: A Cruel Joke

But the more vitriol she received in the post's comments, the more smug and brazen she became: [Gotta go! The professor's fiancée is sick, and he was afraid I'd catch it, so he's taking me on a trip abroad to get away from it all.]

And yet, just this morning before he left, Julian Forrester had held me in my sickly, listless state, his voice gentle and full of heartache. "While I'm abroad for the conference, I'll definitely look for some new experimental approaches for you. You just be good and rest at home. Don't wear yourself out again; it breaks my heart to see you like this."

He knew full well that this was the final year for my professional review.

Yet he had cruelly stolen my research proposal and given it to someone else.

My only choice was to race against the clock before the year's end, working day and night to develop a new project, running my body into the ground in the process.

When I saw him off at the airport, I was wiping away tears, filled with guilt. I blamed myself for being too sick to stand by him, leaving him to worry and handle my affairs all on his own.

Who could have known that not only would he stab me in the back, but he would also take his lover abroad for a scenic getaway during my most difficult time.

RING RING— My phone suddenly blared. It was Julian Forrester.

Whenever he traveled, he always called to tell me he'd landed safely at the first opportunity.

On the other end of the line, his voice was full of concern. "Zoe, why does your voice sound so hoarse? Have you not been resting and taking your medicine again?"

When I didn't say anything, he spoke as if he'd made a momentous decision. "I've thought it over. Even if you can't come up with a new research project, I'll use my connections to make sure you pass this evaluation."

'Heh. So the high-and-mighty Professor Forrester was really willing to spare no expense for me.'

'But how could he not know? If he really did that, I would be forever branded on a pillar of shame as someone who got ahead through connections, with no real talent or substance.'

"Julian, you once said you didn't want to see a pearl covered in dust, that you didn't want me to be the subject of gossip..."

He cut me off with a light sigh, his tone incredibly sincere. "But I can't just watch the person I love most at a complete loss. Besides, you're already the best in my heart. Even if people accuse me of abusing my power for personal reasons, I'll accept it!"

He sounded so genuine and passionate, but my heart sank with every word.

A moment later, a soft, sweet female voice drifted faintly from the other end of the line.

I gripped my phone tighter and asked in a low voice, "Who's outside your door?"

He gave a sudden, light cough, trying to cover his panic. "It's the staff. I asked them to bring some pen and paper."

"Alright, darling, you have to take good care of yourself. There are snacks I bought for you in the fridge. Even if you don't have an appetite, try to eat a little."

'It seems his hurry to check in with me right after landing at his hotel wasn't consideration. It was just fear that I'd make a surprise call and ruin the good time he was having with his lover.'

'Five years. We were together day in and day out. I poured my heart and soul into this relationship, and in the end, it was all just one big joke.'

Late that night, I opened the post again. She had a new update:

[I've finally pulled the Idol on the Pedestal from his pedestal. In life, he remembers what I like to eat; in academics, he holds my hand and teaches me how to publish papers. Getting together with him was simply a matter of course. He said tonight was his most unforgettable night.]

I closed my eyes, took a few deep breaths, and closed the post.

Suppressing the storm of emotions inside me, I pulled open the refrigerator. The snack inside was covered in crushed peanuts.

And I'm allergic to peanuts.

That post's daily updates chronicled Julian Forrester's attentiveness to her; he'd searched several streets just to buy her a peanut rice cake.

That snack was a favorite of that female student, not mine.

In the end, I sent Julian Forrester a message: [Julian Forrester, are you really going to abuse your position like this?]

But he thought I was talking about the evaluation and replied earnestly: [Zoe, who in our field doesn't know you're my fiancée? Even if I do nothing, you'll inevitably face gossip after you pass. It's better if I actually pull some strings for you; at least you'll get something real out of it.]

'He's right. Even if he did nothing, even after I climbed to the top of my field step-by-step on my own merit and became Chief Science Officer, people would still look at me with prejudice.'

It was just like how we didn't officially become a couple until after I graduated,

but someone with malicious intent still reported us.

They claimed I'd had an improper relationship with my advisor while I was still a student.

The online criticism, with its vicious wording, became too vile to even look at.

For years, to break free from those shackles, I threw myself into the lab.

I worked day and night, chasing results, conducting research, until I finally earned everyone's recognition and was recommended for the position of Chief Science Officer of the research institute.

He saw it all happen. He saw the countless sleepless nights I endured to earn, bit by bit, my dignity and my confidence.

And now, with a few casual words, he was crushing everything I had fought with all my might to protect.

The man who once faced down layered investigations from the university, the Disciplinary Committee, and the Office of Petitions for my sake, refusing to yield an inch in my defense.

The man who would rather give up the easily attainable title of Academician than agree to break up with me—that man was long gone.

All that was left was a disgusting, sleazy shell of a man.

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.