Chapter 3

3

I arranged a three-day paid break for my team through Dr. Hastings' lab so everyone could recharge and reset.

On the second day, while I was sleeping in, my phone buzzed violently with a call from Professor Harrison.

"Rowan, where the hell are you?! Skylar is about to take the stage! Why aren't you here?!"

"Isn't it a wonderful thing for Skylar to take the stage?" I replied lazily. "A useless researcher like me wouldn't dare steal her spotlight."

"Stop playing dumb with me! Get your ass over here right now and help her handle the presentation!"

I pulled the phone away from my ear, blew a piece of lint off my blanket, and leaned back.

"Not happening."

"I've already resigned. That project has nothing to do with me anymore."

Professor Harrison let out a furious gasp on the other end, struggling to suppress his rage.

"Listen to me. If you come back right now, I'll make you the co-lead. You and Skylar can split future credit fifty-fifty."

"Rowan, you'd better know your place."

His arrogant tone made it obvious: he thought a girl with no family backing should feel blessed to be Skylar's footstool.

I let out a harsh laugh.

"Sorry, Professor. I don't dig through the trash to eat someone else's leftovers."

"I don't care about being co-lead. In fact, I wouldn't even take your job if you offered it on a silver platter."

Harrison completely lost his temper and roared into the receiver.

"Rowan! Don't think you're hot shit just because you have a little talent! The world doesn't revolve around you! Don't push your luck!"

My voice instantly turned ice-cold. "Then let Skylar make your world spin. You stole someone else's work and actually convinced yourselves you're geniuses."

"You just wait, Rowan! I will make sure you are blacklisted from this entire industry!"

The call abruptly disconnected. I stared at the screen, genuinely amused.

Where on earth did they get that kind of confidence?

That institute had been mediocre for years until I joined and brought in real results.

Whenever they hit a roadblock on a new drug, they used to beg me to review their protocols overnight.

I had treated them with genuine respect because I believed in win-win teamwork.

I never expected them to slaughter the horse the moment the wagon reached the top of the hill.

Well, let's see how long they can survive without me.

An hour later, I scrolled through social media clips of the press conference and laughed until my stomach ached.

During the livestream, an industry reporter asked a few standard technical questions about the drug's molecular chain. Skylar broke into a heavy sweat, turned pale, stammered incoherently, and ended up fainting right on the stage.

The entire event had been broadcast live to millions. Skylar's pathetic meltdown became an overnight meme, turning the institute into a national laughingstock.