By early noon, Betty Ross slowly opened her eyes, blinking at the soft light filtering into the room. For a moment, she felt disoriented. Her body was sore and heavy, a numbing fatigue settling over her.
"You're finally awake," Kain's voice drifted over to her, calm and composed. "I thought you'd sleep until the late afternoon. There's milk on the bedside table. Drink some to replenish your strength."
Memories of the previous night flickered in her mind, hazy and fragmented. Her gaze landed on Kain, his relaxed demeanor contrasting sharply with her confusion.
Without thinking too much, she reached for the glass of milk, drinking it in slow sips. With something warm in her stomach, she started to feel more grounded.
"What... what did I do last night?" Betty murmured, rubbing her temples. Alcohol was a cruel mistress, and the more she thought about it, the worse the sinking realization became. She felt a pang of guilt as she pieced together fragments of the night.
"I have a boyfriend," she muttered, almost to herself.
Kain raised an eyebrow, a hint of surprise in his expression. Then his eyes flicked briefly to the marks on the bed. He sighed, his tone apologetic but nonchalant. "Miss Betty, I didn't expect this either. But emotions ran high last night."
Betty's lips tightened into a thin line. She wasn't hysterical—just deeply annoyed with herself. She knew the blame wasn't one-sided, but it didn't make things easier to digest.
"Let's just forget about last night, Mr. Kain," she said after a moment, her voice firm. "Can I see the progress of the Extremis virus research now?"
Her professional demeanor reasserted itself, though her frustration lingered. She knew she'd slipped up last night—not only had she failed to extract any useful information about the project, but she'd also compromised herself in the process.
Kain didn't seem fazed. Instead, he handed her a set of documents with a calm smile. "This is a portion of the research progress and experimental data. It's not the core, but it's enough to showcase the project's value."
Betty scanned the papers quickly, her sharp mind recognizing the significance of what she was looking at, even if it was just surface-level data.
Kain leaned back casually. "Miss Betty, I'd like to propose a collaboration with your father. General Ross, with his focus on super-soldier research, should find this project... intriguing."
Betty froze, her heart skipping a beat. Her eyes narrowed as she looked up at Kain, realizing he knew far more about her than she'd assumed.
"You already knew about my background?" she asked, her voice laced with suspicion.
"Miss Betty, did you try to hide it?" Kain replied with a small shrug, his tone bordering on amused.
His rhetorical question left her at a loss for words. She couldn't argue—it was true she hadn't gone to great lengths to conceal her identity. But now she knew she'd underestimated him.
Betty turned her attention back to the documents. While they didn't reveal the full picture, her expertise allowed her to glean a great deal.
The potential in the project was undeniable, and she found herself eager to see the core data. But that wouldn't happen unless Kain had a reason to trust her—or unless her father got involved.
"You really are a cunning boss," she muttered under her breath, shooting him a frustrated look.
With a resigned sigh, Betty got out of bed, only to discover the remnants of her torn clothes. A flush of irritation crept up her neck. "Great," she mumbled, "I can't even wear these anymore."
Kain's smirk deepened, but he said nothing, watching her with an air of quiet amusement.
Kain had already prepared a new set of clothes for Betty Ross. After she went to the bathroom to take a shower, she changed into the outfit he had provided.
It was similar to what she had worn yesterday, though Betty couldn't help but notice the black silk stockings again. The thought struck her: her boss clearly favored this look. Otherwise, why bother getting something so similar?
Dressed but still feeling a little weak, Betty stayed for the sumptuous lunch Kain had prepared. Once the meal was over, she gathered her things and left, taking the project progress and data that Kain had given her.
This information would be crucial in convincing her father.
…
"Rick, are you ready?"
It was late afternoon when Kain arrived at the biological research center. He headed straight to Rick, who greeted him nervously and ushered him into the confidential laboratory.
From an encrypted cabinet, Rick carefully retrieved a vial of serum and held it out. "Mr. Kain, this is the fusion serum derived from the two cells. To be honest, while the data and all trials have been largely successful, I still recommend—"
"The injection is here, Rick," Kain interrupted calmly. "You've seen this already, but I need you to keep this completely confidential."
At that moment, another Kain walked into the room—his Shadow Clone. Although Kain trusted Rick, he still wanted to take precautions. The duplicate stood silently, its presence unnerving Rick further.
Rick's throat went dry as he nodded. "Very well, Mr. Kain," he said, motioning toward the test bed in the adjacent room. "We should do the injection there. It allows for real-time data monitoring."
…
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