Chapter 576
After she finished applying the ointment, Anthony pulled Charlotte close and kissed her gently on the forehead.
“I’m sorry,” he whispered, the regret clear in his eyes. He hated that he hadn’t been able to control himself.
Charlotte looked at him, still sleepy and a little confused. “Hmm?”
“Next time Anthony’s brows drew together as he promised, “I’ll be more careful.”
At the research institute, Charlotte walked into the lab in her white coat and protective mask. Inside, the place was alive with movement, top researchers hustling around in matching gear.
As soon as she stepped in, Irvin, the lab supervisor, hurried over. “Nine!” he greeted her with respect.
Charlotte nodded, her gaze drifting to a piece of equipment across the room. “How’s the project going?”
Irvin sighed, rubbing his temple. “It’s tough. The costs are piling up fast.”
He wasn’t exaggerating. Their anti-cancer cell drug project had been up and running for less than a month, and already they’d burned through more money than she cared to count. They’d tried experiment after experiment, and every single one had failed.
“Thanks for all your hard work,” Charlotte said quietly, her expression a mix of gratitude and frustration. She’d expected this. If it had been easy, the famous T8 Research Center wouldn’t have crashed and burned after so many failed attempts. Even when the place was destroyed, they still hadn’t found an effective drug.
“Don’t worry about the funding,” she said, flipping through a few pages of the latest report, her tone steady. “Let’s speed things up. The faster we get this drug out, the sooner we can actually help people.”
Irvin nodded, his face serious. “Understood.”
Right now, the top muscle disease medications on the market cost millions. For most families, that kind of money was impossible. People were giving up on treatment just because of the price. If they could make this work, it would change everything.
“I’ll be staying in the lab for a few days,” Charlotte said. “If you get stuck on any of the data, just ask me.”
Irvin looked so relieved he almost smiled. Having Charlotte working alongside them was the best thing that could happen. With her here, everything would run smoother, faster, better.
The lab work was exhausting. Most
days, Anthony didn’t bother
Charlotte except for a few sweet
texts every might to check in
One week later, early in the morning, Charlotte was dead asleep when her phone started buzzing nonstop.
Groggy, she reached for it and opened her eyes, blinking at the brightness. The
group chat was going crazy.
Andrew: I passed! 510! My legs are saved!
Parrish: I did alright. 590.
Andrew: Shirley, what about you?
Shirley: A bit better than last time. 731.
Only Stella and Charlotte hadn’t shared their scores yet.
Stella stared at her own results, fingers shaking a little. She finally sent a screenshot to the group: 600.
Considering she’d been studying.
from a hospital bed, 600 was amazing Still Stella knew A Charlotte’s score would be even higher. They probably wouldn’t end up at the same school.
Andrew: Awesome!
Parrish: What about Charlotte?
Shirley: Is Charlotte still asleep?
Stella: I want to know too.
More messages filled the chat as everyone waited. Charlotte yawned and sorolled up then tapped the link to the results page. It took her a second to remember her exam ID.
Sho
typed it in and hit search.
When the page loaded and she saw her score, her eyebrows lifted and a little smile tugged at her lips.