Chapter 328

Chapter 328

When Dahlia saw the content clearly and understood this was the backstabbing scoundrel, her expression changed instantly.

"This bastard! Look at that shifty face! Gary, we can't let this slide! Sue him! We must sue him! Sue him until he's bankrupt!"

Dahlia's reaction was fierce and direct, carrying a simple, clear sense of right and wrong.

Ethan was startled by Dahlia's suddenly raised voice. He blinked his big eyes, looking between Dahlia and Calista.

Calista set down the document, soothingly patted Dahlia's hand, then smiled at Ethan and said softly, "It's okay. Grandma's fighting bad guys."

She looked back at Gary, her gaze calm as still water. "Let's leave it here."

"What?" Dahlia was the first to object. "Calista, you're too soft-hearted! People like this—if you let him go, he won't be grateful!"

Gary said nothing, just watching Calista, waiting for her explanation.

"He's already lost." Calista's voice was soft but clear. "GDRAC's rating, Karolinska's termination—these are professional judgments, weightier than any court verdict. In academia, there's no punishment more severe than a ruined reputation."

She paused, picked up her utensils, and took the broccoli Ethan had been unable to grasp, placing it in her own bowl.

"My time is precious. I don't want to waste it on people and matters without value. He's now just a footnote on my project's path to success. I have no interest in writing him a separate epilogue."

Calista spoke these words lightly.

No anger, no vengeful satisfaction, not even the slightest care.

Dahlia listened in stunned silence before finally grasping the meaning and nodding vigorously at Gary. "Did you hear that! That's vision! You should learn from this!"

"Alright."

Gary said just one word.

Then he returned to his seat, picked up his utensils, took a piece of shrimp, and placed it in Calista's bowl.

"Whatever you say."

Dahlia watched from the side, beaming, feeling their dynamic was increasingly right.

Only Calista's hand holding the utensils paused slightly.

She looked up at Gary across from her.

His profile under the light remained sharply defined, but his eyes held something she'd never seen before—a settled tenderness.

A certainty with no further thoughts after the dust had settled.

Calista's heart felt gently warmed by that gaze.

She lowered her head and silently ate the shrimp in her bowl.

Very fresh, with just the right touch of sweetness.

After that meal, the home's atmosphere underwent a subtle change.

Gary was no longer the occasionally returning master carrying cold austerity. He began spending more time in the downstairs living room and study, no longer avoiding Calista and Dahlia during video conferences for business.

...

One week later.

"What are you thinking?" Gary sat beside her, asking naturally.

Calista came back to herself, shaking her head. "I haven't decided. My research needs the best equipment and an undisturbed environment."

Her implication was clear—she only considered research conditions. Honors, status, even nationality weren't in her priority considerations.

Calista's approach was consistent as always.

But precisely because of this, Gary's heart sank slightly.

Because he knew that purely in terms of century-long accumulation in biological sciences and equipment completeness, the newly established Seaside City laboratory indeed had gaps compared to temple-level institutes like Max Planck Institute.

For the first time, Gary discovered some things couldn't be immediately bought with money alone.

Just as the study atmosphere grew somewhat stagnant, the butler knocked and entered, saying a guest had arrived.

"It's Maddox from Seaside City's municipal government. Says he has urgent business and wishes to see Ms. Softhart and Mr. Frost."

Gary and Calista exchanged glances.

That was fast.

Maddox was an elegant-looking middle-aged man who spoke unhurriedly with a reassuring steadiness.

He didn't immediately exchange pleasantries but first expressed, on behalf of the municipal government, the most sincere congratulations for Calista's achievements.

Then Maddox pulled a document from his briefcase.

"Dr. Softhart, we know foreign institutions have already contacted you." Maddox was straightforward without beating around the bush. "We admit that in certain hardware conditions, we still have gaps compared to world-class standards. But we have the greatest sincerity and firmest determination."

He pushed the document toward Calista.

"The city and province held emergency meetings and jointly applied to the nation. As long as you agree, we'll establish a national-level biomedical strategic laboratory based on Project Spark Institute, with you in full charge. Budget—no upper limit."

"Additionally, we've already submitted your candidacy for academician to the Academy of Engineering. Given your achievements and contributions, it's just a procedural matter."

"We can't give you Eldorian honorary citizenship, but Seaside City can allocate the best land and strongest supporting resources to your laboratory. We hope the future world biomedical center will be in Seaside City, right at your feet."

No ethereal privileges, no flowery flattery.

Every sentence hit solid ground.

Academician title, national-level laboratory, unlimited budget.

This was national-level determination.

Dahlia's eyes lit up listening from the side.

The earlier conditions had angered her, but now their own people's offer only made her feel vindicated.

"Listen to this! This is family!" she couldn't help whispering to Gary. "Being a Celestrian academician—now that's prestigious!"

Calista's gaze remained calm. "I need some time to consider."

Maddox nodded with a smile. "Of course. This is a major decision concerning both you personally and the nation's future industrial layout. It deserves careful consideration. We await your good news."

He paused, adding one more thing.

"However, the foreign side also hopes we can give them a clear answer within a week. After all, international talent recruitment processes are complex."

One week.

Another deadline.

Gary said nothing, just stood and walked to the bar, poured two glasses of whiskey, and handed one to Calista.

Calista accepted it but didn't drink.

"What do you want me to choose?" she asked.

"I said, the kitchen is here." Gary leaned against the bar, swirling the amber liquid in his glass. "Whatever dish you want to make, you can. I'm only responsible for providing the world's best ingredients and cookware."

He paused, his gaze falling on her face.

"But I hope to eat with you every day."

Calista understood.

He wouldn't interfere with her career choice, but he clearly expressed his personal wish.

"I'll give you an answer." She looked at him, speaking word by word.

Late at night, Calista went to Ethan's room.

Ethan slept deeply, his small chest rising and falling with his breathing, his face still carrying the day's smile.

She sat by the bed, tracing Ethan's outline in the faint light from the hallway.

Go abroad or stay in Seaside City?

The blueprint Maddox painted was grand and inspiring—a nation's highest courtesy and expectations for top talent.

She'd considered countless possibilities, analyzed all pros and cons, but ultimately, all rational judgments couldn't bypass one fundamental question—home.

She reached out, gently touching Ethan's warm cheek.

He smacked his lips in his sleep, turned over, and unconsciously grabbed her finger, clutching it tightly.

Calista's heart melted instantly.

She leaned down and asked in a barely audible voice by Ethan's ear, "Ethan, if... Mom took you to live somewhere very, very far away, would you like it?"

Ethan slept groggily, didn't even open his eyes, just mumbled hazily.

"Where Mom is..."

"That's home..."

After speaking, he fell deeply asleep again, his little nostrils flaring with even breathing.

Calista seemed frozen.

She remained leaning over, motionless.

After a long time, she slowly straightened and left the room, gently closing the door.

Turning around, she saw Gary leaning against the window at the corridor's end.

"You heard?" Calista asked, her voice calm.

"Yes."

He walked toward her. "So you still want to go to Eldoria."

Calista didn't deny it.

That meant she could save enormous amounts of preparation, construction, and adjustment time.

"Ethan..." She wanted to explain but didn't know where to start.

"Remember my kitchen metaphor?" Gary interrupted her.

Calista looked up at him.

"Let me add something." He looked into her eyes, word by word, crystal clear. "Whatever you choose, whether you put the kitchen in Seaside City or Eldoria—Ethan and I are your regular diners. Wherever you go, we follow."

Calista's breathing stopped for an instant.

She'd expected his support, even expected he might mobilize the Frost Group's resources to secure more for Seaside City's laboratory to keep her. But she'd never imagined he'd say something like this.

Abandon everything in Seaside City to follow her to unfamiliar Eldoria?

This meant shifting the massive business empire of the Frost Group's center with her.

This was no longer support. This was completely binding his life to hers.

"The Frost Group's foundation is in Seaside City," she reminded him, her voice somewhat dry.

"The Frost Group's business spans the globe. Establishing headquarters anywhere is just a strategic adjustment to me." Gary's tone was light, as if discussing the most ordinary business decision. "But I only have one home."

After speaking, he didn't give Calista time to react, turned and returned to the master bedroom.

"Rest early. Tell me your decision tomorrow."

Calista's heart felt soaked in warm water—sore and swollen.