Love Burned, She Rose Unscathed

Roseanne had an idea brewing, but she knew she had to wait a bit longer...

Wait until her current contract expired before she could make her next move.

...

That day, as usual, Roseanne stepped out, planning a visit to the library.

Just as she left her apartment building, she bumped into Owen.

He had been engrossed in preparing for a new research project, pulling several all-nighters, and had just returned from his lab.

"Morning, Mr. Reynolds," Roseanne greeted him with a smile.

"You know, outside of class, you can just call me Owen," he replied with a hint of resignation.

"By the way, I wanted to ask for your opinion on something. Remember the project I told you about before? The one I never got to finish?"

Roseanne nodded. She remembered it well. That project aligned perfectly with her research interests. And...

She couldn't bear the idea of abandoning such a carefully selected and finely crafted project halfway; it seemed like such a waste.

"Have you made up your mind? Do you want to continue working on it?" Owen asked.

Without hesitation, Roseanne nodded: "Of course, I do! But... I don't have a lab right now, so I can't complete the data part, so it's not..."

Every conclusion needed data to back it up, and data came from countless experimental records.

She lacked the materials and the tools to conduct any experiments.

"You could use my lab," Owen offered after a pause, adding, "For free."

His lab, though only established in recent years, wasn't lacking in foundations, equipped with some of the most advanced instruments and equipment available globally. "Really?" Roseanne's eyes widened in disbelief.

It seemed too good to be true that such a windfall would come her way.

"Do I look like I'm joking?" Owen asked.

She hesitated for only a second before nodding fervently-

"Yes, please! Thank you so much!"

Owen's lips curled into a slight smile, his eyes twinkling with amusement.

The lab was on the eighth floor of the Academic Excellence Building.

Lab space at Kingswell University was at a premium, which meant that slots for individual research teams were limited.

However, Owen's lab was unique, operating in direct partnership with corporations. Its funding came not from college approvals but from corporate sponsors.

In other words, Kingswell University merely provided the space, and in return, all of Owen's academic outputs were listed under the university's name.

The university would report these achievements to the Department of Education, directly affecting the school's ranking in the following year.

financial

Because of its f

independence and its grip on the

university's academic lifeline,

Owen's lab occupied an entire floor. It boasted some of the best maintenance, air conditioning, and heating systems in the university.

Many research teams had asked to borrow space in Owen's lab, but he had never agreed.

Even professors with deep pockets offered "substantial amounts" for shared access, but he refused them all, firmly.

Yet now, he was inviting Roseanne to join and offering it for free!

Roseanne had no idea about the special "treatment" she was receiving; all she knew was

Owen was a genuinely good person!

...

On her first day at the lab, at 8 a.m., Roseanne arrived on time at the door.

Owen came out to greet her personally.

"Good morning."

Roseanne offered a small smile, saying, "Seems like you were here even earlier."

He had been sleeping in the lab these past few days.

There was a specific rest area equipped with a shower room. Owen was neatly dressed and, despite showing signs of tiredness, his eyes were alert. This contrasted sharply with the expected disheveled took of a researcher who had been up all night.

"I brought you breakfast."

She had brought Owen's favorites: crab benedicts and soy milk.

Since he was offering the lab for free and even took the time to meet her, bringing breakfast seemed like a small gesture on her part, almost too modest.

But it's the thought that counts.

Owen wasn't one to fuss over the little things.

As expected-

He accepted it with a smile, "Thank you."

...

At 8:20, Owen helped Roseanne into a lab coat and registered her fingerprint and iris information for entry.

From then on, she could access the lab freely, without any hassle.

As the heavy metal doors slid open, Roseanne followed him in, looking around with curiosity.