Chapter 1224

Roxanne's heart wavered after hearing Lucian's words, but his tone struck her as odd. He suspected Jack, but the last sentence puzzled her. A sudden realization dawned, and surprise flickered across her eyes. Lucian had previously lost his temper over her closeness to Jack; this time, his anger likely stemmed from her defense of him. Could it be… jealousy?

The thought startled her. She glanced uneasily at Lucian, then quickly looked away. The idea of Lucian feeling jealousy seemed impossible. Yet, the thought persisted, rooting itself in her mind, preventing her from meeting his gaze.

Her breath hitched. "Although I don't know Jack well," she said, "I find no reason to doubt him, especially as he's the project leader."

Lucian responded with a soft snort, seemingly satisfied. After a moment's hesitation, Roxanne decided, "Since we disagree, let the evidence speak for itself. What do you think of my suggestion, Mr. Farwell?"

Seeing Roxanne's reluctance to doubt Jack, yet her willingness to compromise, Lucian's anger subsided slightly. "Fine," he conceded. "I'll show you the evidence, so you can see what kind of person he really is."

Roxanne nodded. "The truth is all I want. I'll inform Dr. Galloway to give you free rein to investigate."

Lucian agreed silently. An agreement had been reached.

Roxanne immediately called Colby. He answered after a while, his voice apologetic and strained. "Dr. Jarvis, how are you? I'm sorry, I should have visited, but I had no idea where Mr. Farwell took you."

Roxanne subconsciously glanced at Lucian. She knew he'd brought her to the hospital, but everything before and after her unconsciousness remained a blur. Colby's words suggested Lucian had acted improperly.

Lucian frowned but offered no explanation, deeming it unnecessary. Roxanne retracted her gaze and said to Colby, "I'm fine now, thank you for your concern, Dr. Galloway."

Colby's guilt remained evident. "Yesterday was so sudden. Several researchers were affected. I've been so busy I forgot to call—my apologies…"

Roxanne pictured the chaos at the institute after her collapse, the toxic gas leak, and potential poisonings. With her in a coma, Colby must have been overwhelmed, cleaning up the mess alone.

"I'm sorry," she said apologetically. "I was careless and caused you trouble."