Dumping Him for His Uncle (Natasha and Zachary)

"You're both from the Bradley family. Why do you have to keep rubbing salt in each other's wounds?"

Molly was completely confused, though she had never taken the time to understand the real relationship between Natasha and Nicole.

"We're all adults here. If we've made a mistake, we need to take responsibility for

it. Nicole, if you're unhappy about the decision, you can do something to prove yourself instead of causing a scene," Natasha said.

Her words made sense, and even Molly had to admit that. But standing on different sides of the argument, Natasha's words inevitably sounded harsh.

She added, "By the way, you graduated from the same school as me because you insisted on attending the same university. I remember just how much it cost back then."

Natasha tapped her chin, pretending to think.

Nicole was now the picture of panic, rushing forward as if to stop her from speaking.

It was the first time Molly had heard about this, and her face stiffened.noveldrama

But to Molly, everything Natasha said only seemed full of malice, and her impression of her dropped even further.

"The manager of the project has the authority to decide who stays," a deep voice said from the doorway.

Zachary entered as if on cue, Vincent following closely behind him.

Clearly, things had escalated enough to draw Vincent's attention.

Vincent shot Nancy a look full of disappointment. He couldn't bring himself to be too harsh with Nicole. After all, her engagement to Matthew was practically set in stone. He knew where his priorities lay.

"I believe Nicole has potential. With proper guidance, she could still improve," Vincent carefully said, trying to defend her.

She was part of the Foster family, after all. They couldn't just act on logic and disregard family ties.

But just as he finished his awkward defence, Zachary sighed.

"This lab isn't a playground. One mistake could cause irreversible damage. I won't repeat myself," he said sternly.

Across the room, Natasha shot Nicole a smug look.

Nicole clenched her fists in response, seething, then quickly stepped to Molly's side, hoping she'd defend her.

"If that's how it is, why don't we talk about transferring the project to me? Name your price," Molly said.

Natasha wasn't surprised. Money was power, and she never denied that fact herself. But Zachary's reaction was unexpected.

"Ms. Spencer, if you really understood what this project involved, you wouldn't make that offer so lightly," he said flatly.

The research was tied to animal vaccines. Every set of data they collected could mean life or death for millions of animals.

"Nicole is a kind-hearted girl. She would never treat this kind of work carelessly," Molly said firmly. She was absolutely certain, simply because Nicole had once saved her.

"Nicole? Kind-hearted? The animals she hurt when she was younger would say otherwise."

Natasha remembered clearly how Nicole had once pinned a sparrow's wings wide open, driving nails through them into a wooden board for sport.

"And you really believe she saved you?" Natasha added, unable to stand Nicole parading around on someone else's good deed.

"What are you implying?" Molly frowned, sensing something amiss. At this time, she didn't notice that Nicole was panicking, unsure of what to do.

"I mean, did you actually see who helped you when you were injured?"

Her words stirred a doubt within Molly that she had buried deep in her heart.

"Are you saying it was you, Nat?" Nicole cut in quickly, her voice sharp. "Don't start throwing around accusations if you don't have proof. Ms. Spencer is capable of making her own judgment."

Nicole's confidence gave Molly a bit of reassurance, and she turned a colder gaze on Natasha.

"I used to think you were just jealous of Nicole, but I didn't expect your character

to be this vile. It's no wonder the Bradley family keeps their distance from you," she said.

Her words hit a nerve with Natasha.