Chapter 11

Tiffany's bright, sparkling eyes were locked on Joseph.

It was like she was trying to figure out what he thought of her.

She didn't say anything, just kept staring.

Joseph took her hand and made a decision. "I'm taking you to see the teacher."

Tiffany didn't want to go, but Joseph held on and led her to the teacher anyway.

Before the teacher could ask, Joseph explained everything that had happened.

The teacher praised Joseph, "You're amazing, helping a classmate on your first day." Then, she took both Joseph and Tiffany to the nurse's office to treat Tiffany's wound.

The school nurse, who wasn't very old, was immediately struck by how good-looking Joseph and Tiffany were.

"You both look so good, just like the ones on TV!" he said while applying the medicine, observing Joseph and Tiffany. "You two look quite alike! Could you be siblings?"

He quickly dismissed his own thought. "I've heard people say that good-looking people often look similar. Seems true now."

Joseph and Tiffany weren't surprised by his comment.

They exchanged a glance, as if they were studying each other.

They shared the same dad, so it was normal for them to look alike.

Soon, Tiffany's wound was treated.

They returned to the classroom.

Joseph and Stephen helped Tiffany purely out of kindness and a sense of justice, unable to stand seeing her bullied.

Stephen whispered to Joseph, "From now on, we shouldn't interact with Tiffany anymore! We need to stand firm."

Joseph agreed firmly, "Right!"

But throughout the next day, no matter what they did, Tiffany followed them like a little shadow.

Joseph and Stephen tried to shake her off, but Tiffany kept following.

Joseph couldn't take it anymore. He stopped abruptly and asked coldly, "Why are you following us?"

Tiffany's eyes showed a hint of sadness, looking pitiful and endearing.

If it weren't for Joseph's mom's relationship with her mom, he wouldn't actually dislike Tiffany.

But Tiffany was the daughter of his hated dad and another woman!

He kept convincing himself of this, treating her badly.

Tiffany took out her little notebook and started writing.

Then, she looked at them with her innocent, watery eyes.

She had written in her notebook: [Can I be friends with you?]

Julia had no idea Tiffany was also at the kindergarten.

After sorting out Joseph and Stephen's arrangements, she headed to Nelson's research institute in the country.

A tall, well-dressed, handsome man stood at the entrance, holding a sign that read: [Welcome Julia to the Institute.]

Julia thought, 'Such an old-fashioned welcome.'

She got out of the car, feeling extremely embarrassed.

The handsome man walked over with confident strides, his refined face coming into view.

"Julia?" He smiled warmly, "Nelson told me to wait here for you. He said you're shy."

This was clearly Nelson's little trick to set her up with someone.

She recognized the man in front of her, Gabriel Campbell. He had worked with Nelson before, but she wasn't very familiar with him.

They had only worked together because of research needs.

Nelson had mentioned Gabriel to Julia many times, always praising his excellence.

Gabriel was probably the name Nelson mentioned the most over the years.

Julia, on the other hand, remained composed, offering a polite smile.

They shook hands.

Julia smiled. "Long time no see."

Her words made Gabriel's expression freeze for a moment. He thought, 'She actually remembers me!'

His smile widened. "Looking forward to working with you."

"You'll be the one helping me. I'm not familiar with things here," Julia replied.

"Sure."

They exchanged pleasantries, and Gabriel led her into the institute.

He gave her a tour, familiarizing her with the environment.

Gabriel introduced her to the colleagues inside.

Finally, Gabriel took Julia to her prepared office.

The door opened to reveal a black-and-white decor that Julia liked, simple and elegant.

Julia took one look and liked it immediately.

Gabriel smiled. "I wasn't sure what kind of decor you liked, so I incorporated some of Nelson's suggestions."

Julia was quite satisfied. "Thank you, that's very thoughtful. I'm actually fine with anything."

"We're colleagues now, no need to be so formal with me." Gabriel's gaze held a hint of admiration mixed with affection.

Even knowing her situation, he still liked her.

Julia was the only woman who had ever made Gabriel's heart race in all these years.

She was exceptional, with many qualities that captivated Gabriel.

Julia, however, didn't sense the subtle affection, still admiring her office.

She walked over to try out her leather chair, finding it very comfortable.

She spun around once, then stood up and said to Gabriel, "I wanted to see how the institute operates today. If you're not busy, could you show me around? If you are, you can arrange for someone else. I'm fine with either."

"I'm not busy; I'll show you."

"Okay."

Gabriel's warm smile that made her feel a bit dazed.

Julia felt that Gabriel was much more enthusiastic this time, to the point where she felt a bit self-conscious.

Gabriel's first stop was the lab area.

The researchers inside were all wearing lab coats, working diligently at their stations.

Gabriel briefly introduced the various projects they were working on and their progress.

Julia listened and took notes.

She had been working on similar things abroad every day, so Gabriel's introduction was easy for her to follow and remember.

She also noticed a significant issue.

As they passed through the lab area, she saw that the general workspace was almost empty.

Curious, she asked the researchers and learned that there was a problem with the supply of materials, causing their projects to halt temporarily. They had to wait for the supplies to arrive before they could resume.

But the losses caused by this were substantial.

Julia came to solve problems, but she didn't expect to face a major issue right away.

Frowning, she asked, "Haven't you thought about how to solve the problem in the general workspace?"

Gabriel took the work issue seriously, his smile fading. "We're already working on it."

He knew that a simple answer wouldn't convince Julia.