couldn't help but smile and said in a low voice, "Don't worry, I won't do anything excessive to you in the car."
Sharon remained silent.
Wasn't what he just did already excessive? She could barely catch her breath. Moreover, her lips were still tingling. She didn't believe a word of Seb's assurance.
Sharon said, "Take me to the company."
Seb nodded, "Okay."
Seeing him agree so easily, Sharon was a bit surprised.
Seb's smile deepened, "You just used seduction on me. If I don't agree, wouldn't that make me seem too unkind?"
Sharon was confused. When did she seduce him? That kiss was meant to comfort him, wasn't it? But she didn't bother to explain, fearing Seb might change his mind.
When the car stopped in front of Silvercrest Group, Sharon got out and walked inside. Seb followed her out of the car, and she realized something was off.
Sharon asked, "Why are you getting out?"
Seb replied, "Aren't you working overtime on the experiment? I'll go to the office to read documents and wait for you."
Seeing Seb's self-assured look, Sharon persuaded, "I might be working very late. You don't have to stay with me."
Seb said, "I have documents to read anyway. If it gets too late and you're not done, I'll go home first."
As he spoke, Seb was already walking inside.
Sharon wanted to persuade him, but Seb seemed to know what she was going to say and said directly, "If you keep trying to persuade me, you won't be working overtime tonight. We'll go home together now."
Hearing this, Sharon wisely kept quiet.
As Sharon followed Seb into the elevator, he pressed the floor button and looked down at her, "If you get too tired, take a break. Don't push yourself."
From his angle, he could see Sharon's serene profile, clean and beautiful. His suppressed thoughts resurfaced in his mind. His Adam's apple bobbed, and his throat felt dry. They had both been busy lately, and he had been holding back for a while.
Sharon had no idea his mind was filled with erotic thoughts. She nodded, "I know. You should go home early; Demetrius is still at home."
Although Demetrius was usually independent, he was still a child. If both parents were not home, he might feel scared.
Seb said, "I know."
As they spoke, the elevator reached Sharon's floor.
Sharon said, "I'm going to do the experiment."
Seb responded, "OK, message me when you're almost done."
"Alright." Sharon nodded and hurried out of the elevator, disappearing around the corner.
When she arrived at the lab, Ariana had already set up the experiment. Sharon picked up the record book, noted down the possible issues, and started the experiment with Ariana.
They worked diligently, and several hours passed, nearing midnight.
Fortunately, the experiment succeeded this time, and the data was normal. Both of them breathed a sigh of relief. Because if it had failed, they might have had to stay up all night.
After finishing the experiment, Sharon and Ariana cleaned up the lab and left together. As they walked to the elevator, Sharon sent a message to Seb, telling him the experiment was over.
Seb quickly replied: [Got it, I'm waiting for you on the first floor.]
Sharon: [Okay.]
Putting away her phone, Sharon glanced at Ariana, who was also messaging someone. Not wanting to invade her privacy, Sharon looked away, but she noticed the name on the chat screen was Kirk. Sharon pursed her lips but didn't warn Ariana that Kirk was not a good person.
Ariana was an adult and could distinguish right from wrong. As her senior in the lab, Sharon had reminded her a few times, which was enough. After all, saying more would be meddling in Ariana's life.
Ariana was indeed replying to Kirk's messages, but she was very cold, responding once for every three messages he sent. Kirk seemed oblivious to her coldness and kept messaging her. The latest message asked why she was still awake. Ariana, tired of replying, exited the chat.
Putting away her phone, she looked at Sharon, "Sharon, I'm sorry for making you work overtime because I didn't handle the experiment well this afternoon."
Sharon shook her head, "If anything, I should apologize. If it weren't for my father's surgery needing my signature this afternoon, I wouldn't have left in a hurry, causing the experiment to go wrong."
Ariana's eyes flickered. If she had been more capable, the experiment wouldn't have failed just because Sharon left. But she didn't dwell on it, "Sharon, are you hungry? Want to grab something to eat?"
Sharon shook her head, "No, I'm a bit tired today. You go ahead, I'll cover it."
Ariana said, "If you're not going, I won't either. Eating alone is no fun."
They entered the elevator, and soon it reached the first floor. Stepping out, they saw a tall figure not far away. Sharon was surprised and quickly walked over, "Have you been waiting long?"
Seb replied, "No, I just came down."
Sharon turned to Ariana, "Ariana, we'll give you a ride home. It's not safe to walk at night."
Ariana hesitated for a moment but then nodded, "Thanks, Sharon. I appreciate it."