At the Academic Conference, I Publicly Executed My Fiancé and His Student

An email notification popped up on my computer screen again.

It was an offer letter from Veridia's largest overseas research institute.

They kept raising the salary and benefits, trying to poach me for their core lab.

But all I wanted was to stay by Julian Forrester's side.

When Aethel Research Lab was founded, it was built on my projects.

In five years, we went from a three-person workspace to a publicly traded company.

He always used to say, "Zoe, I knew I was right about you. You truly are the most brilliant, and the greatest contributor to Aethel Research Lab."

And yet, behind my back, he snuck his female student into the lab. He flirted with her under the guise of conducting experiments and helped her climb the ladder by stealing my projects.

The conveniently timed surveillance malfunctions, the way my research concepts always seemed to be a step behind...

All my suspicions now had the foulest of answers.

I dragged my ailing body to the institute, wanting only to copy my original data.

But I was stopped at the door to his office suite.

The secretary stammered, "Chief... Chief Sterling, access to this area is managed by Director Forrester's graduate student, Miss Holland."

It was utterly ridiculous. I couldn't even get into an office in the lab I'd built with my own two hands.

At the end of my rope, I sent Julian Forrester a text: "Why don't you just get a new fiancée? That Miss Holland of yours seems like a perfect fit."

The message went unanswered, and my calls were ignored.

My colleagues' gazes were a mixture of curiosity and pity.

A bitter chill rose in my heart and seeped into my bones.

Ultimately, I received a taunting message from Heidi Holland: "Looks like Chief Sterling can sense she's about to be dumped. Professor Forrester is in the shower. I have his phone. He has no time for you."

"Oh, and he said you're no saint yourself. Just a cheap slut who seduced her professor back in school."

"I'm not like you. The professor pursued *me*. He said he never knew what uncontrollable love was until he met me."

A dull ache bloomed in my chest. I broke into a violent coughing fit as tears streamed down my face uncontrollably.

The relentless rumors back then had nearly broken me. It was Julian Forrester who had held me tight, staying by my side day and night, encouraging me.

Now, he wasn't just twisting the knife in my deepest wound; he was handing over the keys to an interloper who had stolen my place.

This was a calculated betrayal, a sign of his complete distrust. More than that, it was the ultimate humiliation.

I stumbled home to a cold, empty house, all its former warmth gone.

His call didn't come until the middle of the night.

"Zoe, you didn't reach out to me all day. I was starting to feel neglected."

His voice was sugar-coated, but it just sounded absurd to me.

He didn't even know Heidi Holland had sent me those messages from his phone.

My voice was weary. "I texted you and called you. You just didn't see it."

He paused, then gave an awkward laugh. "I must have been too busy and missed them. But I actually have some great news to share with you."

"The graduate student I'm mentoring this year has your spark. She spoke so eloquently at the seminar. And she's the one who proposed the same research concept you did."

"I'm planning to make her the Chief Science Officer of the Aethel Institute, and you can be her deputy. That way, you two can support each other, and we can still get your name on the project as a secondary author. With my help, your performance review should be fine."

"Zoe, are you listening? You really should thank her. Her name is Heidi Holland. Having two brilliant protégés like you... I'm truly a fortunate man..."

His good fortune, perhaps, but my ruin.

His shamelessness filled me with rage. I ground my teeth and asked, "Julian Forrester, and what if I refuse?"

He clicked his tongue in annoyance on the other end of the line.

"Don't be childish. Besides, the Chief Science Officer position goes to whoever is most capable. You can't even squeeze out a single project right now. Why humiliate yourself?"

I stood on the balcony, letting the cold wind wash over me as I thought back on everything I'd given to the Aethel Institute over the years.

Everything in the lab, from the smallest beaker to the largest piece of equipment, I had set up with my own hands.

I once worked myself into the hospital, pushing to finish projects around the clock.

I poured my heart and soul into it, pulling countless all-nighters to build the lab into an industry leader.

And now, all that hard work had become a gift for someone else. I wiped the tears from my face.

I took out my phone, opened the offer letter, and replied to accept their offer.