Delete My Love for You novel Chapter 43

Herbert’s car pulled up in front of the laboratory.

“Charlotte, how are you feeling? Can you walk?” he asked as soon as the engine stopped.

Charlotte’s lips were drained of all color, her back pressed against the seat, eyelids fluttering half-shut as if she were slipping out of consciousness. She mumbled, barely audible, “Darren…”

Behind his gold-rimmed glasses, Herbert’s eyes darkened, twin whirlpools of worry.

He hurried to the passenger side, cradling Charlotte gently in his arms.

“Hold on, Charlotte. Stay with me.”

Charlotte barely registered being placed on the cold surface of a lab cot before everything faded to black.

By the time she woke again, three days had quietly slipped by.

“Mr. Nelson, how’s the chip?” was the first thing out of her mouth, her concern immediately for the project that bore everyone’s hopes.

Herbert’s gaze softened with pity. “Charlotte, your adaptation training went exceptionally well. According to the data, during the competition, the chip boosted your agility up to 7.8 times, and your strength by ninetyfold.”

A breath of relief escaped Charlotte. “So, we made it. We can move to the next phase.”

But Herbert’s reply was gentle, resolute. “It’s time to stop, Charlotte.”

He spoke with the gravity of someone who’d spent many sleepless nights worrying. “If you ever end up in that kind of danger again, you might not make it out alive.”

Charlotte clenched her jaw, unwilling to accept defeat.

“Mr. Nelson, unless we gather enough chip data to support development of the next generation, I won’t give up. Not yet.”

Summoning what little strength she had, she reached for the adaptation training plan on the bedside table.

[Second Task: Social Adaptation—Get a Job!]

Darren got straight to the point. “Mr. Nelson, I’m interested in the cutting-edge biotech you’re developing here. I’m here to discuss a partnership.”

Herbert knew better than to trust such overtures. He didn’t hesitate. “I’m sorry, Mr. Harrington, but our center currently has no plans for external commercial collaborations.”

Darren’s eyes narrowed, his tone suddenly carrying a subtle but unmistakable threat. “I’ve heard your center barely clears twenty million a year. If you join forces with the Harrington Group, that number goes up tenfold. Are you sure you’re comfortable turning that down? Can you really say you’re acting in the best interests of everyone here?”

Herbert stood firm. “There’s nothing more to discuss. I won’t agree.”

Darren pressed in, unrelenting. “And why’s that? Is it because of Charlotte?”

The temperature in the room seemed to drop as Herbert’s expression hardened. “Since you already know the answer, Mr. Harrington, why bother asking?”

Darren took a step closer, his presence bearing down, eyes fixed on Herbert as if trying to see straight through him. “Mr. Nelson, you care so much about Charlotte. But if I recall, at her funeral, you—her childhood friend—didn’t even show up. Did you?”

Herbert gave a dry laugh. “For a man whose business empire supposedly spans the globe, Mr. Harrington, you seem to have a lot of free time—enough to keep track of who attended whose funeral. How touching.”