Chapter 906 Heart Moved
Lyra quickly responded, "I'll go check if there's any left."
"No need, I was just kidding," Pearl said, casually flipping her hair. She had this effortless charm that just radiated from her, and with a smile, she walked away.
After Pearl left, Violette approached, her face full of amazement. "I get why everyone believes the rumors now. She's so beautiful, it's hard not to be captivated. If I were Mr. Gray, I'd definitely be interested."
Lyra felt a pang in her heart. She didn't know why. Just the thought of Jeffery having someone in his heart made her chest ache. In the end, she said nothing.
Violette had seen Pearl firsthand and realized from their conversation and Pearl's demeanor that things weren't as they had thought. She didn't bring up the topic of illegitimate children again.
As for those still gossiping, they decided to stay out of it and protect themselves.
Not long after, they heard that several nurses had been fired.
Without exception, they were the ones who had spread rumors.
Violette, being a nurse herself and having spread rumors, was deeply grateful to Lyra. "Thank goodness you warned me, or I might have been fired too."
She offered to take Lyra out for a meal, but Lyra didn't make a big deal out of it, as it was just a small favor.
Suddenly, an unfamiliar nurse approached. "Dr. Chapman, Mr. Gray wants to see you."
Lyra looked up in surprise.
Why would Jeffery want to see her now?
Without time to think, she quickly gathered her things and went over.
Lyra knocked on the door. "Mr. Gray, it's me. May I come in?"
A clear male voice, like a cool spring, responded from inside, "Come in."
When Lyra entered, Jeffery was busy working.
He glanced up at the sound, his slightly indifferent eyes adding to his already cool demeanor. There was a faint crease between his brows, hinting at some unknown worry.
"Next time, don't be so formal. Just come in. We don't stand on ceremony here."
Lyra's gaze was fixed on the crease between his brows, almost missing his words.
Jeffery called her name with a frown.
She snapped back to reality, feeling embarrassed. "Sorry, I was distracted."
He looked at her for a moment. "Not getting enough rest lately?"
Realizing he was concerned about her, Lyra's cheeks warmed, and a wave of warmth filled her heart. She shook her head and explained honestly, "It's been a bit hectic with the project. But mostly, it's the recent rumors that have made it hard to focus."
Lyra mentioned it casually.
She didn't know her words had touched a sensitive spot in Jeffery's heart.
His eyes, behind the glasses, briefly flashed with a dark light.
Then he lowered his head, and after a moment, his deep voice spoke again, "If it's about Pearl coming to see you, I apologize on her behalf."
"She felt it was too forward to visit you directly. She didn't have your contact information and couldn't come to the hospital, so I had to relay the message."
Calming down, Lyra clenched her hands, suddenly feeling that her earlier excitement was ridiculous.
It was just a casual concern, but she had taken it seriously.
Clearly, in Jeffery's heart, Pearl was closer to him. What was she to him? Just a promising junior, he had taken an interest in.
This self-deprecating thought flashed through Lyra's mind, making her feel like she had been burned, suddenly alert.
She wished she could slap herself!
What was she thinking? Jeffery was just being kind, and his private life had nothing to do with her.
Lyra, usually slow to pick up on social cues, finally realized her unusual feelings. Her gratitude towards Jeffery had morphed into a desire to distance herself.
She even felt an urge to retreat.
Jeffery noticed her hesitation. "Why aren't you saying anything? If you have any concerns, just let me know. We can figure it out together."
Jeffery didn't like leaving issues unresolved.
That was why he said this.
But Lyra couldn't let him know what she was really thinking!
Just imagining Jeffery's stern face showing disgust if he found out made her feel like she was being tortured, the pain suffocating.
Facing Jeffery's questioning gaze, she composed herself and smiled casually, "No, Ms. Harris is very easy to talk to. We had a pleasant conversation that day."
After saying this, she saw his frown relax.
Lyra felt a pang of guilt.
For the first time, she lied to Jeffery, mixing truth and falsehood to deceive him.
Jeffery didn't notice anything unusual, of course. He was perceptive, but he wasn't a mind reader. How could he understand a woman's thoughts?
Those women who blatantly flirted with him were obvious, and he would notice something was off.
Besides, he trusted Lyra.
Seeing that she didn't mind Pearl's actions, his attitude towards her softened considerably. "Come sit down, don't just stand there. Take a look at this, the latest test results."
Jeffery handed her a blood test report.
Finally, they were talking business.
Lyra breathed a sigh of relief and examined the report carefully. Soon, she noticed a problem and shook her head. "This isn't right. Why has the cell count increased several times?"
Jeffery sighed, "That's what I wanted to discuss. The project was set a month ago. During this month, we developed a reagent to inhibit cell division. Initially, we couldn't use it on patients, so we kept changing test subjects."
Of course, the test subjects were lab mice. They wouldn't do anything unethical.
Jeffery continued, "The lab mice didn't show any adverse reactions, so we dared to inject the reagent into patients."
Lyra couldn't help but interrupt, "I don't understand. Isn't slowing aging a good thing? Why..."
"Why would patients want to return to normal, right?"
Guessing her question, Jeffery spoke first. He adjusted his gold-rimmed glasses, crossed his legs, and rested his hands on his knees. His black watch gleamed with a cold, inorganic light.
At that moment, their eyes met.
His eyes, devoid of emotion, looked like a machine operating purely on logic, making her secretly uneasy.
Jeffery spoke in a slightly lower voice, "Not everyone wants this gift from heaven."
Lyra's eyes trembled. After a long moment, she forced herself to look away.
She pressed her hand lightly against her chest.
Even through her clothes, she could feel the clear, rapid heartbeat underneath, thumping like it was expressing excitement.
She was instantly alarmed, feeling a strange fear towards Jeffery—not fear of him, fear of losing control.
Lyra had made progress recently. At least now, even being this close, Jeffery hadn't noticed anything amiss.
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