The sweet venom Chapter 44: 43

Read chapter 44 of The sweet venom by aspa201 on NovelPedia.

The laboratory was bathed in a pale light when Helia entered it that morning. At such an early hour, it was still deserted, just as she had expected. The familiar silence enveloped her at once. She set down her coat, tied back her hair mechanically, and moved toward her workbench to put on her lab coat. She then walked over to the central table to consult the day’s schedule, only to freeze when she noticed a presence. It was Cédric Belmont. She turned her head slightly, then again, as if to be certain she was not mistaken. He was indeed there. After weeks of carefully avoiding the laboratory at the same hours as her, of ignoring every letter she had sent, he had finally decided to return. He stood near one of the secondary benches, bent over a set of notes she recognised instantly: her notes. The ones she had left available for the improvement phase of the bait. "Good morning, Lord Belmont," she said in a neutral tone. "I did not expect to see you here again. I was beginning to wonder whether you were still working on the project." He barely lifted his head. "I am," he replied simply. The dryness of his voice took her aback, and she frowned slightly. His nonchalance irritated her at once. He had abandoned the project, ignored his responsibilities for weeks, and now returned as though nothing had happened, allowing himself to address her in that tone. "That is curious," she continued, stepping closer. "Because you ignored all my letters. And for the past three weeks, I have had to make the adjustments alone, the trials and the recalibrations as well." He snapped the folder shut and slowly raised his head. His gaze settled on her, hard, closed. "You managed very well without me. And besides, you are quite used to deciding things on your own, aren’t you ?" She stared at him, not understanding what he was implying. "Pardon?" "You knew perfectly well how to speak up when it suited you," he went on. "I assumed you would manage just as well without me." The tension rose sharply. "If you are referring to the imperial council," Helia replied more coldly, "I spoke because the situation required it. The project was at stake." "And so was I," he retorted at once. "You had made a mistake. You know that." He let out a short, humorless laugh. "A mistake you were quick to correct before the entire assembly." The reason he was so resentful finally made sens to her. "So, you resent me for that ?" she asked, still in thoughts. "But I prevented you from digging yourself in any deeper!" She finally added. "You humiliated me," he cut in. "And you know it perfectly well." Helia could understand that he might have felt humiliated. What she could not understand was why he held it against her so fiercely. She had genuinely believed he would see that she had intervened for the sake of the project, not to undermine him. Yet, despite herself, unease settled in. He was managing to place the weight of that humiliation squarely upon her shoulders. She lowered her gaze. "I only spoke because you were in difficulty," she said more softly. "You were panicking. I saw it." "Spare me your concern," he snapped. "In the end, it only benefited you. So do not pretend to care about my state of mind." Whatever remorse Helia had felt was instantly swept away, replaced by a burning anger. Once again, he was diverting the issue, pouring all his frustration onto her. "So what?" she said, her voice steady but firm. "Would you have preferred that I remain silent and allow the project to be discredited? That the imperial assembly doubt our work?" He took a step toward her. "You had no right to intervene. Not like that. You could have helped me salvage my part, and instead you just took over everything!" Helia had simply had enough at that moment; this man would have reproached her no matter how she had reacted. She let out a quiet sigh. "Whatever had happens, you had no right to disappear for weeks." she replied evenly. "This project is not a matter of wounded pride." "Do not