Page 58 of Ivory Obsession

“Thanks. I know you’ve got a lot on your plate,” he said, offering a curt nod before moving away, his lab coat billowing slightly with the briskness of his departure.

I watched him go, the sense of disquiet growing. But there was no time to dwell on security breaches or vague threats lurking within lines of code. I had work to do, breakthroughs to chase, and a headache that showed no mercy. Pushing through the pain, I set off toward the lab, ready to lose myself in a world of data and discovery, where every answer led to more questions and the truth was often hidden in plain sight.

The sterile hum of the lab welcomed me, a familiar sanctuary against the chaos of the unknown. I slid into my routine, the motions grounding me until Ellie’s voice sliced through the focus I had fought so hard to maintain. I hadn’t even noticed or greeted her when she had come in.

“Jade, are you alright?” she asked, her brows knitting together in concern.

I paused, test tube in hand, and forced a smile. “Yeah, just a rough night,” I replied, trying to shake off the throb in my skull that seemed intent on crippling my thoughts.

“Oh, a date?”

“Yes,” I said. “El, he took me to this restaurant downtown in this high-rise and he’d rented the whole place out.”

Ellie’s eyebrows shot upwards, a mix of surprise and amusement in her warm brown eyes. “Well, someone’s gone all out,” she said, her tone teasing yet gentle.

I nodded, my lips curling into a small smile at the memory. “It was...incredible,” I admitted, before quickly adding, “But it was also overwhelming. I didn’t get much sleep.”

“Incredibly overwhelming as in good or bad?” Ellie asked the question carefully, her gaze now filled with concern rather than amusement.

“He made me come so many times,” I said in a whisper.

Her eyes widened in understanding, a hint of a smirk tugging at the corners of her mouth. “And that’s why you’re on edge,” she said, her tone shifting to one of gentle teasing. “No rest for the wicked, huh?”

I let out a soft chuckle, despite the ever-present ache in my head; leave it to Ellie to make light of such situations. I had always admired her ability to balance seriousness with levity.

“Well, that, the headache, and Edward Rodriguez. Dr. White said something about someone accessing the data in the middle of the night?”

Ellie set her pipettor down with a soft click and leaned against the bench, her eyes searching mine. “I heard about that.”

“Any idea who might want access to our data?” I asked, tracing the edge of the lab bench with my fingertips.

Ellie shrugged, her expression thoughtful. “Well, it could be an internal mistake, or perhaps a competitor trying to sneak a peek at our breakthroughs,” she offered.

The thought sent shivers down my spine. My work was more than just research; it was a piece of me. The thought of our discoveries being exploited...

“Or it could be something more sinister,” Ellie added, breaking into my thoughts as she studied my face.

“Oh, yeah. Someone broke here and heisted some data,” I said with a smirk. “That sounds totally plausible.”

One corner of Ellie’s mouth kicked up in a wry smile. “Well, you never know. We’re doing some groundbreaking stuff here,” she countered gently, her gaze never leaving mine. I could tell she was trying to lighten the mood, but her words stoked the unease that had been nagging at me all day.

I rubbed my temple, the headache suddenly getting worse.

“You okay, babe?” Ellie asked.

“Just a headache.”

“Again?” Ellie’s concern visibly deepened, her playful demeanor evaporating instantly. She reached out, placing a soft hand on my shoulder. “You had one like, last week. Thought it was a period thing.”

“Yeah, actually…I think I’m late,” I said. “I don’t know. I just haven’t been paid attention to it.”

Ellie’s eyebrows shot up, a mixture of surprise and concern washing over her features. She quickly removed her gloves and disposed of them into the biohazard bin before turning back to me. “Let’s take a minute, okay? Come, sit down.”

I didn’t argue. Folding myself into the chair she pointed to, I leaned forward, resting my elbows on my knees. The headache still hammered in time with my heart, and anxiety gnawed at my nerves. Ellie rolled another chair over and sat next to me, her warm hand finding mine.

“The stress could be messing with your cycle,” she suggested gently. “There’s no chance you’re pregnant, right?”

“Right,” I said. “No chance.”