?


    The door was shut tight, not a whisper of sounding from inside.


    It suddenly dawned on Roseanne that she hadn''t seen Owen for quite a while.


    They used to leave their apartments around the same time, often bumping into each other. Recently, however, their paths hadn''t crossed at all.


    Perhaps Owen was just too swamped with work, practically living in hisb by now.


    Roseanne didn''t dwell on it too much.


    That evening, after spending some time at the library, she returned home around 8 PM.


    Just as she entered the building, a figure rushed by her-


    It was Owen, out for a night run.


    She quickly called out, "Professor-"


    But the man, as if he hadn''t heard her, kept running.


    Roseanne was puzzled. Maybe she had spoken too softly, or perhaps he was wearing earbuds?


    Changing into her jogging gear, Roseanne decided to head out for a run herself.


    Maybe she''d bump into Owen and ask him if he knew where to get a CPRT machine.


    Truth be told, when it came to purchasing equipment, Owen and Ms. Payne were the first two people that came to mind.


    Madeleine Payne had been under the weather recently, frequently visiting the hospital. Roseanne didn''t want to bother her.


    If word got out that she was looking to buy equipment on her own, it would reveal that Edna Moore''s team was monopolizing theb equipment, something they were desperately trying to keep under wraps.


    Given Ms. Payne''s fiery temper, she would probably storm out of the hospital to confront Edna and the department heads.


    But with the department clearly favoring Edna, Madeleine wouldn''t get far.


    All that hassle, and for what? It would just be bad for her health.


    So, contacting Owen seemed like the best option.


    However, for some reason, after sending him two messages and making a call, Roseanne got no reply.


    She guessed he was just too busy to check his phone.


    The only chance she had to talk to him was today.


    Originally, Roseanne had arranged to meet Corley for lunch the next day, but deep down, she preferred sourcing from Owen.


    She pondered why that was.


    Maybe it was because Owen, being so honest and gentlemanly, seemed more trustworthy than Corley, who was unpredictable and aggressive. Owen''s help didn''te with the pressure of owing him, unlike Corley...


    His intentions were too clear, too straightforward, making her hesitant.


    Following the usual route they both took for runs, Roseanne searched but found no sign of Owen.


    After anotherp with no luck and feeling quite worked out, she headed back upstairs.Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.


    Once home, she left her door slightly ajar.


    As she prepared rice and peeled


    yams, setting them in the cooker for


    a delicious porridge the next


    morning, she kept an ear out for any sound from next door.


    After waiting in vain and having


    cleaned up the kitchen, Roseanne et


    decided to knock directly, "Mr. Reynolds, are you there? I have a question for you."


    No response came.


    "Professor?"


    Still nothing.


    Could he have not returned? Or, had he left again?


    At theb-


    Stoddard''s eyes widened in surprise: "You''re back?"


    Owen simply replied, "Overtime."


    "But... you''ve been pulling


    all-nighters for three straight days You said you''d rest at home today. You left just a few hours ago, and now you''re back for more overtime?"


    Owen asked, "Is there a problem?"


    Stoddard sighed, "No problem for me, but I think you might have one."