Chapter 8

Audrey was silent for a moment.

Then she said something that crushed Nathaniel's heart, "Nathaniel, didn't you join the research institute in the first place because you wanted to work by my side?"

His fingers tightened around his phone. His knuckles turned white.

She continued in a calm, logical tone, "These titles and awards don't matter that much to you. If you stay on my team, I can make sure you have a stable job and a good future. But Jackson is different. He needs these achievements to build his reputation and go further in this field."

He couldn't believe what he was hearing.

So, Audrey had always known why he gave up his chance for a promotion and willingly became her assistant.

She hadn't misunderstood him. She simply didn't care.

She had taken all his sacrifices and compromises for granted.

It had taken him ten years to learn that, in Audrey's eyes, none of his efforts were worth much at all.

He wanted to argue with her. He wanted to ask what gave her the right to make decisions for him. He also wanted to ask if she knew how many sleepless nights and failed experiments it had taken him to collect that data.

But in the end, he was too tired to say another word and simply ended the call.

Soon after, the research institute held an important academic seminar.

The paper published in a top journal under Jackson's name was one of the main highlights of the event.

Jackson was the speaker.

Dressed in a sharp suit, he stood onstage and explained the paper's main findings.

People in the audience murmured their approval from time to time. Everything seemed to be going well.

Then, during the Q&A session, an anonymous online attendee suddenly posted a message in the public chat. "I question the academic integrity of the speaker, Mr. Jackson Reed. The core data in this paper closely matches experimental records previously published by Mr. Nathaniel Cooper. How does Mr. Reed explain the source of his data? Does this amount to stealing a colleague's work and falsifying research data?"

The room erupted in an uproar.

The message was quickly enlarged on the big screen, making sure everyone could read it clearly.

Jackson's face went pale. He stood frozen onstage, then glanced nervously at Audrey in the audience.

The host tried to calm everyone down, but it was too late. Whispers spread throughout the room.

Nathaniel was stunned. He instinctively sat up straighter in his seat.

He hadn't done this. He had never planned to expose them in such an aggressive way.

Then he felt someone's gaze on him.

He looked up and met Audrey's eyes across the crowd.

Her brows were tightly furrowed. Her eyes held open suspicion and deep disappointment.

She didn't even need to say a word. Nathaniel understood exactly what she was thinking.

She had already decided he was behind the anonymous accusation, all because he was unhappy about being left off the paper.

In her eyes, he was someone willing to damage the institute's reputation just to ruin Jackson's career.

Nathaniel was deeply disappointed.

By then, Audrey had already stood up. Under the watchful eyes of the entire audience, she walked onto the stage.

She took the microphone from Jackson's stiff hands and faced the restless crowd. "I'm Audrey Sinclair. I'd like to address the anonymous accusation just raised. This paper was completed under my direct guidance and supervision. Jackson Reed was the primary researcher, and I am willing to stake my own academic reputation on that."

She paused, then turned toward Nathaniel, whose face had gone pale. "Nathaniel Cooper is my assistant. His main duties involve support work and organizing documents. He doesn't have the ability to carry out the core research independently. There is no doubt that this achievement belongs to Jackson."

The audience burst into an even louder commotion.

"Our chief researcher personally vouched for him!"

"So Nathaniel really is just an assistant?"

"No wonder his name wasn't on the paper. Looks like we got it wrong..."

Nathaniel stood frozen in place, overwhelmed by embarrassment.

Audrey turned to Jackson, whose eyes were red.

Her voice softened as she said, "Jackson, please continue with the rest of your presentation."