Catherine observed her brother carefully.
Just yesterday, he had spoken about building a lab for her as though it were already decided—and today, he was asking about BioQuant.
She could piece it together.
"Did something happen?"
Across from her, Maximilian calmly dropped sugar cubes into his tea, stirring with unhurried precision, as though the conversation had nothing to do with him.
But Catherine knew him well enough to see through that. Just like her, he wasn't surprised.
"I just found out BioQuant is blocking my permit request—for your lab," Jonathan said.
Catherine's brows lifted slightly.
Of course, Dorian.
And the absence of surprise from Maximilian only confirmed it further.
She let out a slow breath, steadying herself before she spoke. "It's better not to fight him. He fights dirty."
Maximilian's gaze shifted to her then, sharper, searching. Was she really going to step back? Was she going to let this go without even trying?
