Chapter 229 Late

Chapter 229: Chapter 229 Late

Daisy nodded.

Rafael studied her face for a moment.

"Are you sure you’re feeling okay? You can take the day off if you need to. After yesterday, I don’t think anyone would blame you for wanting some rest."

Daisy smiled at him and shook her head.

She was fine enough to work.

Besides, she had responsibilities at the laboratory and she didn’t want to fall behind on everything simply because her personal life had become complicated.

Rafael understood her answer.

"All right. But if you start feeling tired, don’t force yourself to keep working, okay?"

Daisy nodded gratefully.

Just then, Rafael’s car arrived at the entrance.

He glanced at it before looking back at her.

"I’m heading out too. Come with me and I’ll drop you off on the way."

Daisy’s eyes widened slightly.

She immediately began gesturing that he didn’t need to trouble himself and that she could manage on her own.

Rafael looked at her with a faint smile.

"Daisy, it’s fine. We’re going in the same direction and my driver is already here. There’s no point in you arranging another ride."

She hesitated for a moment before finally nodding.

"Good. Come on."

Rafael opened the car door for her, allowing her to get in first before settling into the seat beside her.

Once the car started moving, Daisy looked out of the window at the familiar streets passing by.

It felt strange to be leaving for work from a different house.

Yesterday morning, she had still been living at Evermont Mansion as Cedric’s wife. Today, she was staying with Alessio’s family, trying to adjust to a life she had never imagined for herself.

The change was so sudden that sometimes she almost forgot it had really happened.

Rafael glanced at her.

"By the way, if you need anything while you’re staying with us, just ask. Don’t feel like you have to manage everything yourself."

Daisy turned toward him.

She smiled warmly and gestured a small thank-you.

Rafael nodded, accepting her gratitude without making a big deal out of it.

Then he returned his attention to his phone, giving her the space to enjoy the ride.

Daisy leaned back against the seat, watching the scenery outside.

By the time Rafael’s car arrived at Krushh Parma, Daisy was running a little late.

She thanked Rafael with a smile before getting out of the car and adjusting the strap of her handbag on her shoulder. After checking that she had her phone and laboratory ID, she hurried toward the entrance.

She hadn’t even reached the reception area when a familiar voice stopped her.

"Miss Daisy!"

Daisy froze.

Mr. Higgins was standing near the corridor, his arms folded across his chest. His expression suggested that he had been waiting for an opportunity to complain about something, and Daisy immediately knew she was about to become his target.

"Do you know what time it is?" he asked, looking pointedly at the clock. "You are late."

Daisy lowered her head apologetically and gestured that she was sorry.

"Sorry? Is that all you have to say?"

He took a step closer.

Daisy instinctively moved back a little.

It wasn’t merely his words that made her uncomfortable. It was the way he looked at her that made her want to put more distance between them.

She had noticed his strange behavior before and she disliked being alone with him. Even when he was speaking about something as ordinary as work, there was something about his attention that made her uneasy.

Mr. Higgins continued looking at her.

"You young employees think you can come and go whenever you want. This is a professional laboratory, not—"

"Good morning, Mr. Higgins."

A familiar voice interrupted him from behind Daisy.

Rafael had just entered the building.

He walked toward them with his usual relaxed expression, one hand in his pocket. His arrival immediately changed the atmosphere.

Mr. Higgins stopped speaking.

Rafael glanced at Daisy before looking at the manager.

"Is there a problem?"

"Nothing important," Mr. Higgins replied quickly, straightening his brown suit. "I was simply reminding Miss Daisy about punctuality."

"Ah, I see."

Rafael nodded as though the explanation satisfied him.

"Well, I’m sure she understands. It won’t happen again, right?"

Daisy immediately nodded.

Rafael smiled at her before turning back to Mr. Higgins.

"Then I suppose everything is settled."

Mr. Higgins pressed his lips together.

"Yes. Of course."

The change in his behavior was so noticeable that Daisy almost wondered whether she had imagined his earlier irritation.

Only a moment ago, he had seemed ready to lecture her for the next ten minutes. Now, with Rafael standing beside her, he appeared eager to end the conversation.

"Good. Have a nice day, Mr. Higgins."

Rafael gave him a polite nod before gesturing for Daisy to go ahead.

Daisy followed him down the corridor, relieved to be away from the manager’s uncomfortable attention.

Once they were far enough away, Rafael glanced at her.

"Are you all right?"

Daisy looked at him, then nodded.

She didn’t want to make a big deal out of it, especially when he had already helped her.

Rafael studied her expression for a moment but didn’t press her for an explanation.

"All right. I’ll see you around, then."

Daisy smiled gratefully and gestured thank you once more.

He returned her smile before heading toward his own destination.

Daisy watched him leave for a second before turning toward the laboratory.

She was already late enough.

When she entered, she found Ace and the other members of the team occupied with their work. The familiar sight of laboratory equipment, neatly arranged materials and colleagues moving between their workstations helped her settle back into her usual routine.

Ace noticed her first.

"Daisy! You’re here."

He looked up from the notes in his hand.

"Good morning. We were just discussing the latest test results."

Daisy smiled and greeted him with a small wave.

Mona, who was checking something at the neighboring workstation, turned toward her as well.

"Good morning, Daisy!"

She smiled warmly before returning to her task.

Daisy placed her handbag in the designated area, changed into her laboratory coat and joined them at the workstation.

Ace moved a set of documents toward her.

"We’ve got a few things to review today. The previous formula still needs some adjustments, so we’ll be checking the results and discussing what to change next."

Daisy nodded attentively.

She had been worried that returning to work would feel difficult after everything that had happened but the familiar routine quickly occupied her thoughts.

There were results to examine, notes to review and experiments to work on.