chapter764

The door swung open and someone stepped inside. He was tall and lean, carrying himself with the quiet confidence of someone who never needed to ask for attention. The delicate silver frames of his glasses rested perfectly on his nose, giving him that unmistakable air of intelligence. Behind the lenses, his eyes were deep and bright, as if he had a whole galaxy tucked away just for himself. There was something still and wise about his gaze, like he'd seen it all and wasn't impressed by much anymore.

His lips were soft and pink, always turned up in the faintest, most inviting smile, the kind that felt like spring sunlight after a long winter. Messy bangs fell across his forehead and danced every time he moved, making him look even more alive. He wore a crisp, white shirt that fit just right, the top button undone so you could glimpse a bit of his slender neck. The whole look was clean, a little scholarly, but still undeniably handsome. He was the kind of guy who made people stop and stare

without even trying.

Luke's eyes darted straight to Connor. It was exactly what he'd expected. The second Connor saw the newcomer, his whole face clouded over. He looked seconds away from marching up and demanding, "Who are you supposed to be?"

The new guy paused for just a moment when he noticed Connor and Luke, but then his face lit up as he called out, "Lydia, you're back!" His voice was light, warm, genuinely happy.

Lydia nodded and turned toward Connor and Luke, mostly for Connor's sake. She knew if she didn't explain, he'd probably tear the place apart. "This is Neal, one of my students. He's an academician at the National Academy of Sciences, specializes in psychiatry and sleep medicine."

Connor's glare lost some of its bite, but only just. Neal looked too put-together, too good-looking, and he had something Connor didn't iris access to Lydia's villa. Even as her fianc , Connor didn't have that. The unfairness stung.

Neal seemed to pick up on the tension. He gave Connor a polite nod. "Nice to meet you, Mr. Jefferson."

Connor's frown deepened. He nodded back, his tone stiff. "Yeah. Hi."

Luke was still processing. Neal, an academician? Was this the same Neal he'd read about online? The current director of Capital Sixth Hospital, the leader of a major national research team, the guy whose work on mental health and sleep disorders was basically rewriting textbooks. Luke had only heard of him because he'd been searching for help with his own mental health lately, and Neal's name kept popping up. He'd never pictured him as someone so young, maybe Connor's age, tops.

But what really threw Luke was how this superstar scientist was his sister's student. Was he hearing that right?

Before he could wrap his head around it, Marshmellow came bouncing over, all cheerful, and called out, "Welcome home, Neal!"

Connor's jaw clenched. So even the house robot thought Neal was the man of the house now?

Neal crouched down, giving Marshmellow's head a gentle tap, just like Lydia always did. "Good boy, Marshmellow."

Then Neal turned to Lydia, voice soft and respectful. "I haven't gotten very far with the virus you asked me to study Now that you're back, could you take a look and give me some advice?"

Lydia nodded. "Of course. Go ahead and get started.

Neal smiled, gave Connor and Luke another polite nod, and headed.off toward

elab, disappearing down

the hallway as if he belonged there.