Boss, Your Wife Signed the Divorce Agreement Before the Wedding novel Chapter 158

Raelynn knew Preston's concerns were completely valid.

She could still picture the look Sebastian had given her. He wasn't a volatile man prone to explosive rage, but his sheer lack of visible emotion made him all the more terrifying.

"But if I didn't hit back today, it would be impossible later. He wouldn't have ever given me another opening to settle the score."

Whatever.

She and Sebastian were far past the point of civility anyway.

What was one more grudge added to the pile?

"Either way, I need to stay on guard. As long as we wrap up this joint project with Kingsford University as quickly as possible, they won't have the leverage to come after me," Raelynn reasoned, taking a pragmatic view.

Sebastian didn't love her.

Naturally, he wouldn't spare her any mercy out of sentiment.

She had to be incredibly careful.

To keep Lily from noticing her injury, Raelynn strapped on a rigid back brace beneath her clothes. She helped Lily bathe, brush her teeth, put on her lotion, and finally coaxed her to sleep.

Looking at Lily's tiny hands clutching her arm tightly in her sleep, Raelynn felt a profound ache of reluctance.

But she had to rise to the top as fast as possible so she could have the power to protect her daughter from the storms ahead.

She pressed several soft kisses to Lily's tender cheek before tiptoeing out of the room.

The joint research project between NexusMind Technologies and Kingsford University had entered its final stretch. Once the animal testing and clinical trials passed, they could apply for final approval.

Only when her name was officially secured as the primary researcher on the drug's patent would the dust finally settle.

Chloe also sent over the filming schedule for the documentary.

Raelynn's back was nowhere near healed. She had to wear the brace, otherwise she couldn't stand or walk for long periods.

Today's agenda was animal testing at Longstride Labs.

It was also the first official day of filming.

When Raelynn reached the elevator bank in the Longstride lobby, she saw Seraphina walking in, flanked by an entourage like a movie star.

Her gaze inadvertently dropped.

She noticed a watch on Seraphina's wrist.

It was the exact same women's watch from the matching set Sebastian had bought, the one Leo had posted about...

Raelynn's gaze lingered for a split second.

Then, calmly drifted away.

Jack, the employee who had escorted Raelynn on her last visit, and Mr. Young, a manager at Longstride, were practically beaming as they walked and chatted with Seraphina.

Surrounded by admirers, Seraphina was in high spirits.

The swelling on her cheek from Raelynn's slap had completely vanished, leaving no trace of the humiliation.

When Seraphina spotted Raelynn by the elevators, a cold glint flashed in her eyes. Without hesitating, she marched straight toward her.

Once they reached the Longstride Labs sector, Chloe's crew had already set up the cameras.

The Kingsford University team was also present.

The second they saw Seraphina, they swarmed her.

"Alumna Vance this, Alumna Vance that."

Interspersed with the occasional drop of "Mr. Croix." Seraphina maintained a gentle smile, chatting amicably with everyone.

Raelynn ignored them entirely. She didn't see Chloe anywhere.

She was most likely in the control room monitoring the feeds.

Instead, The Assistant from Chloe's team approached them. "Everyone, no need to be nervous. Just act exactly as you normally would. We won't film any confidential data, and our crew won't interfere with your work. Just stick to your own rhythm."

Seraphina offered a soft smile. "Don't worry, I have experience with this."

Raelynn paid her no mind.

She efficiently sanitized, changed into a sterile suit, snapped on a mask, and headed straight to the workstation to test the purity of the synthetic ingredients provided by the Kingsford team.

There was a massive amount of work to do today.

Purification, toxicity tests, running through experiments one by one.

Raelynn was so engrossed she completely forgot about the cameras.

For over five straight hours, no one even had time for lunch. Several times, she nearly collapsed.