The CEO's private elevator soon reached the top floor. When the opulent doors slid open, Virginia stepped out first, with Isaac following close behind. A heavy tension seemed to hang in the air. As Virginia walked, she noticed something odd—there wasn't a single person in sight. Confused, she turned to Isaac. "Where is everybody? Why isn't anyone working?" Isaac hesitated before replying, "They're here, working at their desks." Virginia frowned, her gaze sweeping over the empty workspace. "Working? But I don't see anyone." Peering closer, she finally spotted several employees slumped over their desks, their faces pale and etched with exhaustion. Dark circles shadowed their eyes, and their expressions were grim. "What's going on here?" Virginia blinked in disbelief. "Why do you all look so worn out? Did Lance mistreat you?" Isaac waved a hand weakly. "He didn't mistreat us, but he has been driving us to the brink." He sighed heavily, unable to hide his frustration. "Could you please talk to him? Convince him to ease up on us. We've been working nonstop for days, and we're completely drained." Virginia raised an eyebrow. "Lance isn't usually the type to push for overtime. What's changed?" Lance was known for his cold, decisive demeanor and firm leadership style, which made him someone employees were cautious around. However, he rarely demanded overtime from his employees. He refrained from harsh criticism as long as no major mistakes were made. Despite whispers of a stern work culture, employees at Johnston Enterprise were generally content. "Yes, Mr. Johnston is usually fair with us," Isaac admitted. "Everyone knows that. But with the unresolved issue of Raven Company's authorization, the tension in the office has been unbearable lately." Isaac trailed off, leaving Virginia to piece the puzzle together. "When Mr. Johnston returned to the office earlier today, he immediately dismissed several employees. One of them ... " "What happened to one of them?" Virginia prodded, urging him to continue.Isaac bit the bullets and whispered, "One of them ... fainted from fright." It wasn't an exaggeration. Those employees, unaware of Lance's foul mood, had brought freshly prepared proposals to him for review. Unfortunately, they ended up bearing the brunt of his temper. Sure enough, a loud crash echoed from Lance's office, followed by the sight of panicked employees fleeing. Some emerged with fresh red scratches streaking their faces, caused by sharp-edged folders Lance had hurled. "Lance lost his temper that badly? I'll go check on him." Virginia's face betrayed her unease at the mention of someone passing out. "Thank you, Ms. Dolton," Isaac replied earnestly, hoping she could calm Lance down or persuade him to leave the office for the day. Lance cared deeply for Virginia, so he shouldn't treat her like the others. It would be better if she could talk to him and calm him down, rather than everyone feeling anxious around him. "But where did Lance go today? What made him so angry?" Isaac thought for a moment before answering, "I believe he went to the Fuller Residence. His mood changed after coming back from there." "The Fuller Residence? Are you talking about the Fullers from ApexMed Group?" Virginia asked, her eyes flashing with interest. "Yes, that's the one." She hadn't known Lance had visited the Fullers today. She wondered if he had seen Addison and Michael together. Was part of Lance's anger related to Addison? She wasn't sure, and she hesitated to jump to conclusions. If Lance no longer had feelings for Addison, then whatever she did wouldn't bother him. But if he claimed not to love her and yet still seemed upset or emotional because of her, what did that mean? Virginia didn't want to think about it. People always said hatred stemmed from love. Without love, where would the hatred come from? Virginia paused and gazed toward the CEO's office, deep in thought. "Ms. Dolton?" Isaac noticed the troubled look on Virginia's face, and his nerves grew.Virginia snapped out of her thoughts, cleared her throat, and forced herself to push her thoughts away. "I'll go now." Lance couldn't possibly still love Addison. Virginia was sure he could only love her and no one else. Isaac watched as Virginia made her way to the CEO's office, silently hoping Lance would calm down. ... Meanwhile, Addison arrived home and set her bag down. She picked up the herbal pouch from the dining table, added some eyebright to the kettle, and turned it on to boil. Eyebright was a herb found in the mountains. After being brewed, it helped improve eyesight and supported kidney health. Addison had been working hard in the lab, and her eyes were feeling strained. As she watched the water heat up in the kettle, she grabbed her phone and sent a message to Ryan. "I told Michael about your WhatsApp. Make sure to accept his request." Addison always preferred to get things done right away. She didn't like leaving tasks unfinished. Since she had promised Michael earlier, she made sure to keep her word quickly. After sending the message, she placed her phone on the table and walked to the bathroom. Instead of relaxing in the bathtub, Addison stood under the shower and turned the water on full force. The powerful spray splashed over her tender skin, running down her shoulders and chest. For some reason, the strong water pressure made her feel both nervous and calm at the same time. She could sense the tension in her body starting to fade away. Once she turned off the shower, she left the bathroom. Dressed in a light blue bathrobe, she sat at her vanity and began blow-drying her hair slowly. Her movements appeared graceful. She wasn't sure what was going on with Ryan today. His response had been slower than usual, and she only saw his reply after finishing everything. "Did you give my WhatsApp to Michael?" His message was unexpectedly questioning. Addison simply replied, "Yes."There was no follow-up from Ryan. She frowned, wondering if Ryan might not like Michael. But that didn't make sense—he had no reason to feel that way. Confused, she decided to call him directly. The phone rang, and Ryan answered, "Dr. Daves, why are you calling all of a sudden?" Before she could speak, he continued in a soft tone, "Are you asking me to add Michael? Don't worry. I've already accepted his request." Although his words weren't angry, there was still a reluctance in his voice. Addison was about to speak when Ryan cut her off. He sounded calm, but she felt it was better to clarify. "I asked you to add Michael because I want the Fullers to discuss with you directly, not through me." "Will the Fullers talk to me directly?" Ryan sounded pleased. "Does that mean Michael will come to me instead of you for things?" "Yes, I want you to take over the Acygine project." Addison thought that Ryan's excitement was because he would finally get to lead the drug development himself. But she was mistaken. On the other end of the line, Ryan didn't ask about the project itself. Instead, he sounded even more excited, "So you won't be contacting Michael anymore, right?" Addison was stunned. Was Ryan actually happy about that?