“I was holding something and couldn’t get to my phone right away…”
“Is your battery charged now?”
Of course it was “charged.” She had turned her phone back on the moment she arrived at the institute.
“I found a place to charge it as soon as we arrived,” she lied smoothly. “I was so worried I’d miss your call.”
On the other end of the line, Harrison, who had whimsically decided to check her phone’s location five minutes earlier, stared at the red dot on his computer screen and let out a silent, cold laugh. “Is that so?”
“Of course! Would I ever lie to you?” Anastasia’s tone was bright and indignant.
The sheer audacity of it made Harrison laugh again, a low, humorless sound.
Anastasia’s senses tingled. A warning bell went off in her head.
“Hubby, did you just… laugh coldly?”
“You misheard,” Harrison said calmly.
Anastasia nodded to herself. She must have misheard. Her husband would never laugh like that.
“Where are you? Almost home?” Harrison asked, his voice gentle, his eyes still fixed on the red dot that was in the complete opposite direction of Peach Blossom Valley.
Blissfully unaware, Anastasia replied with a sigh, “We might be late. There was a landslide on the road, and our car can’t get through. It looks like we won’t be home until after ten tonight.”
“Is that so?” Harrison’s tone remained mild. “Should I send a car to pick you up? You three should be able to walk past the landslide. The driver can stay with the car.”
Anastasia froze.
Damn it, she hadn’t thought of that loophole!
After a beat, she quickly added, “No, no, that’s too much trouble! When we heard the road was blocked, we turned back. Logan already booked a hotel for us. We’ll just stay here for the night. I hear they have some interesting evening activities here anyway. We’ll come back tomorrow!”
“Yes, sir!”
At the institute, Anastasia, still unaware she had been exposed, returned to the conference room. The meeting continued for another three hours as she quickly assessed the institute’s current state and laid out a series of adjustments.
Many of the researchers were genuinely passionate about their work. Hearing her new plans and direction, they felt a renewed sense of hope and excitement.
However, others, resentful of Dennis’s downfall, remained openly hostile.
The moment Anastasia finished speaking, one of them slammed the table and stood up. “For the past few years, if it weren’t for Mr. Dennis—”
Anastasia cut him off, her sharp, intimidating gaze sweeping over him. “I don’t like being disobeyed. If anyone is dissatisfied with my leadership, I respect your choice. You can leave now.”
The man’s face turned purple.
“And don’t think for a second that any of you are irreplaceable,” Anastasia continued. “If I don’t care about Dennis, what makes you think you can threaten me?”

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