Rilley remained silent for several more seconds, considering the relationship between the energy consumption described by Anna Maria and the limitations observed during the trials of «Compound U1».
"So you had to adjust the metabolism of the experimental subjects," he said at last.
"To a certain extent," Anna Maria replied. "I couldn't alter their biological processes too much without introducing new variables that would affect the study. In the end, I had to find a balance."
Rilley was about to ask another question, but he lost himself for several seconds in the possible applications of that idea.
Anna Maria observed him with curiosity.
"Is something wrong?"
Rilley returned his attention to her.
"No. I was only considering a few alternative applications."
"Knowing you, you're probably already trying to turn her project into something completely different," Charlotte commented.
"I wouldn't say completely different," Rilley replied.
Charlotte let out a brief laugh.
"That means you have already thought of three new possibilities."
"Four," Rilley corrected naturally, showing a faint smile.
Anna Maria smiled as well.
The scientific conversation continued for several more minutes. At one point, Rilley began delving too deeply into an explanation involving metabolic stability, cellular energy consumption, and the possible applications of the project in more complex organisms.
Charlotte allowed him to continue for a reasonable amount of time before intervening.
"I think you're turning dinner into a lecture."
Rilley stopped. He looked at his mother and then at Anna Maria.
"My apologies. Sometimes I get carried away when a subject manages to capture my interest."
"You don't have to apologize," Anna Maria replied. "I was following your reasoning."
Her response surprised him slightly.
Most people would not have listened to his entire explanation. In other cases, they would have changed the subject long before he finished.
As time passed, the initial formality gradually disappeared. Dinner continued without complications, and Rilley ended up enjoying the conversation more than he had expected.
They discussed various trivialities and personal preferences. At some point, the conversation shifted toward their birthdays.
That allowed him to clear up a doubt he had maintained since the moment Anna Maria entered the living room.
She was not an adolescent researcher, nor an exceptionally young professional.
In fact, she would turn twenty-three the following weekend.
She was four years older than him.
Rilley remained silent for an instant after learning that, making an effort not to let his surprise show too clearly on his face.
Charlotte, however, seemed to notice.
A discreet smile appeared on her lips, although she had the courtesy not to say anything.
"Then we will have to celebrate," Charlotte commented shortly afterward.
Her tone suggested that she had already begun considering the possibility of organizing a small gathering.
"You can visit us again. This time, there will be no need to talk about work."
"I wouldn't want to inconvenience you," Anna Maria replied.
"Not at all," Charlotte assured her.
Her response had been immediate.
Rilley looked toward his mother.
That invitation allowed him to understand that her fondness for Anna Maria was genuine. She had not invited her solely because of her intention to introduce them formally.
At least, not entirely.
It seemed Charlotte truly enjoyed her company.
The conversation continued during dessert.
Rilley served himself a second slice of cake and, shortly afterward, a third.
The increase in his appetite for sweet foods did not go completely unnoticed by him.
Perhaps it was caused by the exhaustion accumulated over the past several days. There might also have been a connection with the metabolic alterations produced by his recent treatment.
He would need to review it later.
For now, he decided to simply enjoy the dessert.
As the evening began drawing to a close, Anna Maria discreetly checked the time on her watch and stood.
"I think I should head home. Thank you for dinner, Mr. and Mrs. Glass."
Charlotte also rose from her seat.
"You can stay here tonight, dear. We have plenty of guest rooms available."
"Thank you very much, Mrs. Glass. But I wouldn't want to cause any inconvenience."
"I already told you that you can call me Charlotte," she replied while offering her a brief embrace. "And you are not an inconvenience. But I will respect your decision."
Relly stood beside them and nodded calmly.
"You will always be welcome in this house."
Anna Maria showed an appreciative smile.
"I'll keep that in mind."
Charlotte then looked toward her son.
"As it happens, Rilley was also about to leave. He can drive you home."
Rilley stopped with his fork halfway to his mouth.
For a moment, he observed the slice of cake still resting on his plate.
Then he looked at his mother.
Was he about to leave?
That was news to him.
However, Charlotte's calm expression made it clear that arguing would be pointless.
Rilley placed the fork on his plate and stood.
"My mother is right. I was about to leave," he said without allowing too much resignation to show in his voice. "I can drive you home, of course, if you don't mind."
Anna Maria hesitated for a moment before accepting.
"I would appreciate that."
After saying goodbye to Relly and Charlotte, they walked together toward the elevator leading to the underground parking garage.
For the first few seconds, they remained silent.
Dinner had gone better than expected, but the absence of his parents made the slight awkwardness that still existed between them more noticeable.
Rilley spoke first, intending to ease some of the tension.
"I have to admit that my mother can be rather persistent when she sets her mind to something."
Anna Maria let out a brief laugh.
"I had already noticed."
"I hope dinner wasn't uncomfortable for you," Rilley added, trying to lighten the atmosphere.
"It wasn't uncomfortable," she replied sincerely. "Although I suspect Mrs. Glass spent several days preparing some of the conversation topics."
Rilley let out a light laugh.
"You may be right. That certainly sounds like something she would do."
The elevator continued descending.
Rilley remained silent for a moment before taking out his phone.
"It seems we have several interests in common. If you would ever like to exchange recipes or continue discussing your project, I can send you my contact information."
Anna Maria accepted the suggestion and unlocked her own device.
"I wouldn't mind receiving a few baking tips."
"We could start with something simple," Rilley said as he brought his phone closer to Anna Maria's device until they made contact.
The information transferred successfully.
A notification confirmed the exchange.
"Only if you allow me to prepare the meal," Anna Maria replied as she returned her phone to her bag.
Rilley placed his own phone back in his pocket. He took a moment to respond before showing a faint smile.
"That seems fair."
"Then perhaps we could try it during the weekend," she suggested with genuine interest. "Apparently, your mother has already decided that I will be visiting the residence again for my birthday."
Rilley let out a brief laugh.
"Once she sets her mind to something, it becomes difficult to change her decision. It is usually easier to go along with it."
"That is true," Anna Maria replied.
"We could meet during the day," Rilley continued. "That would give us enough time to cook without rushing. Afterward, we could return to my parents' residence in the evening to celebrate your birthday."
Anna Maria observed him for an instant.
"Will you be attending as well?"
Rilley showed a slightly resigned expression.
"I suspect my mother is already counting on it. If I tried to avoid the gathering, she would probably come looking for me personally."
Anna Maria let out a restrained laugh.
"In that case, it would be best not to keep her waiting."
"That would be the prudent option."
The elevator emitted a soft sound before its doors opened.
Rilley walked beside Anna Maria toward the black car parked a short distance away. One of the members of the security team approached when he saw them and handed him the keys.
"Boss."
Rilley accepted them with a slight nod.
"Thank you."
He opened the passenger-side door and allowed Anna Maria to enter. As he walked around the vehicle to take his own seat, he acknowledged that his mother had not been entirely wrong to insist on that dinner.
He truly had enjoyed the conversation.
He did not know what kind of relationship he might eventually build with Anna Maria. It was still far too early to think about anything like that.
But he liked the idea of getting to know her better.
Rilley took his seat, started the engine, and left the residence's parking garage.
Shortly afterward, the car returned to the streets of New York, still bustling despite the late hour.
For the first few minutes, neither of them said anything.
Rilley drove calmly while the lights from the surrounding buildings reflected across the vehicle's dark body. Traffic had diminished compared with the busiest hours of the day, but the city remained active. Pedestrians continued walking along the sidewalks, several businesses were still open, and cars moved slowly through the intersections.
Anna Maria observed the city from the passenger seat.
She did not seem uncomfortable with the silence. Her posture remained relaxed, with both hands resting on the bag placed across her lap.
Rilley glanced briefly toward her before returning his attention to the road.
"I forgot to ask something important," he said with a certain hesitation.
Anna Maria turned her face slightly toward him.
"What is it?"
"Where am I taking you?"
The young woman let out a restrained laugh.
"I suppose it would have been helpful to clarify that before leaving the residence."
"Probably," Rilley replied, feeling slightly embarrassed despite maintaining a calm expression.
Anna Maria gave him an address belonging to one of the residential complexes managed by GIG.
It was not particularly far from the apartment building where Rilley lived, although it could not exactly be considered nearby either. The drive would still take several minutes because of the evening traffic.
Rilley entered the location into the navigation system. A route appeared shortly afterward on the vehicle's front panel.
"Have you lived there for long?" he asked as he resumed driving after stopping at a traffic light.
"Around two years," Anna Maria replied. "I was assigned one of the apartments shortly after I began working for GIG. Before that, I lived in one of the university residences."
"Is it comfortable?"
"Very. It is close to the main facilities, and the complex has everything I need. I suppose that makes things easier for people who spend far too much time working."
Rilley remained silent for an instant.
"That sounded slightly accusatory. Perhaps my mother has told you more about me than I realized."
Anna Maria let out a brief laugh.
"You're right, but I wasn't referring only to you. I can be quite similar whenever I'm working on a project that interests me."
The traffic light turned green.
Rilley started moving again and continued forward alongside the other cars.
"Do you miss Sicily?" he asked shortly afterward.
Anna Maria remained silent for several seconds before answering.
"Some things. My father, mainly. The food as well, although that is something I can resolve to a certain extent."
Rilley showed a faint smile.
"That explains why you learned to cook so well."
"Partially. When I arrived in New York, I discovered that some recipes didn't taste the same, even when I prepared them in exactly the same way."
"Different ingredients, I suppose."
"Exactly," she replied. "I had to learn how to find alternatives. Some worked quite well. Others, not so much."
"That also counts as experimentation."
Anna Maria looked toward him.
"You're trying to turn the conversation into a lecture again."
Rilley took a moment to understand the reference before letting out a brief laugh.
"I suppose my mother was right."
"I didn't say it was a bad thing," Anna Maria replied naturally. "I'm simply beginning to recognize the pattern."
For a moment, the conversation stopped again.
However, the silence no longer felt as uncomfortable as before. Dinner had removed part of their initial reserve, and both of them seemed more relaxed without anyone else present to guide every topic.
Anna Maria was the first to speak this time.
"Mrs. Glass mentioned that you work as a research assistant at Empire State University."
"That is correct."
"But from the way you speak about cellular metabolism, genetic modification, and energy stability, I suspect your work is not limited to a single field."
Rilley kept his gaze on the road.
"You could say that I have varied interests."
"That sounds rather modest."
"Not all my projects are related to one another," Rilley replied. "Some began as independent lines of research and eventually found unexpected applications in other areas."
Anna Maria appeared to consider his answer.
"So you tend to work in a multidisciplinary manner."
"Whenever necessary," Rilley replied, keeping his attention ahead.
"That explains why you immediately began thinking about alternative applications after hearing such a simple explanation about bioluminescent fish."
Rilley showed a discreet smile.
"I wouldn't consider it a simple explanation."
"Compared with the number of possibilities you seemed to be considering, it was."
Her response caused Rilley to remain silent for an instant.
Anna Maria had been paying far more attention than he expected.
"Your project had an interesting approach," he said at last. "Most people would have focused exclusively on achieving gene expression. You also studied the stability of the organism after introducing the modification."
"There was no point in creating something that couldn't sustain itself."
For a moment, Rilley remembered the mice subjected to the trials of «Compound U1».
The first two groups had adapted without serious complications, but the subjects exposed to the elevated dosage still showed signs of overload.
Cellular regeneration could repair the damage.
But repairing was not the same as sustaining.
His watch emitted a discreet vibration against his wrist. Rilley glanced down for barely an instant.
A small notification appeared on the surface of the device.
[Observation-cycle update available.]
He did not open the report.
He would review it later.
Anna Maria noticed the movement but did not ask anything immediately. She simply observed him for a brief moment before returning her attention to the window.
"Is it something important?" she asked after several seconds.
"Nothing urgent," Rilley replied. "Only an update related to one of my experiments."
"Don't you need to check it?"
"It can wait a few minutes," Rilley replied calmly.
Anna Maria observed him with a certain curiosity.
"That sounded as though you normally don't leave any update waiting."
Rilley took a moment to answer.
"Normally, I don't."
"Then I suppose I should take it as a compliment that you're giving me some of your limited time," she explained.
Her response managed to surprise him slightly.
Rilley glanced briefly toward her before returning his attention to the road.
"You can, if you want."
Anna Maria let out a soft laugh and turned her gaze back toward the illuminated streets of New York.