Ryan had missed Addison to the point of madness. During the three years she was gone, there had been no set return date—no guarantee she'd ever come back to Raven. Everyone told him she wouldn't. They all tried to convince him to move on. With his credentials, he could get into any top researcher's lab, work under a renowned mentor, and carve out a brighter future for himself. But he didn't believe them. Instead, he barged into the CEO's office at Raven Company, pushing open the door without knocking, and confronted Keith. Thankfully, Keith's response had been ambiguous. He never said Addison would return. But he never said she wouldn't either. And that sliver of uncertainty was enough—it meant there was still hope. And as long as there was hope, he had the motivation to keep waiting. Yet now, Ryan found himself questioning everything. If he had managed to endure three years without her, why was he already losing control after just a few days? What was wrong with him? Addison glanced down at Ryan. He seemed incredibly nervous, keeping his head lowered the entire time. Seeing him like this, she decided to stop teasing him. If she kept pushing, he might just bury his face in the ground out of sheer embarrassment. "All right, since you're so eager to learn, I'll make sure to assign you more projects. Hopefully, I'll work you so hard you won't even have time to sleep!" she said, pretending to threaten him. "Okay," Ryan nodded obediently, squeezing his fingers together. "You agreed?" Ryan nodded again. "Yes." Addison chuckled. "I just said I'd overwork you to the point of exhaustion, and you're still on board? That's practically exploitation." "If I told you to stay in the lab and work nonstop for three days and nights, no breaks at all, would you still agree?""I would," Ryan replied without hesitation. It was as if no matter what she said, Ryan would just nod and go along with it. Addison was momentarily at a loss for words. After studying him for a moment, she let out a sigh. "You and Gordon are the same." Both of them practically volunteered to let her be a ruthless boss. She couldn't believe people like this existed. At her words, Gordon—who had been standing silently off to the side—immediately shot Ryan a cold, disdainful look. His usually expressionless eyes carried a hint of distaste. "I'm nothing like him," Gordon stated flatly. Earlier, Ryan had hugged Addison without hesitation, yet now he couldn't even lift his head while speaking. To Gordon, that alone made them completely different. Disapproval practically radiated from Gordon's gaze. Addison laughed. "You're the same." Then, after a beat, she added, "Equally dumb."Gordon looked unconvinced. Without another word, he took a few steps back and leaned against a tree again, clearly deciding to ignore her. "Dr. Daves, you and ... him ... " Ryan trailed off, unsure what to call Gordon. "Dr. Daves, why are you two just standing out here?" Addison answered casually, "There was a break-in." "A break-in?" Ryan was visibly startled, his eyes widening in shock. "But isn't the security at Pandemonium Heights supposed to be top-tier? How could someone possibly break in?" "No idea," Addison shrugged. "Maybe the thief had some special skills?" Then she smirked. "But honestly, it was the strangest thief I've ever seen. Instead of stealing anything valuable, they cleaned the entire house from top to bottom."