Chapter 20 No Unfamiliar i Rattled Han
Chapter 20 So Unfamiliar It Rattled Him
Camelia looked awkward and embarrassed, biting her lower lip.
Lucian’s gaze darkened and stayed locked on Rosalie.
“I don’t want to watch my work go up in smoke either,” Rosalie said.
With that, she headed straight for the main console.
The engineers parted without thinking, as if pushed back by an invisible current.
Her fingers flew over the keys. Lines of dense code streamed across the monitor like water. She was cool
and focused, as if the world had narrowed to her and the machine in front of her.
The same people who had been tearing their hair out a minute ago held their breath now.
Seeing this, Camelia dug her nails into her palm.
Lucian stared at Rosalie, his breath catching.
Across both lives, he had never seen Rosalie like this.
In his memory, her eyes had always followed him wherever he went. She had been a cheerful sunflower
that turned toward its sun.
He had once told her he disliked women who were too career-driven. So, after the wedding, she quit her job and said she would build a home and give him a child just as brilliant as he was.
He knew she enjoyed tinkering with code, but she never sank into it in front of him.
He had never understood that the same hands that poured his coffee and picked his ties could hammer out this kind of code at this kind of speed. This version of Rosalie felt so unfamiliar that it rattled him.
Suddenly, a soft hand slipped around his arm. He turned by reflex.
Camelia tipped up her pretty face, delight bright in her eyes, and a shadow of hurt she couldn’t shake.
“Lucian, Rosalie is incredible. I don’t understand why Mr. Ashford let her go and asked me to take her role. Maybe I should give the job back.”
He closed his hand over hers. “You earned the position. Don’t overthink it. When this settles, I’ll help set up your office.”
Her eyes lit up at once. She leaned into his chest and spoke in a sweet whisper. “You always take such good care of me. Other than my mom, you’re the one who’s treated me best my whole life. Meeting you is the luckiest thing that has ever happened to me.”
His body went stiff for a beat, then loosened. Even so, he glanced at Rosalie to see how she took it.
She didn’t take it at all. She kept her eyes on the screen and never broke rhythm.
Chapter 20 So Unfambar it Rattled Him
Their conversation might as well have meant nothing to her. A dull weight settled under Lucian’s chest, heavy and making it hard to breathe..
A few minutes later, the chaos in the data flow leveled out.
“Core database unlocked! System is back online!” a developer shouted.
Pent-up cheers rippled across the floor.
Rosalie eased her hands off the keys and let out a slow breath. She stood and spoke to Steven. “I’ll package a maintenance plan and full backup protocol and send it over.”
Steven sighed, regret plain on his face. “Mr. Ashford… He made the wrong call.”
Rosalie’s lips curved, but her eyes remained cold. “Don’t worry. I’ll be back soon.”
Some debts still had to be settled. Some things had to be returned to their rightful owner.
Steven blinked, then nodded as if the meaning had just landed.
Rosalie turned and walked out. She didn’t spare Lucian and Camelia a glance.
Lucian watched her go. The weight in his chest swelled until it felt like he couldn’t draw a full breath.
