Chapter 298 Mr. Bailey Has a Fever
Winona's mind felt scrambled, rendering her speechless in a haze of anger and fluster as Zachary's silence mirrored her own. The heavy atmosphere hung with the weight of unsaid words, punctuated only by the sound of their breathing.
Winona could feel his breath, which had just calmed down, getting heavy again, full of desire.
A vein throbbed on her forehead. "Zachary, can you control yourself? It's just a phone call."
Zachary's voice was already hoarse. "I've been holding back too long. It's hard to control."
Before he could finish, Winona hung up, preventing Zachary from continuing his suggestive words. Her mind, clouded with unsavory thoughts, struggled to settle back into a state of rest.
Winona tossed her phone aside, pulled up the blanket, and tried to go back to sleep. But Zachary had completely ruined her sleepiness.
Failing to find solace in sleep, she turned on the light and scrolled through WhatsApp Status. Somehow, she opened Rodolfo's chat. The last message was her asking about Eva, and Rodolfo hadn't replied.
She suspected he might have blocked her.
But Winona didn't send a message to check. Rodolfo wasn't someone she had hired, and she had no idea who he was working for to protect her. She wasn't desperate enough to cling to someone just because they had helped her a couple of times.
But thinking of Rodolfo reminded Winona of something else—a pendant she had seized from a mysterious individual's grasp in A City. Retrieving it from her bedside table drawer, Winona scrutinized the pendant's intricate design, focusing on the striking swastika symbol embellished with golden dust. Though small, the symbol exuded a potent aura, indicative of the skilled craft behind its creation.
Her fingers instinctively traced the symbol, pondering its uniqueness before stowing the pendant away in her bag for safekeeping.
The following day, upon her arrival at the museum, Winona encountered Daniel exiting the restroom in a visibly distressed state. His demeanor, marked by facial twitches and evident discomfort, indicated he had encountered a troubling situation.
Daniel had been discontent about her sudden promotion to A-level, but after the headpiece restoration and Caleb's explicit statement that she was the chosen candidate from above, his dissatisfaction had turned directly into resentment.
She didn't want to start her day on a bad note, so she planned to wait until he left before moving again. But Daniel rushed straight towards her. Winona instinctively stepped aside, but it was too late to avoid him.
And they collided and both fell to the ground.
Daniel's gaze lingered on Winona for a moment, then he gave her a meaningful smile and got up without a word.
Winona didn’t know how to react. He looked seriously unwell.
Because of this momentary distraction, Winona didn't get up immediately. Someone nearby came to help her. "Is Daniel having an episode? That smile was creepy."
Winona shook her head.
Her elbow was burning with pain. When she lifted it, she saw that she had scraped it against the wall when she fell, peeling off a layer of skin. She had been woken up by Zachary in the early hours and hadn't slept since. Now, this unpleasant encounter first thing in the morning made her even more frustrated.
Just as she reached her workspace and hadn't even put down her bag, she received a message from Dylan. [Mrs. Bailey, Mr. Bailey has a fever.]
Winona was still angry about what Zachary had said earlier. Hence, she replied, [Then get a doctor. What do you expect me to do, cure him or bury him?]
At Regal Oaks, Dylan, sweating under his boss's gloomy gaze, cautiously handed the phone to Zachary. "Mrs. Bailey still seems to be in a bad mood. Normally, she might not be fond of you, but at least she'd be more tactful."
Zachary's tightly furrowed brows relaxed slightly at his words, and the cold aura he emitted lessened. "Find out what's bothering her."
Putting her phone aside, Winona delved back into her work, the museum a sanctuary of concentration.
Interrupting her reverie, Caleb entered with news, "We just received a notice that the higher-ups are coming for an inspection. They'll be here soon, so everyone get ready. Just do your jobs and keep your cool."
It was just a routine work report at the beginning of the month. Since, everyone here was a seasoned professional, what could go wrong with a bunch of inanimate objects?
Half an hour later, the leaders strode in for their review, welcomed by Caleb. A group of people in suits entered the museum, and the first thing they looked at was the headpiece currently under restoration, which was of utmost importance.
"The higher-ups place great importance on this headpiece. It's a national treasure that must be returned to us. Fortunately, Ms. Michelle has verbally agreed to donate the headpiece to our museum, regardless of whether it can be fully restored."
Then Caleb’s tone changed. "But even so, we must put in our best effort. Our peers abroad are watching us, thinking we can't do it. All of you here are the top experts in this field. We can't let them look down on us."
Just as he finished speaking, Daniel knocked and entered. He looked at Winona with a face full of pain and tension, but his eyes couldn't hide the schadenfreude. "Caleb, something has happened."
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