Chapter 3

3

At the airport, I pulled out a gold-embossed invitation and my O-1 visa. I boarded my flight to America.

The MIT lab was bigger and more advanced than I ever imagined.

The high-precision tools and cutting-edge nano-tech were breathtaking.

The academic freedom was amazing. No one interfered with my work. I could finally just create.

I realized then that Gavin had been the one holding me back all along.

It was pathetic how many days I had wasted for him.

Three months later, a major international summit was held back in my home city. My supervisor, Dr. Duke, invited me to come along.

When we walked out of the airport, I saw them. Gavin and Macy were in the VIP reception area.

They didn't expect me to be with the keynote speaker. Gavin's face went from shock to a mess of complicated emotions.

Macy froze, a fake, awkward smile plastered on her face.

Gavin hurried over, his voice soft. "Sutton, let's get dinner tonight."

I shook my head. "There is no need for that."

He looked desperate. "Do it for my parents. They don't know we broke up yet. I haven't told them."

I had left so quickly that I hadn't said goodbye to them. I felt a small pang of guilt.

After a moment, I nodded and agreed to go.

The next day at the conference, Macy was on center stage.

"The high-temp nano project has passed its critical performance tests. Our material shows incredible strength under extreme heat. We are ready for clinical trials."

"Our composite is 30% lighter than current alloys but can withstand higher temperatures and resist cracking."

The screen behind her showed a fracture toughness curve.

"Our results show toughness over 200 megapascals. Even after hundreds of heat shocks, it retains 95% of its integrity."

My heart skipped a beat. I turned to Gavin, who was sitting next to me. "How dare you? You stole my data and put it on that screen?"

He was ready for me. He looked at me with a cold smirk. "Do you have proof?"

"You used your parents to trick me into coming here. You snake." I gritted my teeth, wanting to scream.

"Don't be so dramatic. We were a team. You worked on this project, so this data belongs to the research group."

"If you try to cause a scene, I'll just tell everyone you stole it from us. Who will believe you? Just take some hush money and leave. I'll make it worth your while."

I let out a cold laugh. "Hush money? You think that's what I want?"

He sneered. "Didn't you always say science is for the public good, not the money?"

On stage, Macy finished. The room erupted in thunderous applause. People stood up in awe.

Several high-level officials were nodding and shaking her hand, excited about the breakthrough.

In the middle of the cheers, Dr. Duke looked very stern.

He stared at Macy on stage and then spoke into his microphone. "Miss Thorne, are you saying this research was done entirely by your group?"

%%%