Chapter 4

Early the next morning, at a secluded meeting point on the outskirts of Atherton, I sat inside a black military SUV and signed my name on the confidentiality agreement.

A staff member handed me a metal case.

"Ms. Collins, according to regulations, you must surrender all personal communication devices before entering the base.

"From this moment on, your security clearance requires strict non-disclosure. Your project records will be sealed, and your affiliation with the base will remain classified.

"Until the project is declassified, your identity in the outside world will not be shown. Are you ready?"

I nodded and took out my phone.

"Can I make one last call?"

The staff member nodded.

I dialed Mom's number.

The phone rang for a long time before she finally answered. Her voice was cold.

"What is it now? You already gave Quinn the data. What else are you trying to pull?"

I looked out at the barren landscape beyond the window, my voice calm.

"Mom, I'm not going to graduate school anymore. I'm leaving."

There was a momentary pause on the other end.

Then her voice turned mocking. "Leah, are you done with this little game of playing hard to get?

"Not going to graduate school? Do you really think you can survive without me?

"You're only doing this to force me to give the spot back to you! Let me tell you right now, dream on!

"If you've got that much pride, then don't ever come crawling back to me!"

Listening to the certainty in her voice, I didn't argue.

I simply replied, "As you wish."

Then I hung up and dropped my phone into the metal case.

The vehicle doors shut, and the SUV sped northwest toward the endless sea of sand.

Meanwhile, Atherton University was glowing with lights.

After successfully securing a graduate-school recommendation at a top university for the underprivileged student Quinn Hammond, Mom had been named one of the city's "Top Ten Inspiring Figures in Education."

Tonight, the university was holding a celebratory banquet in her honor.

Inside the hall, Mom stood beaming with pride, wineglass in hand, accepting congratulations from university administrators and members of the media.

Quinn wore an expensive haute couture gown, paid for with my mother's own salary.

She leaned against Louis, triumph written all over her face.

"Professor Shaw truly is selfless. She was even willing to give up her own daughter's spot. What a remarkable sense of integrity. She's a role model for all of us!"

Surrounded by praise, my mother beamed.

"Not at all, not at all. As educators, we're supposed to treat every student equally. Quinn worked hard and earned this. It's what she deserves."

Just then, Vincent Daly, a vice dean who had never gotten along with Mom, approached with a wineglass in hand.

There was a teasing glint in his eyes as he deliberately jabbed at her.

"Professor Shaw, on such an important occasion, how come your daughter, Leah, isn't here?

"I heard she hasn't even been attending classes lately. Could it be that she resents your decision as dean?"

The atmosphere around them immediately turned awkward.

Quinn's eyes reddened at once, and she spoke in a wounded voice.

"Maybe Leah is still angry with me... It's all my fault..."

Louis slipped an arm around her, his heart clearly aching for her.

"It's not your fault. She's the one who's petty!"

Mom's expression darkened.

The next second, she connected her tablet to the hall's giant screen.

"Leah is petty and has been skipping classes for half a month because she's jealous of Quinn!

"As dean, I have always stood on the side of principle, never family. I will never abuse my position for personal gain!

"If she refuses to abide by the university’s regulations, then as dean, I will initiate her official dismissal right now!"

The entire hall erupted in an uproar.

Quinn was so delighted she nearly jumped for joy.

As long as I was expelled, all the research achievements I'd left behind at the university would belong to Quinn.

Mom quickly logged into Atherton University's central academic administration system and entered my student ID.

Without the slightest hesitation, she clicked the confirmation button to "Cancel Student Enrollment."

However, the moment she clicked it, the giant screen in the grand hall suddenly flickered, and a system alarm blared throughout the hall.

The academic administration system that had been displayed on the screen was forcibly disconnected right after.

Several lines of large text appeared in the center of the screen:

[This individual's files have been encrypted and locked by the nation's highest security authority!]

[No one is authorized to access, modify, or cancel these records. Any attempt to do so will be deemed a suspected attempt to steal state secrets!]