Max pulled out his phone and dialed Jessica's number. His eyes lingered on her contact name, heart still hesitant for a moment.
However, he eventually overcame his anxiety and pressed the call button.
He pressed the phone to his ear, hearing the ringtone echo through the speaker.
"Hello!" A cheerful feminine voice resounded through the network unfamiliar to him, belonging to some young woman, perhaps around Jessica's age. Her voice was light, warm, and pleasant.
"Yes, is Jess there?" Max asked, perturbed. He looked over the contact once again, checking whether he somehow dialed the wrong person.
"Hm... Jess? …Ah!" the woman exclaimed. "Is it Max?" she asked with apparent exhilaration.
"Jess! The call you were waiting for is here!" Max heard the woman yell aloud. "Your dream prince called — come fast!"
Max tilted his head. He definitely heard something outrageous just now. Maybe his head was still not fully in order. He sighed in self-deprecation.
"Trish, what the hell are you doing?" This time, he certainly heard Jessica loud and clear. The other woman yelped as Jessica snapped, "Give that to me."
"Yeah, yeah… whatever, don't make others jealous," the woman murmured teasingly.
Huff!
Max heard Jessica breathing heavily. With a long inhale, she answered the call, "Hello, Max. How are you?" Her pace was quick and hasty, as if hiding her inner emotions.
Max chuckled awkwardly. "Yeah, I'm fine. What about you? Who was that, by the way?"
"Oh, that?" Jessica tried to deflect the topic, brushing it off casually. "That's just my sister, Trish. Don't take her seriously, she utters anything."
Her tone sounded more like she was making excuses, but Max brushed them aside.
His focus shifted briefly to the name: Trish.
'Isn't that Trish Walker, the future superhero Hellcat?' he mused inwardly.
'Should I also recruit her? But her powers came later through some experiment... Let's not dwell on her for now. She's different from Jessica. Maybe I'll decide when I meet her someday. Either way, Jessica is more powerful with better potential.'
He quelled his surfacing thoughts and apologised, "By the way, sorry for not calling sooner. I was kind of busy with something. Can we meet? I visited Aunt Grey's café, but it was closed."
"Yeah... Aunt Grey left, and the café's been sold," Jessica muttered dejectedly. Her eyes briefly dimmed up but soon relaxed again. "Yes, let's meet."
Max smiled, and both of them decided on a venue for the meeting before ending the call.
Back in his office, sitting in his chair, Max pulled out various documents regarding Cell Labs and spread them across his desk, skimming through them thoroughly.
Now that he truly owned Cell Labs, he could go through organizational documents, research papers, and project files in more detail.
Although not much was new, he had to read whatever these books contained.
Some files outlined recent projects and their completion status, lists of scientists, and details of every hired member along with their qualifications; all of which Max had already reviewed beforehand through Victor.
Still, a few more details were added like how much funding was spent on each project and what outcomes were achieved. Nothing too groundbreaking, but useful nonetheless.
Aside from the research team, Cell Labs also had a few administration staff. He decided to retain them until he recruited more capable employees.
Setting the files aside, he breathed out a long sigh. "These guys are a mess," he muttered, shaking his head.
"Let's visit Jess first, and then focus on the T-virus. I have to initiate the first official project of Knight Bioworks, and also assign tasks to the research team. Otherwise, this biotech company will keep sucking up money in salaries and administration costs without generating any sales revenue. At least with solid research, we can secure grants, subsidies, and patent rights to boost valuation."
He laid out his next steps in his mind. While mulling he checked the time and rushed out.
His car sped across the roads, gliding toward his destination, cleaving through the rushing wind as Max focused ahead. Soon, he arrived at the venue Jessica had mentioned.
After parking the car, he stepped into the restaurant. He glanced around and, finding a lone table, settled down, reading through the menu lying on the table.
A waitress, moved by his appearance, hurried over with visible excitement. "Sir, what would you like to have?" Her eyelashes fluttered as her eyes met his, a soft blush tinging her face.
"Thanks, but I'm waiting for someone," Max smiled politely. The waitress seemed slightly dejected but walked away after a few hopeful glances, secretly passing her contact to him.
Max shook his head and grinned to himself. 'A face like this is a must-have,' he thought, a soft chuckle escaping him.
"You seem to be enjoying yourself. Maybe I'm only intruding now," a voice suddenly reverberated above him, layered with mockery.
Max coughed awkwardly, slowly raising his head. His eyes landed on Jessica, donned in a leather jacket over a black top and jeans, her arms crossed, nose scrunched slightly, a crease forming between her brows.
Her narrowed eyes glared at him with a touch of playful fury.
He also noticed her gaze flickering toward the spot where the waitress had stood, more than once.
Ahem! Hopefully she didn't notice the contact.
He cleared his throat, forcing a smile. "I was waiting for you."
"Doesn't seem to be the case, though," Jessica replied, her eyes gleaming as she delivered a pointed accusation.
"Haha… I don't know what you mean. Don't tell me you're... jealous?" His attempt at teasing, paired with a smirk, only earned him a fierce glare and clenched fists which did genuinely terrify him for a brief moment.
Gradually, she took her seat with a dramatic huff, her nose raised in mock anger. Max could only sigh at her theatrics, a lopsided smile tugging at his lips.
….
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