Ch. 1191..1200: Chapter 1191-1200

Chapter 1191

"Why, I don't mind, of course. Aren't these common questions? It doesn't bother me at all."

Bonnie said to Collin, who was at the other end of the phone, "Hurry up and answer Ivor's question, Allen."

Her tone carried a hint of warning, which made him wipe sweat from his forehead.

"Um... I joined the research institute a couple of days ago, Mr. Ivor. O-Our new research institute is located at Ridge Road. You'll find it halfway up the mountain in the countryside. Y-You're free to visit us anytime you want."

This was the first time he had dealt with such a situation. He felt extremely awkward. Even his response sounded stiff.

'If I had known this would happen, I would've stifled my laughter at all costs! I brought this on myself. If I don't handle this well, Bonnie will undoubtedly kill me later!'

"Wonderful. I'm certainly going to swing by the new research institute as soon as I'm back from my work trip." Ivor said, a hint of suspicion flashed in his eyes.

'Why does this Allen character's voice sound so familiar to me? Where have I heard it before? He might've stuttered, but I honestly think he sounded familiar, which means I did hear his voice somewhere. 'However, Allen is a new researcher at Bonnie's research institute. Why would I have heard his voice before?'

"Y-You're welcome here anytime," Collin said and wiped the sweat from his forehead.

He kept praying silently. 'Please. Stop asking me questions. I'm not sure if I can hold on any longer if he keeps hounding me. If I answered wrongly, Bonnie is going to knock me into next week. Come on vor. Have mercy on me!'

Ivor listened to Collin's voice again and found it extremely familiar. It felt as if he had heard it before.

"What's with the 'welcome' stuff? My honey is there. You can bet I'm going to drop by sometime."Chapter

Bonnie's ears reddened. 'Ivor is such a shameless guy! He just calls me with these endearing terms while he's talking with an outsider.'

Collin chuckled dryly, unsure of how to respond to Ivor.

Ivor paused for a moment before he asked again. I've been with my wife for a long time. During that time, I picked up a thing or two about scientific research. I'm in the mood to quiz you. Are you up for the challenge, I wonder?"

Both Bonnie and Collin forgot to breathe for a second.

'I didn't count on him giving Collin a quiz. Collin had always run the Nidhogg for me. He has virtually no knowledge of the world of scientific research.

'If Ivor asks him about some deep questions in that area, he'd surely fail in answering them!'

Realizing that Collin had not responded to him after a long time, Ivor's eyes grew darker.

"What's the matter, Allen? You're a

scientific researcher. Are you honestly worried about the kind of questions I'm going to ask you? I'm not even from your field."

 

Chapter 1192

"Um..." Collin was sweating bullets now. He wasn't just sweating on the forehead. His back was also drenched with sweat.

Just as he was stumped and had no idea how to proceed, he heard Bonnie's voice.

"Like you said, he's a scientific researcher. I handpicked him to join the research institute. Naturally, he wields an extensive knowledge in the field. Do you think a couple of questions are going to unnerve him?

"He is a shy person, though. Just go ahead and ask him anything you want."

Collin remained quiet and didn't say anything.

'Doesn't Bonnie know she's overestimating my ability right now? I have virtually no knowledge of the world of scientific research. I might know less than Ivor. How am I supposed to answer his questions?

'Why did I have to laugh earlier? Why?!!

At the thought of that, he heard his phone buzzing. Lowering his head, he looked at it and saw that it was a text from Bonnie.Chapter

"You have me if the questions are too tough to answer. What are you panicking about? He'll quiz you, and I'll send you the answer through texts. All you have to do is read my texts. Got it?"

'Ivor's quizzes might be too difficult for me, but it could never stump Bonnie.'

Collin read her text and thought it was such a wonderful idea that he almost shouted out of joy.

However, Ivor was still on the phone. So, he suppressed the excitement and replied to her text with trembling fingers.

"This is an extremely fantastic idea, chief! Why couldn't I think of it? You're way too intelligent, chief!" "That's enough with the flattery! I'll consider myself lucky if you can work with me and dispel Ivor's suspicion!" She rolled her eyes as she texted.

'I can't believe I have to clean up Collin's messes. What the hell is this?

'Ivor was already suspecting me. Good on Collin on making things worse for me.'

Then, Collin sent her an embarrassed emoticon before texting her, "You can count on me, chief. This time, I'm going to follow your instructions to the letter! I swear, I won't stir up more trouble for you!"

"Great..." The ellipsis in her text conveyed just how annoyed she was.

Both of them were still texting when Ivor started his quiz.

The first few questions were rather basic. So, Collin was able to answer them without Bonnie's help. Then, Ivor's questions became harder. However, it just so happened that Collin had learned about them with her. So, he managed to handle them by himself, too.

Ivor had tested Collin with several questions, and the latter was able to answer all of them. Moreover, Collin got all of them right. There was no room for Ivor to nitpick, either.

Ivor didn't have extensive knowledge of scientific research, either. All the questions he formulated were based on the documents he saw Bonnie reading all the time.

His initial purpose for probing Collin was to make sure if the guy was really a researcher at her institute. He was also worried that Bonnie was elsewhere and tried to use Collin as an alibi.

Now that Collin was able to get every question right, his suspicion faded for the time being.

 

Chapter 1193

The more Ivor spoke to Collin, the more he found his voice familiar. But for the life of him, he couldn't recall where exactly he had heard it.

Realizing that Collin had successfully answered all of Ivor's questions, Bonnie felt a weight lifted.

She made fun of him. "Is this why you're calling me? I mean, did you call me to chat with me or my new researcher? Should I just give Allen's number to you so you could have some alone time?"Chapter

Ivor explained hurriedly, "I called you to chat with you, Bonnie."

"Really?" A hint of mischief flashed in her eyes. "So, why do I feel like you spent more time chatting with Allen?"

"Well, that's because you rarely tell me about what's going on in your life. So, I have to ask other people how you've been doing." Ivor made up a great excuse for him to keep probing around. He was lying with a straight face.

She saw through him, but she didn't put him on the spot.

"Well, you guys don't have to get along so well. The way I see it, you guys are having such a good chat that you've forgotten about me." She deliberately distracted him so he'd forget about probing her altogether. Ivor scoffed. "Listen to yourself, Bonnie. Are you getting jealous? Do you find it distasteful that I'm hitting it off with someone else?"

'What a narcissistic man!' Bonnie rolled her eyes. She might've chastised him internally, but she went along with him and continued the conversation.

"What's there to be jealous about? However, it's been such a long time since we've seen each other. You can't deny that the moment you did call me, you got along with someone else so well..."

She trailed off in silence on purpose and succeeded in making him feel guilty.

'This is the first time in a long time I'm calling her, and yet I interrogated her. I've handled it poorly.'

"I'm sorry, Bonnie. I'm going to stop chatting with Allen, then. Let us have a good chat, instead."

That was when she knew she had successfully diverted the topic. Letting out a sigh of relief internally, she said, "Is this the part where you're trying to soothe me? Shouldn't you have done this earlier?"

He smiled and said, "I'm sorry. It's all my fault."

Bonnie was aware she shouldn't press further, so she dropped the matter and said something else, "How did it go with your collaboration? What time do you think you'll return to Pyralis?"

Ivor's lips curled into a grin as affection filled his eyes. "What's the matter? Are you missing me already?" "Would you please cut it with that crap? Why can't you just answer my question?"

'I need to know when he's going back to Pyralis, so I can speed things up with Billy and fly back home before he does.

'With that said, I've been away from Ivor for such a long time now. I do miss him a little. I'd be lying if I said I didn't look forward to wrapping up the stuff about the chip and reuniting with him.

'I'm going to make sure I stay with him for a good chunk of time and make up for the time we've been apart from each other."

 

Chapter 1194

"I have to know the purpose of your question before I can give you an answer." Ivor's tone carried a hint of humor.

Bonnie rolled her eyes again and said, "There you go with your smart mouth again. Are you going to tell me? I'm going to hang up now if you don't."

"Don't hang up, Bonnie."

Ivor was worried that she might end the call for real and stopped her at once. It had been so long since he heard her voice. Naturally, he wanted to talk to her longer.

She pretended to be upset. "Well, you're the one not answering my question."

Rubbing his eyebrows, he sighed helplessly. "Things got a little complicated here. So, I have no idea how much longer it's going to take until I can go back to Pyralis and be with you."

She could hear the helplessness in his voice. A hint of concern flashed in her eyes. "Didn't you say you ran into some tricky issues? Are you still struggling with the same problem? Just lay it on me, and I'll see if I can help you."

'I know I'm in Yale right now, but I have a vast, strong social network. All he has to do is ask for my help, and I'll use every connection at my disposal to resolve the issue he's facing!'

"It's okay, Bonnie. I can handle it myself." Ivor heard the concern in her voice and felt a warmth rising in his chest.

"It is indeed a tricky issue, but it's not a big deal. It's just that I have to spend more time to deal with it. All I have to do now is wait for the perfect opportunity and the issue will be resolved."

'Technically, this isn't a lie. All I have to do now is wait for Mr. Boyd to infiltrate Billy's organization and get the chip. Then, it'll be our turn to move in and back him up.

'Once he got the chip, the whole thing will be over. Then, I'll be able to fly back to Pyralis to keep Bonnie company. As for how long it's going to take... Well, I'm not too sure about that. All I can do now is wait for Mr. Boyd's update.'

"Are you serious?" Bonnie frowned. "Don't try to pull one over on me! You're done for if I find out that you lied to me!"

He turned his head and coughed uneasily, a hint of guilt flashed in his eyes.

"Ahern. You overestimated me, Bonnie. Do you think I dare to fool you?"

She spoke sarcastically, "Heh... Are you forgetting that you've lied to me on numerous occasions?"

Ivor didn't know what to say. After a brief moment, he tried to defend himself, "I've only lied to you sometimes because I'm trying to protect you."

"What a bunch of crap." Bonnie didn't intend to waste more time on him. "It's fine if you don't want to tell me about it now. However, I want to know about it if you run into any danger. Are you safe right now?"

He responded confidently, "I'm perfectly safe right now. I assure you that I won't run into any dangers!" He relaxed his tone when he spoke next, "I'm only on a work trip. So, these are just squabbles with my colleagues. It won't come close to any life-threatening situations. You don't have to worry about me, Bonnie."

"It's hard to predict what people think. You're so far from home, too. It pays to tread more carefully. You

can't afford to be careless, Ivor." She could tell that he was safe from his confident tone.

However, she still felt a little worried. So, she couldn't help but remind him of it again.

"You got it, Bonnie. I'll stay safe. You also must take good care of yourself back home. Wait for me. I'll be home before you know it." Ivor's tone was filled with affection as he spoke.

'How I wish I could fly back to her side and give her a big hug. However, I can't do that with my current circumstances.Chapter

'All I can do is wait..."

 

Chapter 1195

"I know that. You, too. Stay safe and take good care of yourself." Bonnie couldn't quite grasp it, but she was experiencing this sadness out of nowhere.

'If only Ivor is by my side now...'

She knew with perfect clarity that she missed him very much.

'This only means I have to speed things up with Billy and the chip, so I can take a flight back to Pyralis as soon as possible.'

"Alright. I'll keep that in mind." Ivor responded.

All of a sudden, he didn't know what he should say to her. After all, his thoughts couldn't be conveyed through the phone.

Sometimes, a hug speaks more than a thousand words.

Bonnie had no idea what to say to him, either. Both of them fell into silence and didn't utter a single word for a long time.

In the end, she broke the silence. "Um... You have to wrap up your work as fast as you can. I'll be waiting for you here at Pyralis. I'm needed at my research institute now, though. So, I'm going to hang up,"Chapter

She checked her watch and realized that it was about time for dinner.

Bonnie was aware that Billy had disguised his test as a dinner. However, she still couldn't figure out how he would test her.

She had to make some preparations nonetheless. Otherwise, she just might fall into Billy's traps.

"Are you hanging up so soon?" Ivor sighed heavily.

"Listen to yourself. You're making it sound as if we're not going to meet again! Come on. We're just away from each other for the time being.

"If you miss me that much, you can focus on wrapping up your work as soon as you can. Like I said, I'm waiting for you at Pyralis. I'm not going anywhere!"

Bonnie felt guilty about what she said. That's because she was bogged down with a tricky issue herself, and she wasn't close to resolving it.

However, she had to comfort Ivor.

"Alright! I'll try to solve my issues here and come back home as fast as I can." Ivor responded. He thought he'd have a word with Mr. Boyd to move faster with the plan.

He was about to say something to Bonnie, but he heard the beeping sound from the other end of the phone. She had hung up the call.

He called her again, but she didn't answer it. He proceeded to call her several times more, but he still received no answer.

Ivor frowned at the lack of response.

'If Bonnie were in her research institute, she would not have abruptly hung up the phone and refused to answer my call.

'The way that she ended the call, it almost felt like she was worried someone would overhear our

conversation. What on earth is going on here?"

The longer Ivor thought about it, the gloomier his expression became.

Floyd saw it and couldn't help but comfort his boss, "I think Ms. Bonnie needs to handle some emergency, Mr. Ivor. Let's calm down and wait for a minute."

Ivor's frown grew deeper at what he said. Lowering his inexplicable gaze, he began to contemplate the situation.

"Say... Is it possible that Bonnie isn't in her research institute? Perhaps she's somewhere else?"

 

Chapter 1196

"Is that even possible? Where else could Ms. Bonnie go other than her research institute?" Floyd didn't think it was likely at all. "Don't you think she ended the call abruptly because there's an emergency at her institute?"

"She might've been occupied with her work at the research institute, but she wouldn't be so busy that she couldn't pick up my call." He pursed his lips, looking displeased. "Now, she even hung up my call abruptly. This has never happened before."

Floyd looked at Ivor's gloomy expression and said, "Think about it, Mr. Ivor. Ms. Bonnie is the world-renowned Ms. Bonita. She's the backbone of her research institute.

"She even has a new researcher now. Her attention and presence are required all over the research institute. Isn't it normal for her to hang up on you abruptly?

"You saw with your own eyes how she was back at Pyralis. The moment she started working, she'd lock herself in the research lab for days on end. She'd even forget about having meals sometimes. "So, I'm sure that she was simply too busy. You should stop overthinking it, Mr. Ivor."

Ivor was still feeling quite skeptical about the whole thing, but he had to admit that Floyd was making a solid point.

'After all, Bonnie throws her heart and soul into her work. She'd even forget about eating and sleeping. Nothing could distract her.

'It's common for her to be this busy at work. For that matter, I've always been supportive of her, too. It's just that I had a strong feeling ever since I came to Yale. It's telling me that Bonnie is probably not in Pyralis.

'Is it possible that we've been away from each other for too long? Is that why I feel insecure and begin to read too much into things?'

Meanwhile, Floyd thought Ivor was forgetting something. He reminded him, "Moreover, you're not where you told Ms. Bonnie. You're in Yale instead. What if you're showing too much eagerness to see her? "Haven't you thought that she might fly over to where your alleged work trip is and give you a surprise as soon as she was done with her project at the research institute?"

Ivor frowned and fell into deep thought.

"I was thinking about Bonnie so much that I forgot about my situation. Mr. Boyd has infiltrated Billy's organization. He needs me and the Dark Knight to back him up at any given moment. That means I can't leave Yale, either."

"That's right, Mr. Ivor. Again, think about it. You're the one who's lying to Ms. Bonnie right now. What if she ended up learning about the truth as well as the way you've been probing her?"

Floyd imagined how pissed off she would be as he spoke. He couldn't help but have goosebumps.

"It's not that hard to imagine how she'd react."

"That's enough." Ivor rubbed his eyebrows and felt a headache coming up. "Stop speaking. I know all about it."

"My point is, you know Ms. Bonnienoveldrama

better than do, Mr. Ivor. So, it's up to you how you want to deal with it Floyd knew that both of them had a very good relationship. The last thing he wanted was for this incident to unravel it.

"Okay," Ivor responded dryly and he rubbed his brow again. Obviously, this was an extremely tricky issue for him.

He remained silent for a brief

moment. Then, something occurred

to him, and he looked at Floyd

before asking, "Say, Floyd. Do you

remember me talking to a guy

named Allen earlier? Do you find his

votee a little familiar?"

"Allen?" Floyd cast his mind back and said, "His voice did sound a little familiar, but I couldn't put my finger on it when I heard it."

"I also think he sounded familiar, but

I can't figure out where I've heard it, either." Ivor, frowned and startedì searching in his memories. Be that as it may, he couldn't pinpoint the exact time when he heard Collin's votee. .

It felt so familiar, but, for the life of him, he just couldn't recall it.

'How weird. This has never happened in my entire life. I should have had some sort of recollection if I've heard his voice before. However, my mind drew a blank when I tried to actually recall it. 'What on earth is going on here...?'

Bonnie was still in the middle of her phone call with Ivor when Francesco showed up out of nowhere and knocked on her door.

"Are you in there, Barrett?"

 

Chapter 1197

'How is it that people get in my way every time I talk to Ivor on the phone?'

Her delicate brows furrowed, and her eyes filled with displeasure. She was irritated that someone interrupted her phone call, but she thought about where she was and put down her phone. Walking over, she opened the door and asked, "What is it?"

Francesco came to fetch Bonnie with a smile. However, he was shocked immediately when he sensed the coldness coming off of her. "U-Um... Barrett... Well..."

She grew more impatient when she heard him stammering. "Out with it."

He was so intimidated that he took a step back.

"Um... Mr. Billy wants to ask you if there's any food we should stay away from. Perhaps you can give us a list of the food you want to eat so he could ask the kitchen to make it."

Although Francesco was a little suspicious of the sudden, imposing aura Bonnie was emanating, he knew Billy valued her highly. So, he didn't dare show her any disrespect.

He made a mental note that he'd tell his boss about it when he got back. Billy could decide what to make of it.

"I can eat anything. Just tell Billy he can ask the kitchen to make anything." She said.

Then, she couldn't help but squint when she saw that Francesco was still standing there. "Is there anything else?"

He was stunned for a while before

he

S head and respondedet

all. I'm going to report this

to Mr. Billy now."

"Okay." She responded dryly and watched as Francesco left. Her lips curled into a mysterious grin.

In fact, there was another reason why she displayed some impatience toward him, aside from interrupting her call with Ivor.

More importantly, she did it for Billy.

'Now that he gradually values me, I know that he definitely won't like it if I'm too polite and submissive.

'I demonstrated a small part of my aggression, so Billy would know that I'm not someone who will let people walk all over me. If my assumptions are correct, Francesco is going to report the way I've acted to Billy.

'Not only would Billy not reprimand me, but he'd come to admire me more.'Chapter

On the other side, Francesco had just told his leader everything.

He had talked for a long time, thinking that Billy might be upset and show some displeasure, at least.

However, Billy's reaction shocked his henchman.

He laughed throatily. There was no sign of anger or displeasure on his face. On the contrary, he was very delighted, as if he had just heard something worth celebrating for.

 

Chapter 1198

Francesco was stunned. He hadn't the foggiest clue about what was happening.

'Billy should've angrily summoned Bonnie and given her hell for acting so arrogantly. So, why is he not upset at all?'

Scratching the back of his head, Francesco asked, puzzled, "What are you laughing at, Mr. Billy? A-Aren't you supposed to be angry?"

"Angry?" Billy wiped the smile off his face and looked at Francesco. "Why should I be angry?"Chapter

"Well..." Francesco monitored his leader's expression carefully. He hesitated for a brief moment before saying, "Didn't Barrett start acting cockily not long after he's got your stamp of approval? I-If you don't teach him a lesson now, he'll continue to do and say whatever he wants-"

Before he could finish his sentence, Billy cut him off.

"Why are you saying that he's acting cockily? Is this because he spoke rudely to you? Are you jealous of Barrett because I like him?"

Francesco saw his leader's menacing expression and felt sweat drenching the back of his body. He was stuttering when he spoke again.

"T-That's not what I mean, Mr. Billy. I-I'm just worried that Barrett might dismiss your authority in the future."

Billy snorted coldly. "Do you think I'm a fool? What makes you think this is something you need to worry about?"

Francesco had no idea what he said wrong, but he could sense that Barrett was Billy's favorite. So, he didn't dare to say more on the subject. Instead, he hung his head.

Billy saw it and knitted his brows tightly.

"Raise your freaking head!"

He spoke furiously and scared Francesco witless. The latter couldn't help but tremble.

Then, Francesco gulped heavily before mustering up the courage to raise his head slowly. "I-Is there anything you need, Mr. Billy?"

Billy's frown grew deeper when he saw that Francesco still looked puzzled. "Do you seriously have no idea what you did wrong?"

Francesco gave it a long thought, but, for the life of him, he couldn't figure out what he had done wrong. Then, he looked at Billy and shook his head. "I-I'm not sure if I get it."

"You're such a moron, Francesco! It would take a miracle for you to see it!" Billy glared at him, the disdain in his expression was unmistakable.

It took Francesco to raise his head earlier. Now, however, he lowered it again.

Billy shook his head. He might've found Francesco in disdain, but the man had worked for him for a long time. So, he proceeded to explain it to him.

"Barrett is highly intelligent. He also knows how to read the situation and react accordingly. He's aware that he's got my stamp of approval. That's why he started treating you differently.

"This is his way of testing me. He wanted to find out just how much I valued him. More importantly, he wants to know if I value him more than I do you." Francesco frowned. He was about to say something when he heard Billy's voice again.

"Not only does he know how to

perceive the human mind, but he also knows how to use it to his advantage. He's truly meant to do big things! After all, have you ever someone submissive do incredible things? Are people who grovel destined for greatness?"

Francesco still didn't quite get it.

"You say that, Mr. Billy, but he appeared to be very grateful to you. Then, out of nowhere, he started acting cockily... It feels more like he

couldn't keep up the pretensee

anymore and his true colors are starting to shine."

 

Chapter 1199

'That's not all of it, either. Barrett is also emanating this imposing aura in the most natural way that it tells me we're not in the same league as he is,' Francesco thought to himself.

Billy thought that Francesco was beyond help. He had made it crystal clear, and yet the latter still didn't get it. "Why don't you tell me, then? Aside from this, what else do you see in Barrett that's unusual?" Francesco gave it a long thought and shook his head gently. "I don't think there is."

"What's the problem, then? Barrett is at a stage in his life where he'll start showing some sharp talents and act cocky for it. This also tells us that he's treating the people in our organization as one of his own. "Otherwise, he would've treated you with politeness and formality. Why else did you think she treated you that harshly?" Billy said and thought to himself,

'I've literally spelled it out for him. He has to get it now!'

Francesco pondered it and thought his leader was making a fine point. However, he still had a subtle feeling that something was wrong.

"But-"

Before he could finish, Billy cut him off impatiently. "That's enough! I won't comment further on the subject. If you get it, great. If you don't, then we're done here! Also, don't bother me with such trivial matters in the future."

What Billy said clearly reflected his disdain for Francesco for being the moron that he was.

'How am I not supposed to be frustrated with him? He has worked for me for a long time, and yet he hasn't learned a single thing. He's not even half as smart as Barrett is!

Billy was even more sure of himself now. He was going to groom Barrett as his second-in-command.

'Needless to say, I have some extremely capable henchmen in my organization, but none of them are anywhere close to Barrett.

'If I could win his loyalty and get him to work for me with all his heart and soul, I'm sure Barrett will help me rule over the rest of the international organizations. He'd become my extremely capable assistant! "Understood, Mr. Billy. I won't tell you anything that isn't worth your time in the future."

Flat out of options, Francesco went along with what Billy said.

Billy relaxed a little. "Alright. Get back to your work. You don't have to worry about the other stuff."

Francesco nodded in response. "Understood, Mr. Billy."

Everything went as Bonnie had predicted.

She had emanated her authoritative aura as well as treated Francesco harshly. All of these had made Billy like her even more than he already did.Chapter

With all of these in mind, it would've been a piece of cake for her to get her hands on the chip.

Needless to

say,

she had no idea

what went down exactly after

Francesco reported it to Billy.

However, Billy didn't send anyone to her room after that. That gave her a pretty good picture of what

O

happened.

To put it short, everything was going according to Bonnie's expectations. So, she wasn't worried about it one bit.

Bonnie went over to lock the door before giving Collin a call.

Once the call connected, she heard Collin's anxious voice over the phone. "Why did you hang up the phone all of a sudden, chief? Ivor went on to call you several times

after that, but I didn't dare answer them.

UM

"Do you think ending the call abruptly and not answering his subsequent calls would rouse his suspicion more?"

Bonnie rubbed her brow, a hint of exhaustion could be seen in her expression.

"There's nothing we can do about it.

All we can do is think on our feet It'll

be best if we can dispel his

suspicion. If we can't, however, then we'll just have to think of another way."

 

Chapter 1200

Collin could hear the exhaustion in Bonnie's tone and couldn't help but worry about her.

"It must've been very tiring, chief. You have to keep your guard up against Billy and prevent them from finding out about you.

"At the same time, you have to soothe Ivor and make him think that you're in Pyralis. I would love to help you with some of your issues if I could, but I'm not capable enough to do it." 'Chief used to help me so many times when I was facing difficulties. Now, however, I am powerless to help her when she's in a pinch. This is an awful feeling to have.'

"I don't feel overwhelmed or anything." Bonnie let out a sigh of relief. "I just hope everything will run smoothly in the end."

Collin comforted her, "I know they will, chief."

"Mm-hmm." Bonnie responded faintly, "Dial Ivor's number with my phone now. I'll explain it to him."

She might've seemed calm, but her hand was covered in sweat.

'The truth is, I was a little panicked when I met with this kind of emergency. I wonder if Ivor would interrogate me the same way he did earlier.

'It's not a big deal if he did. What matters is that I can trick him and keep all of this a secret again. Nothing else matters.'

"Alright," Collin responded. Then, he took her phone and called Ivor again.

It took Ivor less than a second to pick up the phone. Then, both of them heard his charming voice from the other end of the phone.

"Why did you hang up all of a sudden, Bonnie? I gave you several calls, but you didn't answer me, either. Did something happen at your research institute?"

She had been racking her brain to come up with an excuse that would help her keep the whole thing a secret. Now that she heard what he said, a sparkle flashed in her eyes. Then, she played along.

"Y-Yeah. There was a minor accident during the research. The new guy mixed up the reagent and used the wrong one. He very nearly ruined the entire research. It took everything I had to save it."

Then, she faked a weary sigh. "Looks like I can't let them participate in the research if they're not sufficiently trained. Otherwise, they might undo everything I've worked for."

Ivor heard what she said and recalled what Toby told him. "If memory serves me right, Toby said this is a huge project. Why would you let an amateur participate in this research?"

A hint of guilt flashed in her eyes, then she covered her mouth and coughed a little before saying,Chapter

"You're right. It's important research.

It's a brand new challenge to me as well as my researchers. I thought I'd bring the new researchers into the institute and train them on the job. I didn't expect them to make such a blunder!"

At first, Ivor found the whole thing strange. Now that he heard her explanation, he immediately understood what had happened.

"So, that's what it is. This is quite a

ovel.net

serious issue you're having here. Just make them observe you the next time you conduct an experiment. Don't let them participate in it until they're sufficiently proficient. Otherwise, they might botch the research you've painstakingly built up."

She nodded in approval. "You're speaking my mind, Ivor."

"I'm sorry, Bonnie. I shouldn't have questioned you earlier." Ivor had thought about what Collin said and reflected on his mistake while he waited by the phone.

"You're right. If I want to meet you as soon as possible, I should hurry up and finish my work so I can return to Pyralis and be with you. That'll reduce a lot of suspicion between us."