Step aside, Uncle Pride：Your Nephew is My Next Man - Chapter 64: Chapter 64
You are reading Step aside, Uncle Pride：Your Nephew is My Next Man, Chapter 64: Chapter 64. Read more chapters of Step aside, Uncle Pride：Your Nephew is My Next Man.
The moment they returned to campus, Isaac came sprinting across the parking lot and grabbed Aurelia's shoulders, his face blazing with triumph.
"Aurelia, we fucking did it!"
"The hepatitis compound synthesis finally worked! We can move to clinical trials—we're actually going to save lives with this!"
"Holy shit, really?" Aurelia's voice cracked with excitement, the first genuine emotion Luigi had seen from her in days.
They'd been grinding on this research for eighteen months, failing over and over until they'd nearly given up hope.
"Really." Isaac was practically vibrating with joy. "Professor Xavier is back from Boston too. He wants the whole lab team and you new grad students to celebrate tonight—team bonding, drinks, the works. Can you wrangle everyone together?"
Aurelia's entire demeanor transformed, her professional mask dropping to reveal the brilliant scientist underneath. "God, yes. Show me the data first though."
The two of them walked toward the research building with their heads bent together, completely absorbed in animated discussion about compound structures and clinical applications.
They forgot Luigi existed.
Luigi sat in the car watching them disappear, feeling like someone was slowly crushing his ribcage with a hydraulic press.
The entire eight-hour drive back, no matter what topic he'd desperately tried to raise, Aurelia had killed every conversation with arctic silence.
But the second Isaac appeared, she'd become this vibrant, passionate person Luigi barely recognized. They talked like they shared a secret language he'd never be invited to learn.
The jealousy was literally eating him alive from the inside out.
At the lab celebration that evening, Luigi watched Isaac smoothly claim the seat to Aurelia's right and immediately threw himself into the chair on her left, his territorial instincts screaming.
The intimate dynamic he'd sensed during their New York trip was even more obvious now. Isaac and Aurelia moved around each other with practiced ease, sharing inside jokes and finishing each other's technical explanations.
Luigi felt like he was watching his worst nightmare play out in high definition.
Professor Xavier stood at the head of the table, his wine glass raised in a toast.
"I especially want to recognize Aurelia and Isaac for their breakthrough work on the hepatitis compounds. I've already fast-tracked both of your recommendations to the National Research Institute. You two are going to change the world."
Aurelia and Isaac exchanged a look of pure, shared triumph that made Luigi want to put his fist through the wall.
Isaac's heart was pounding as he watched Aurelia's face light up with genuine happiness. This was the woman he'd fallen in love with—brilliant, passionate, unstoppable. Not the broken shell her toxic family had tried to create.
The other researchers raised their glasses in congratulations, and Luigi's protective instincts kicked in automatically.
"She doesn't drink. I'll take her glass."
The entire table went silent, everyone staring at Luigi like he'd just announced he was from Mars.
Isaac's jaw clenched with barely suppressed rage. Who the fuck did this asshole think he was, making decisions for Aurelia?
Aurelia looked genuinely taken aback by Luigi's presumption, then her expression hardened to steel.
"I'm perfectly capable of making my own choices, thanks."
She lifted her wine glass and drained it in one smooth motion, never breaking eye contact with Luigi.
Once, she'd been too sheltered and naive to handle alcohol. But after years of learning that survival meant self-reliance, even the harsh bite of wine felt manageable.
The most toxic thing she'd ever swallowed had been Luigi's lies, not liquor.
Luigi watched her casual dismissal of his concern with growing desperation.
After the celebration wound down, he cornered Aurelia in the empty hallway, his composure finally cracking.
"At graduation, you said you couldn't handle alcohol. Why are you punishing yourself now?"
Aurelia's laugh was sharp enough to draw blood. "Punishing myself? I couldn't handle it then either, but I still had to choke down those shots alone while you played white knight for Rosalia, didn't I?"
Because nobody had protected her then, and she'd learned to stop needing protection.
Luigi's face went scarlet with shame as he fumbled for the glass jar he'd been carrying like a talisman.
"Aurelia, when Rosalia broke the original jar, I... I spent weeks remaking every single crane. Exactly like before. Please, I know I destroyed everything, but maybe we could—"
His voice was breaking as he held out his desperate peace offering.
Aurelia stared at the jar for a long moment, and Luigi felt a flicker of hope ignite in his chest.
Maybe, finally, she was ready to forgive him.
CRASH.
The glass exploded against the concrete floor with a sound like gunfire, sending hundreds of paper cranes scattering like the remains of their dead relationship.
Luigi stared at the wreckage in absolute shock, his last desperate gesture reduced to colorful trash at their feet.
Aurelia's voice was utterly calm as she stepped over the broken glass.
"Some things can't be fixed, Luigi. No matter how many times you try to fold them back together."
"Aurelia, we fucking did it!"
"The hepatitis compound synthesis finally worked! We can move to clinical trials—we're actually going to save lives with this!"
"Holy shit, really?" Aurelia's voice cracked with excitement, the first genuine emotion Luigi had seen from her in days.
They'd been grinding on this research for eighteen months, failing over and over until they'd nearly given up hope.
"Really." Isaac was practically vibrating with joy. "Professor Xavier is back from Boston too. He wants the whole lab team and you new grad students to celebrate tonight—team bonding, drinks, the works. Can you wrangle everyone together?"
Aurelia's entire demeanor transformed, her professional mask dropping to reveal the brilliant scientist underneath. "God, yes. Show me the data first though."
The two of them walked toward the research building with their heads bent together, completely absorbed in animated discussion about compound structures and clinical applications.
They forgot Luigi existed.
Luigi sat in the car watching them disappear, feeling like someone was slowly crushing his ribcage with a hydraulic press.
The entire eight-hour drive back, no matter what topic he'd desperately tried to raise, Aurelia had killed every conversation with arctic silence.
But the second Isaac appeared, she'd become this vibrant, passionate person Luigi barely recognized. They talked like they shared a secret language he'd never be invited to learn.
The jealousy was literally eating him alive from the inside out.
At the lab celebration that evening, Luigi watched Isaac smoothly claim the seat to Aurelia's right and immediately threw himself into the chair on her left, his territorial instincts screaming.
The intimate dynamic he'd sensed during their New York trip was even more obvious now. Isaac and Aurelia moved around each other with practiced ease, sharing inside jokes and finishing each other's technical explanations.
Luigi felt like he was watching his worst nightmare play out in high definition.
Professor Xavier stood at the head of the table, his wine glass raised in a toast.
"I especially want to recognize Aurelia and Isaac for their breakthrough work on the hepatitis compounds. I've already fast-tracked both of your recommendations to the National Research Institute. You two are going to change the world."
Aurelia and Isaac exchanged a look of pure, shared triumph that made Luigi want to put his fist through the wall.
Isaac's heart was pounding as he watched Aurelia's face light up with genuine happiness. This was the woman he'd fallen in love with—brilliant, passionate, unstoppable. Not the broken shell her toxic family had tried to create.
The other researchers raised their glasses in congratulations, and Luigi's protective instincts kicked in automatically.
"She doesn't drink. I'll take her glass."
The entire table went silent, everyone staring at Luigi like he'd just announced he was from Mars.
Isaac's jaw clenched with barely suppressed rage. Who the fuck did this asshole think he was, making decisions for Aurelia?
Aurelia looked genuinely taken aback by Luigi's presumption, then her expression hardened to steel.
"I'm perfectly capable of making my own choices, thanks."
She lifted her wine glass and drained it in one smooth motion, never breaking eye contact with Luigi.
Once, she'd been too sheltered and naive to handle alcohol. But after years of learning that survival meant self-reliance, even the harsh bite of wine felt manageable.
The most toxic thing she'd ever swallowed had been Luigi's lies, not liquor.
Luigi watched her casual dismissal of his concern with growing desperation.
After the celebration wound down, he cornered Aurelia in the empty hallway, his composure finally cracking.
"At graduation, you said you couldn't handle alcohol. Why are you punishing yourself now?"
Aurelia's laugh was sharp enough to draw blood. "Punishing myself? I couldn't handle it then either, but I still had to choke down those shots alone while you played white knight for Rosalia, didn't I?"
Because nobody had protected her then, and she'd learned to stop needing protection.
Luigi's face went scarlet with shame as he fumbled for the glass jar he'd been carrying like a talisman.
"Aurelia, when Rosalia broke the original jar, I... I spent weeks remaking every single crane. Exactly like before. Please, I know I destroyed everything, but maybe we could—"
His voice was breaking as he held out his desperate peace offering.
Aurelia stared at the jar for a long moment, and Luigi felt a flicker of hope ignite in his chest.
Maybe, finally, she was ready to forgive him.
CRASH.
The glass exploded against the concrete floor with a sound like gunfire, sending hundreds of paper cranes scattering like the remains of their dead relationship.
Luigi stared at the wreckage in absolute shock, his last desperate gesture reduced to colorful trash at their feet.
Aurelia's voice was utterly calm as she stepped over the broken glass.
"Some things can't be fixed, Luigi. No matter how many times you try to fold them back together."
End of Step aside, Uncle Pride：Your Nephew is My Next Man Chapter 64. Continue reading Chapter 65 or return to Step aside, Uncle Pride：Your Nephew is My Next Man book page.