Adam Jones’s voice was cold as ice, and his gaze upon Nathan Stewart was as sharp as an unsheathed blade, slashing skin open and flesh apart wherever it landed.
"I didn’t want to come at first either."
If it wasn’t for your coercion.
Nathan Stewart swallowed the rest of his sentence upon receiving Adam’s ominous glare.
"But, on the other hand, bro, what’s your relationship with CEO Campbell? I had no clue you were so eager to help."
He propped his cheeks in his hands, eyes on the man opposite him. Due to his naturally cute and naïve appearance, it was easy for girls to feel a surge of maternal affection, but the "father" sitting across from him felt none of that tenderness.
"You don’t seem to have any woman by your side either. You’re not falling for CEO Campbell, are you? But seriously though, she is quite attractive, smart, and capable—right up your alley."
As Nathan spoke, a gossip-filled smile spread across his lips, his small canine teeth practically sparkling with metallic light.
"However, if you really want to help her, why not let her know instead of secretly hiring me under Arthur Clark’s name? I’m telling you, this sort of silent contribution won’t get you a girlfriend, you know?"
Adam Jones looked at him with a heavy gaze, silent.
"Bro, when it comes to chasing a girlfriend, you lack experience. You’ve got to trust me on this, really. If you do something good, you have to let her know. I have a bold idea..."
Adam picked up the menu from beside him and smacked it down on Nathan’s head, "Get to the point."
Nathan’s mood, which had been quite spirited, somewhat deflated under Adam’s chilling stare.
Taking a sip of his lemon coffee, he said, "Isn’t it just that trivial matter? Brayman was working on that new biodegradable plastic, right? I just helped them succeed in developing it three days ago, and the very next day, Glory Group had already gone ahead and registered the patent."
"For a core technology , bro, I can bet that Glory Group’s ragtag research team couldn’t solve it. I’d strip on live stream if they did. You have no idea how hard I’ve worked on this technology; to complete the task you gave me, I..."
Adam interrupted him impatiently, "If you don’t want your hand to go idle, then give me the main point."
Nathan’s gaze shrank slightly in alarm, "The main point is, that patent they registered is 100% stolen from my work, and I have no clue which bastard dared to steal my stuff."
Patent theft wasn’t uncommon in either the academic or technological fields, but to easily steal such data from the lab of a corporate company wasn’t something just anyone could do.
Adam’s gaze narrowed dangerously as he stared thoughtfully out the window, the coldness in his eyes deepening.
"Any signs of a hacker intrusion?"
He was referring to the computer Nathan used to record his data.
"Of course not, don’t you trust my skills? Even the folks from the State Security Bureau couldn’t breach my firewall," Nathan claimed with an annoyingly smug look on his face, and truth be told, his words weren’t without merit.
"Then someone must have entered the lab and used your computer."
Adam knew Nathan had a habit of never setting a password on his computer—whether he was just missing a brain cell or believed the whole world was full of good people, it was baffling that such important information was left unprotected on his computer.