Chapter 119
Chapter 7
After leaving the Crawfords, I didn’t check into a hotel or pour my heart out to friends. I went straight to the University of North Bay and knocked on my mentor Professor Sterling’s door.
When Professor Sterling saw me, he almost didn’t recognize me. I was gaunt, wearing a yellowed T-shirt, a complete mess. But he immediately saw the light in my eyes, the resolve of embers rekindled. “Professor, I’d like to return to the research team. If you’ll have me p>
Professor Sterling looked at me, silent for a long time. Finally, he sighed. “What have you done to yourself these three years? Is your brain still intact p>
I pulled a notebook from my bag-pages filled with handwriting, diagrams, equations. This was what I’d put together over three years, in quiet moments stolen between playing the part of the dutiful wife. Theories on tectonic stress, notes on composite materials… My mind never really left the lab. I just carried it with me,
hidden in plain sight.
He flipped through a few pages, his eyes lighting up. “Good. We head out tomorrow for the southwestern range. It’s remote. The conditions won’t be easy.” He paused, studying me. “Can you handle it p>
“There’s nothing I want more p>
The next day, I cut off the long hair Ethan loved so much into a neat, short style.
I changed into camouflage gear and hiking boots and followed the research team into the mountains.
In the mountains, there was no signal, no OA system, no Sophie’s sly words. Just earth, rock, and endless
data.
I was exhausted, climbing mountains, fording streams, covered in mud every day. But I was happy. I’d found the Summer Langford who was once bold and spirited, the Summer who belonged to science.
Half a month later, our research project made a major breakthrough. We discovered a new type of
associated ore with a rare mineral. This discovery was priceless. Professor Sterling was thrilled, saying he’d
credit me as the lead.
Just as we were celebrating at camp, several off-road vehicles drove in. The words “Crawford Enterprises” were printed on the sides. Speak of the devil. Crawford Enterprises was one of the sponsors for this research project. Ethan had arrived, with Sophie in tow.
Sophie was dressed in Chanel outdoor wear, makeup impeccable, completely out of place here. Ethan wore a windbreaker, sunglasses, still the domineering CEO.
The moment they stepped out, they saw me taking measurements, my face muddy, hair a mess, instruments
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in hand.
Sophie burst out laughing. “Well, look who it is. If it isn’t Summer. I hardly recognized you. Did you lose your
way to the country club, or did you just decide slumming it was more your style these days p>
A few of the researchers nearby stopped what they were doing, their expressions tightening.
I calmly wiped the mud from my face. “This is a fieldwork site, Sophie, not a runway. And just a heads-up,
prolonged exposure to this ore’s residual particles isn’t recommended for… augmented compositions. You
might want to keep your distance p>
The team burst into laughter. Sophie’s face twisted with rage. “How dare you p>
Ethan took off his sunglasses, frowning at me. His eyes were full of disdain, mixed with a strange… anger?
“Finished with the performance?” He walked up to me, looking down. “Is this what you call independence? Playing in the dirt to spite me? Come home. Clean up. Apologize to Sophie properly. And we can forget this
ever happened p>
I rolled my eyes. Seriously. Communicating with this moron was harder than solving the Goldbach Conjecture. “Get lost.” I spat out the word and turned to leave.
Ethan, humiliated in public, finally snapped. He took out his phone, dialed his assistant, and put it on speaker, deliberately raising his voice to shout, “Cut off all funding for Summer’s father’s care. And have his remains removed from the hospital. Let’s see how long her pride lasts then p>
Dead silence fell over the entire camp. Everyone looked at him like he was an idiot. Sophie’s face turned deathly pale. She reached for the phone, but it was too late.
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