Chapter 19

Chapter 19

Vincent said, “I’ve only ever seen you as a sister.”

A chill pierced through Aline’s heart, and the finally gave up on him entirely.

She said with a cold laugh, staring at him. “Kaylee was right to leave you. You’re just a man who can’t take responsibility.”

With her, she turned and left without looking back. Alina was the eldest daughter of the Clark family, and the men pursuing her could form a queue. The reason the had chosen Vincent was that he was handsome, gentle, and considerate. Being with him seemed like a good choice.

After all, she knew she couldn’t escape an arranged marriage eventually–why not pick someone she liked? She didn’t mind that he had someone else in his life, but she hadn’t expected him to be so incapable of handling things. If that was the case, why should she waste her time on him?

At the end of the corridor, she turned back and threw one last icy remark.

“From now on, we have nothing to do with each other. Go find your girlfriend.”

Vincent froze, surprised at how drastically Alina’s demeanor had changed. Not long ago, she had seemed like a gentle, pitiable flower. How had she turned into… this? He opened his mouth to say something, but she was already gone.

Without hesitation. Without looking back.

At the same time, he felt a sense of relief. At least Alina hadn’t made things more complicated–otherwise, he wouldn’t have known how to handle it. Still, he hadn’t expected her to be so decisive.

Three days later, he heard from Thiago that Alina had applied to withdraw from schand gone abroad to further her studies. When Vincent learned the news, it was during an evening when the two of them were alone in the lab.

Thiago sat nearby, shaking his head in disbelief.

“Kaylee’s gone, and I thought you’d end up with Alina after a while. Now she’s gone too.”

Vincent frowned but said nothing.

Thiago nudged him. “Do you think she left because of heartbreak? Maybe she went abroad to nurse her wounds in peace.”

Vincent gave him a cold look.

“Focus on your data. Isn’t there enough work to shut you up?”

Thiago shrugged and didn’t press further.

After leaving the lab, Vincent stared blankly at his phone, feeling a pang of guilt over the misunderstandings he had caused with Alina.

Now, she had cut her studies short and left for another country because of him.

He typed out a message: “It’s dangerous over there. Take care of yourself.”

When he hit send, it failed to go through.

The red exclamation mark stared back at him, but he said nothing, putting his phone away and heading back into the lab.

Watching Thiago busy with measurements, he said, “I’m thinking about taking a break from school. I’ll leave the lab work to you for now.”

Thiago looked up, startled. “What do you mean?”

“I’ve talked to the professor about taking a short leave. My current state isn’t good, and with summer vacation coming up, I’ll take the time to sort myself out and return after the break.”

Vincent pulled out a cigarette, holding it between his fingers before remembering smoking wasn’t allowed in the lab. He silently put it away. Thiago didn’t say much, just patted him on the shoulder.

“Take your time. I’ll be here when you’re ready to come back.”

“Whatever struggles Vincent had in his personal life, he was undoubtedly a talented researcher. The two exchanged a few more words before leaving the lab as the sky grew darker. Vincent returned to the villa alone, collapsing onto the couch in exhaustion. This was the only time of day he felt at ease.

For a brief moment, it felt like Kaylee was still there, and he didn’t have to think about. anything else. Ding dong-

Suddenly, a notification sounded on his phone. Vincent glanced at it listlessly. It was from Thiago, who had sent seven or eight messages in a row. 

Thinking it was something urgent about the lab, Vincent opened the messages–and froze.

They were about Kaylee.

“Look at this–isn’t this Kaylee?”

“Same name, same face. When did she become the daughter of a billionaire in Italy?”

At the top of the chat was a forwarded link:

Billionaire’s Long–Lost Daughter Found in Italy!