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I looked up and smiled. “Good evening.”

A moment passed before he asked, “Did you enjoy it?”

“Very much.” I glanced at him. “Though I maintain they invited the wrong person. My analysis of soprano technique is limited to whether something moves me. It is very unscientific.”

He laughed. “Some decisions require little data.”

His laugh was still unfamiliar enough to surprise me. I liked discovering that I could draw it from him.

“Which reminds me, I heard about Aurora’s breakthrough today,” he said.

I smiled. “It was a good day. Priya found the answer to a mystery we had been trying to solve for years.”

“I’d love to hear about it. In fact, I think we should have a weekly standing meeting to discuss the latest results and anything the project requires.”

I nodded. It was unusual for the Chairman to want to be so involved in a research project, but I had come to expect that Alexander was different. We walked on.

“I had one disappointment today,” I said eventually. “The collaboration with Julian was suspended. I was looking forward to where the work would lead.”

His stride changed for half a step, a brief hesitation before he matched mine again. It was small, but I had learned to notice the things Alexander tried not to show.

“I’m sorry,” he said quietly.

“It’s strange more than anything. I’m sure there’s a reasonable explanation.” I said that more to myself than to him.

“There usually is,” he answered.

He walked me to my door. When we reached it, I realized I had been hoping he would offer me his arm again.

“Good night, Emilia.”

“Good night.” I unlocked my suite and stepped inside. Alexander was still standing there when the door closed between us.

Chapter 14

Emilia

I stopped at the café before work and arrived carrying enough coffee and pastries for the entire team.

By the time I set the box in our conference room adjoining the lab, the smell of warm butter and fresh pastry had already begun pulling people away from their benches. Mateo claimed the first croissant while Priya poured coffee for whoever happened to be standing nearest to her. Conversation flowed naturally between science and everything else. I watched them for a moment before I helped myself to a cup.

There was something deeply satisfying about seeing intelligent people become hopeful. Yesterday had given the team an important answer, one that could explain why Aurora had produced better outcomes for patients.

The whiteboard was already filling with ideas people had thought of on their way to work. Someone was sketching a new trial design, while another was planning out a detailed experiment. Across the room, Priya was laughing at something Mateo had said, her expression lighter than I had seen in months.

I lingered in the doorway for another moment, then picked up my coffee and walked into my office.

Alexander appeared at the laboratory door mid-morning. He caught my eye across the room and inclined his head almost imperceptibly, asking permission without saying a word. I went to meet him.

“I hope I’m not interrupting,” he said.

“We’re reviewing the data. Interruption is welcome.” I held the door open. “Come in.”

Mateo looked up from his workstation, then back down. Priya maintained a professionally neutral expression on her face, which meant she was privately delighted. I wondered if both were thinking about ghosts with exceptional bone structure. I fought back a laugh.

I took Alexander to the central workstation and pulled up the overnight data.

“For years, we have known that Aurora worked better than similar drugs. We just didn’t know why.”