She Left She Thrived She’s Worth Billions novel Chapter 483

Landon was completely baffled. Any rational person knew how to play to their strengths and hide their weaknesses, so what was Melanie hoping to achieve by putting her biggest flaw on full display?

Without realizing it, Landon glanced back at Preston again.

The only logical conclusion he could draw was that Melanie was setting up a pity play.

The moment Regina reduced her to tears, their fiercely protective boss would undoubtedly step in to defend her.

Landon couldn't help but shake his head and sigh.

Melanie, completely oblivious to the wild speculations running through the peanut gallery's minds, poured her entire focus into the extraction process.

Getting the chance to work in such a phenomenally equipped lab made her blood sing with adrenaline.

The last time she had felt this level of excitement was at the Carter Group.

Thinking back, it had been a while. She wondered if Elias Carter had upgraded his equipment yet.

Melanie initiated the extraction.

On the other side of the pristine glass wall, Regina, Landon, and the rest of the spectators could barely be bothered to watch her at first.

Some stifled yawns, while others scrolled mindlessly through their phones.

But no one dared leave the observation deck.

After all, Preston was standing right behind them.

He was the one who had requested they give Melanie a chance.

Even if they fundamentally disagreed with her proposed protocol, they couldn't exactly disrespect Mr. Whitmore.

As the minutes ticked by, Regina, Landon, and the others began to sense a shift in the atmosphere.

They had all come expecting a spectacular failure.

Yet, the way Melanie handled the complex instruments was far too fluid and precise. No matter how you looked at it, she was no amateur.

She wasn't just experienced; she was a seasoned expert.

Initially, her extraction steps and temperature calibrations mirrored Stellaris's standard operating procedures flawlessly.

But gradually, Regina noticed Melanie's methodology diverging from their norms, applying entirely different processing parameters.

It wasn't just Regina—one by one, the other researchers pocketed their phones, their attention magnetically drawn to Melanie.

They could easily tell that their heavy, scrutinizing stares weren't bothering her in the slightest.

Melanie had entered a state of complete flow, entirely undisturbed and intensely focused.

At that moment, the entire world melted away, leaving only the experiment in front of her.

The laboratory, inside and out, fell into a heavy, breathless silence.

Hours slipped by without anyone realizing it.

Finally, Melanie stepped out of the lab and handed the freshly printed extraction data report to Regina.

"There's still a slight gap compared to the data I generated previously," Melanie noted with a serious expression.

Under the stunned, admiring, and intensely curious gazes of the entire research team, Melanie walked straight past them and stopped in front of Preston.

"My honey is amazing!"

Before Melanie could even open her mouth, Preston proudly declared it to the room.

Melanie blinked, unable to hold back a radiant smile.

"Are you a mind reader? How do you always know exactly what I want to hear?"

Preston pulled out a handkerchief and tenderly wiped a bead of sweat from her forehead.

"Because you love hearing anything that comes out of my mouth."

With that, Preston suddenly leaned down and captured her lips in a sweet, deliberate kiss.

Melanie playfully swatted his chest.

They were in a room full of his top-tier employees, and Preston clearly had zero fear of compromising his professional image.

Terrified he would push the public display of affection even further, Melanie practically fled Stellaris PharmaTech.

Back in the General Manager's office, Preston had barely settled in when Gabriel's voice echoed from the hallway.

But as Preston turned around, Regina strode through the door, beating Gabriel to the punch.

"Mr. Whitmore, you set us up, didn't you?" Regina demanded.