Chapter 101 Do Not Touch Her

At the sink, Lila turned on the faucet and let cold water run over her fingertips. She caught her reflection in the mirror at this moment, her eyes bright with barely contained excitement. She loved being in an academic setting, free of phony niceties. All that mattered was the collision of ideas and the drive to explore the unknown. This was the world she had been fighting to be part of. Here, she wasn't defined as someone's daughter or anyone's accessory. She was Layla Anderson, a researcher who'd earned her place. For the first time, she felt genuinely free and fulfilled. Just then, a shadow slid out of the corner. A familiar, hateful figure crept into view at the mirror's edge. Lila's smile stiffened, and she eased the faucet off. She turned and fixed Damian with an icy look, only to find him standing there in a waiter's uniform, looking ridiculous. She blinked, then scoffed. Her voice was flat as she said, "You really don't quit, do you? What are you after?" Damian swallowed