Just as Deanna was about to say something, a pair of hands suddenly reached out in front of her.
She instinctively looked up and saw Aniyah, who had somehow walked up to her. Aniyah's previously confrontational expression had changed to one of grace and composure. "Hello, my name is Aniyah Woodard. I am Lionel's classmate and partner. I hope your arrival can help Lionel solve the problem that has troubled him for a long time."
"I will do my best."
Deanna shook Aniyah's hand and introduced herself, "By the way, my name is Deanna Johns."
Aniyah nodded and was about to withdraw her hand when something unexpected happened.
Deanna pulled her closer and whispered in a voice only they could hear, "Miss Woodard, there's no need to be hostile towards me. I have a fiancé and two children. I'm here because my master asked me to help."
The implication was clear-Deanna hoped Aniyah wouldn't see her as a threat.
Aniyah was stunned by this revelation and looked at Deanna in a daze.
Noticing Aniyah's gaze, Deanna winked at her.
It was then that Aniyah realized her thoughts had been guessed. Although she felt a bit embarrassed, she smiled with relief and apologized, "Miss Johns, I apologize for my earlier behavior. I hope you don't mind."
"Don't worry, I don't mind."
Deanna smiled back at Aniyah.
Seeing this, Aniyah had a good impression of Deanna. "I'm glad you don't mind. How about I treat you to dinner after work and show you around the area? By the way, have you been to Sealand before?"
"No, this is my first time here," Deanna replied with a gentle shake of her head.
Aniyah smiled, "In that case, once the problem is solved, I'll take you to see some famous sights in Sealand."
Deanna naturally did not refuse the offer.
Watching the two women who had been at odds become friendly in such a short time left Lionel feeling puzzled.
Do women's friendships always develop so mysteriously?
Despite his confusion, Lionel was pleased with the outcome.
After some brief pleasantries, he nodded at Aniyah and led Deanna to his lab.
Inside the lab, dozens of researchers were at work.
When they saw Lionel and Deanna enter, they paused their work to greet them and curiously looked at Deanna.
Some of the more outgoing staff even asked, "Mr. Grant, is this the assistant you mentioned?"
"Yes, this is the assistant I brought in. If she needs any help, please assist her as much as possible."
Lionel nodded and then looked at Deanna, signaling her to introduce herself.
Deanna stepped forward slightly and smiled, "Hello everyone, my name is Deanna Johns. I hope we can get along well in the coming days."
"Welcome, Miss Johns."
Someone started clapping enthusiastically.
After the brief introduction, Deanna followed Lionel to his workstation.
Lionel handed her a document and said, "This is my research data. It includes some problematic figures I've encountered. Take a look, and if you have any questions, feel free to ask me."
"Alright, I'll review the files first. You can go ahead with your work," Deanna said as she took the documents and nodded.
For the rest of the day, she immersed herself in Lionel's research data.
She had to admit that expertise matters; there were many technical terms she didn't understand and noted them down one by one.
As evening approached and work hours were about to end, Lionel came over and asked, "How's it going? Any questions?"
"I'm almost done. As for questions, there are quite a few. Once I finish reading the remaining data, I'll discuss them with you," Deanna replied without looking up.
Lionel nodded and sat nearby waiting, his gaze inevitably falling on Deanna.
Perhaps because he had often heard her master mention her, he had always been curious about her.
Of course, Deanna wasn't the most beautiful woman he had ever seen, but she was the first person who made him want to pay attention.
Especially when he saw her serious and meticulous demeanor; he found it inexplicably charming.
His focused gaze did not go unnoticed by Deanna.
"Mr. Grant, is there something on my face?" she asked while touching her face.
She had been taking notes all afternoon and might have accidentally smeared ink on her face.
Realizing his lapse in composure, Lionel's eyes flickered with guilt but he maintained a serious expression. "You do have something on your face. It seems you accidentally got ink on your fingers while writing and then touched your face. Let me help you wipe it off."
As he spoke, he reached out to help Deanna.
Deanna instinctively dodged and smiled at Lionel, "Thank you, Mr. Grant, but I'll handle it myself."
She said this while wiping her cheek, feeling a bit strange inside.
Before she could think further, there was a knock on the door and Aniyah walked in.