Chapter 1

At the grand gala of the International Academic Summit.

I was sitting in the audience, scrolling through my phone, when I saw Serena Vance going absolutely wild in our lab’s WhatsApp group chat.

"Some people have zero moral boundaries. Imagine sleeping with someone else's boyfriend just to steal his data and publish papers!"

A wave of disgust washed over me.

As someone who had been fast-tracked into the PhD program right out of my undergrad, academic dishonesty was my ultimate red line.

Stealing data, hijacking research, and especially using a romantic relationship to leach academic benefits—it was utterly pathetic.

"What's wrong, Chloe? You're about to go up and receive the Best Young Scientist Award. Why the long face?"

Professor Harrison, sitting next to me, asked with a warm smile.

I slid my phone over to him. "I can’t believe we have this kind of trash in our field."

Just then, the host called my name over the microphone.

"Please welcome Dr. Chloe Sterling to the stage! Her groundbreaking algorithm successfully resolved the long-standing data analysis bottleneck that has plagued our field for a decade. Her paper has officially been accepted by Nature..."

But the moment I walked up to the microphone, a sudden commotion broke out in the crowd.

Behind me, the massive projector screen suddenly flashed with a line of bold, glaring text:

"Chloe Sterling seduced my boyfriend and stole my research!"

The entire hall erupted into whispers.

This was a global event, live-streamed to scholars across dozens of countries.

"Wait, what? Dr. Sterling’s data was stolen?"

"No wonder she could publish in Nature during her PhD. Unbelievable..."

I froze on stage. It hit me like a physical blow. The person Serena was blasting in the group chat... was me!

Amidst the chaos, Serena rushed onto the stage, marching past the security and snatching the microphone from the host.

Her eyes were red and swollen, tears spilling over. She looked the picture of a helpless victim.

"I am so sorry to all the esteemed professors and colleagues here,"

She sobbed, her voice trembling. "I had no other choice. This was the only way to expose the truth."

The audience murmured louder, and camera flashes started going off like fireworks.

This was a career-ending scandal in the making.

I looked at her, completely baffled. "Serena, what are you talking about? When did I ever—"

Before I could finish, Serena lunged forward and slapped me hard across the face.

Smack.

My cheek burned, and my ears rang instantly.

"You stole my algorithm! You stole my boyfriend! And you have the audacity to stand here and take this award?" she shrieked, lunging at me again.

Instinct took over. I slipped to the side, grabbed her wrist, and twisted it behind her back.

The self-defense classes I’d taken in college saved my life. I didn't expect to use them at an academic summit, but here we were.

"Get off me! Everyone, look! She’s physically attacking me!" Serena screamed.

A few young, hot-headed scholars in the front row looked ready to jump onto the stage, but luckily, the venue security rushed in just in time to pull us apart.

The summit chairman stepped onto the stage, his face grim. "Dr. Vance, you are accusing Dr. Sterling of severe academic misconduct. Do you have proof?"

Serena wiped her tears, pulling a USB drive from her pocket.

"Of course I do! Right here are the iMessage records between her and my boyfriend. It documents exactly how she manipulated him to get her hands on my experimental data!"

The screen behind us flashed with screenshots.

Even though the profile pictures were blurred, I recognized the name instantly. Julian Mercer.

My research partner of six months, and the guy I had just started dating.

My stomach dropped.

But what made my blood run cold was the conversation on screen. Julian was claiming that I had gotten him drunk specifically to extract the core code of Serena’s algorithm.

"Who is this Julian?" someone in the audience shouted.

I took a deep breath, forcing my voice to remain steady. "He is an associate professor in the Department of Computer Science."

Since things had escalated to this point, hiding it was useless.

The crowd gasped.

Julian was a rising star in the tech department, a golden boy in academia.

Serena’s tears flowed freely. "Julian and I have been together for three years. We didn't publicize it because we worked at the same school, but we were planning to get married this year..."

Her heartbreak won over the crowd instantly. I could already hear people in the dark whispering terms like "academic parasite" and "clout chaser."

Watching this beautifully scripted drama play out, the puzzle pieces suddenly clicked together in my head.

Julian and I had co-developed this algorithm. How could Serena claim ownership of it?

There was only one logical explanation: they were in this together.

A million-dollar grant, a first-author credit in Nature... it was enough to make anyone play dirty.

"Serena,"

I interrupted her performance, my voice cold as ice. "Since you're so confident in your story, do you dare to call Julian up here right now to face me?"

Serena hesitated for a fraction of a second before quickly recovering her composure. "Of course! He’s waiting right outside the hall to expose you!"