"You don't need to force yourself to conduct experiments here. It won't do you or Johnston Enterprise any good," Lance said in a calm, almost indifferent tone. It was obvious he was warning Addison while subtly distancing himself from her. Addison looked up at him, managing a stiff smile. She didn't feel the need to explain herself. Lance's misunderstanding was working in her favor. It kept her identity safe, and there was nothing to lose. Let him think whatever he wanted. To Lance, her smile came off as forced, tinged with discomfort, making her appear vulnerable. But Lance didn't seem to care. "Leave now," he said flatly. His words left no room for debate. Addison bit her lip, still thinking about the experiment she hadn't finished. But given the circumstances ... Before she could react, Lance grabbed her wrist and pulled her toward the stairs with a cold determination. She had no choice but to follow. He clearly didn't want her in the building for another second. Since she had already admitted she was there to help the Johnstons, she couldn't afford to raise any more suspicions. Addison didn't resist. She stayed silent, walking behind him as he led her to the side door. She glanced down at Lance's hand still gripping her wrist. Why is he still holding my hand? Lance noticed her look. Without a word, he released her wrist, his eyes showing annoyance and a hint of disgust. It wasn't like she had asked him to grab her wrist. Why was he giving her that look? Lance walked quickly toward the door. His eyes met the guard stationed by the side entrance. As soon as the guard saw him, he opened the door without a second thought, not even noticing Addison walking just behind him. Addison squinted. So, that's how Lance had managed to get into the lab so easily—he must have used the side entrance. She had wondered how, despite her tight security and clear instructions to the front gate guards, Lance had managed to slip by unnoticed. She had even asked the guards to double-check the front gate cameras, but there was no sign of Lance. So, he had used the side door? The side entrance was tucked away, hidden from view. Keith hadn't assigned extra security, thinking one guard would be enough. It was starting to dawn on Addison that Lance had likely bribed the guard, and now, that guard was no longer trustworthy. Lance stepped out of the building and looked back at Addison. She stood motionless, her expression hard to read. He didn't have to guess. She was regretting it, without a doubt. His face remained expressionless. After a final glance at her, he got into the car. He had removed Addison from the lab to prevent her from making a mistake that could upset Dr. Nancy. Now that she was out of the building, there was no reason to stay in touch. With someone like Addison, every interaction would only give her false hope. He wouldn't let her believe in any possibility between them. If she held on to that hope, the reality would only crush her. The assistant watched as the CEO climbed into the car. He started the engine, then looked back at Addison through the rearview mirror. He noticed her standing by the door, motionless. Something about it seemed oddly familiar. Hadn't she stood like this before, watching the CEO during the Johnstons' banquet? For some reason, the assistant felt a flicker of sympathy. In matters of the heart, it was the unrequited love that hurt the most. It was painful to witness. Ms. Daves had such deep feelings for the CEO, but the CEO's heart belonged to someone else. It was a love that would never be returned. "Are you still here?" Lance's voice interrupted the silence, cold and sharp.The assistant snapped out of his thoughts. "I'm going now. Right away." Although he had sided with Ms. Dolton, part of him couldn't help but feel pity for Addison, standing there, torn and uncertain. He glanced at Lance, noticing the deep frown on his face, and hesitated. "Sir, how did Ms. Daves end up here?" He wondered if there was a way to bring her along, too. Lance leaned back in the car, his mind clearly elsewhere. His face was full of confusion and frustration. He couldn't understand why Dr. Nancy hadn't shown up—twice now. What was going wrong? The assistant's question sparked a new thought in Lance's mind. How had Addison gotten into the lab ahead of him? She had no connections, no resources. There was no way she could have known how to access it like he did. Was there something he was missing about Addison? Lance's eyes narrowed. The assistant noticed the growing tension in Lance's expression and fell silent. He swallowed the rest of his questions, sensing it was not the right time to speak. ... The following morning, Addison had just woken up when she received a text from Ryan. She glanced at the message while having her breakfast. "Dr. Daves, Johnston Enterprise rejected the authorization we sent. What should we do?" Addison raised an eyebrow. Lance rejected it? Why on earth would he do that? That's the very thing he'd been after. He came to the lab multiple times just to get that. She quickly typed her reply. "Why was it rejected?" Lance couldn't have been that careless. There had to be something else at play.Soon, Ryan's response arrived. "I checked with the courier. They said Johnston Enterprise doesn't accept anonymous packages." Addison furrowed her brow. Since when did Johnston Enterprise stop accepting anonymous parcels? She clearly remembered they had never had a problem with that in the past. "Dr. Daves, do we need to resend it?" She thought for a moment, then without hesitation, replied. "Yes, resend it." "Use my name—Addison." She had already made up her mind. She was sending the authorization to Lance, and nothing would change that. Even though Lance's actions over the last couple of days had been harsh and upsetting ... This was for Harvey. Compared to what Harvey meant to her, she could overlook anything Lance did. As for the risk of Lance figuring things out—well, she had her own reasons for putting her name on the package. Ryan hesitated when he saw the name "Addison." He paused, unsure of who Addison was. Before he could ask, the doctor's message arrived. "Addison is my name." It was almost as if she had sensed his confusion, answering his unspoken question. Ryan murmured the name Addison to himself. So that was the doctor's name. It had a nice ring to it. "Understood," he typed back. After a brief pause, he added, "If it's not sent anonymously, it should arrive at Johnston Enterprise soon." It would be mailed today and arrive the next day, and he recalled the doctor mentioning that it needed to be delivered quickly.Addison's response came quickly, a simple "Okay" emoji. She was eager to have it sent off and finished with.