Just as I was about to go to sleep, Draco called.

"Your office will be given to Avery from now on. You'll move to the common area."

He let out a sigh. "Avery is someone I personally brought in to help. Her expertise will help the company go public faster."

"Fine," I replied.

I had no interest in engaging further and hung up the call immediately.

What I didn't anticipate was that Avery would push the door open and walk in the moment I arrived at the office the next day.

She scanned the private office with a satisfied look, as though the room already belonged to her.

"Erica, thank you for stepping aside on your own. This will be my office from now on."

She then turned to the security guards and barked, "Why are you still standing there? Help her move her things out."

The guards trailing behind her stepped up.

Just as they were stacking the documents on the desk to carry them away, I snapped, "Stop! What are you doing?"

Avery gave a light chuckle. "What do you think we are doing? We are helping you pack. Erica, all of this junk is taking up too much space."

The guards roughly carried everything out and dumped the materials haphazardly in the hallway.

Avery grabbed my trophy and tossed it casually near the trash can.

"Erica, achievements are in the past. It is better to focus on the present," she said mockingly.

When I noticed the trophy lying next to the trash can, I shoved her aside and bent down to retrieve it. Just then, Draco rushed over and kicked me hard, sending me crashing backward. The trash can overturned, and its contents splashed over me.

He turned to comfort Avery gently, then looked at me with disgust. "Erica, I already told you yesterday that the office belongs to Avery now. Why are you still refusing to move out? Avery was kind enough to help you pack your things, and you actually dared to hit her.

"How is that any different from a jealous woman throwing a tantrum?"

I struggled to my feet, forcing down the pain, and enunciated each word, "Is this what you call helping me pack, by dumping all my belongings in the hallway and even throwing them into the trash?"

Draco froze on the spot. He opened his mouth, but no words came out.

Avery sniffled. "I just saw that these items were covered in dust, so I thought… I don't want the office anymore. I can just work in the storage room."

Draco immediately pulled her into his arms and said softly, "No, it's fine to throw away Erica's junk. It will stop her from staying idle all day."

I stared at the trophy half-buried in the trash and let out a bitter laugh. Draco had it specially made when I brought in the company's first major investment. He had called it his most precious possession.

Now that Avery was back, it was reduced to worthless junk.

When I said nothing, Draco scowled.

"Look at you now," he said, giving me a disdainful look. "You spend all day around chemical reagents and carry that harsh smell with you. There is nothing feminine left about you."

He took Avery's hand and declared to everyone around them, "What happened before was a misunderstanding. Anyone who brings it up again will be dismissed from the company."

Then he turned back to me. "You make it sound so noble, but the truth is, you only helped me because you saw I could rise again. Don't think I don't know how you deliberately dragged out the project just to pressure me into marrying you."

The crowd immediately broke into a heated discussion.

"Ms. Gunner has been leading the Alphalink Project for years, but progress has been rather slow. Could it really be…"

"People's true intentions are hard to read. Who knows what is really going on behind the scenes?"

"If the shares end up with Avery, Mr. Faraday must have been deceived."

Their remarks dripped with sarcasm, fueled by the satisfaction of exploiting my misfortune and a blatant distortion of the truth.

It seemed they had all forgotten that this laboratory had been built from the ground up.

Every piece of equipment and every research decision had been shaped by my unwavering effort over countless days and nights.

Draco said in a self-righteous tone, "Erica, are you really prepared to let everyone else's efforts go to waste because of your own selfish motives?"

Avery looked toward the wall filled with certificates and awards and sighed. "Draco, I think these hollow honors have blinded Erica. How can she confront reality while holding onto past achievements?

"Why don't we burn these certificates? It will not only help Erica, but also remind us not to remain stuck in the past."

How could she say that? Those trophies and certificates were the result of my journey and the entire team's effort!

Draco nodded immediately. "Avery is right. Since she refuses to face reality, we will help her confront it."

He then instructed the guards, "Get rid of these eyesores. Burn them."

"Stop!" I shouted sharply as I stepped forward to block them.

Avery moved closer and pulled me aside. "Erica, if you keep this up, how is Draco supposed to manage the company going forward?"

The guards immediately began tearing the certificates down from the wall.

Anger surged through me. I grabbed a wooden stick and swung it toward Avery.

"Erica, how dare you!" Draco shouted from behind me.

His expression turned vicious as he seized a fire extinguisher from the corner and slammed it hard into my back.

I let out a sharp gasp of pain. My vision blurred, and I dropped to my knees.

Before I could recover, Draco's face darkened further as he snapped at the guards, "Douse her. Let her see who's really in charge."

It was a plastic drum used in the lab for storing toxic chemical waste.

Although the guards hesitated, they still lifted the container and poured its contents toward me without delay. A sharp, pungent odor filled the air instantly. I forced myself to endure the pain and staggered aside in a desperate attempt to avoid it.

The liquid hit the ground and immediately began to hiss with a sharp sizzle.

The onlookers' faces went pale as they quickly backed away in panic.

If it had struck me directly, the outcome would have been unthinkable.

As Draco looked at my disheveled appearance, he warned coldly, "Erica, if you dare cause any more trouble, I will have you thrown out of this lab immediately."

I stared at him in disbelief. "Draco, how can you treat me like this for a woman who once betrayed you and left without a word?"

He gave a mocking laugh. "Erica, if you hadn't interfered back then, I would have been with Avery a long time ago. Avery never betrayed me. She left because she had no choice, all for the sake of helping me accomplish something greater."

My lips trembled, but I said nothing.

At that moment, Linda Hartwell, a senior staff member, suddenly stepped forward. She pointed at Draco and said angrily, "Draco, do you have any conscience at all? Have you forgotten how Erica helped you build this lab from the ground up?"

Draco's expression turned dark instantly. He could not stand being reminded of how dependent he had once been on me.

He turned sharply toward her and snapped, "Who gave you the right to speak here? If you don't want to work, then get out!"

Hearing this, Linda pointed at Draco and snapped, "Draco! You heartless, ungrateful man! You're just like your father. You climb to the top by relying on women, and once you get what you want, you abandon them without hesitation!

"Do you really think you are anything special now? Without Erica, what are you even? You…"

"Shut up!" Draco snapped. His face turned ashen in an instant, and the veins on his forehead bulged visibly.

He kicked Linda hard, sending her flying. She crashed heavily onto the floor with a dull thud.

Linda had been with Draco's parents for years.

How could he do that?

Just as I was about to rush over and help her up, Avery suddenly screamed, "She has acid in her hand!"

She grabbed a nearby fire extinguisher and smashed it viciously against Linda's arm.

With a sharp crack, Linda's agonized scream pierced everyone's ears. When I saw her arm bleed heavily, my mind went blank, and fury was all that remained.

I grabbed the trophy beside the trash can and charged straight toward Avery.

"Erica! Stop right there!" Draco barked, positioning himself between Avery and me.

"If you dare touch her, I'll fire Linda immediately. I'll also accuse her of stealing confidential data and destroy her reputation," he said coldly.

"You…"

My hands trembled as I stared at him, unable to believe what I was hearing.

As he saw my reaction, Draco gave a cold, dismissive smile.

"Erica, you brought this on yourself."

After a moment, he went on. "You will hand over all the core technical materials of the Alphalink Project to Avery so she can present them at the exchange conference the day after tomorrow."

He gestured toward Linda on the ground and added, "In return, I will cover her medical expenses and allow her paid leave to recover. What do you say?"

"Not a chance." I refused without hesitation. "This is the result of more than 20 years of work from me and my team. I'll never hand it over to this thief."

Draco let out a cold laugh. "You refuse? Very well. I will dissolve the Alphalink Project team immediately. All members will be terminated on the spot."

His gaze darkened as he added, "I will also issue a company statement claiming they were dismissed for fabricating experimental data. Let's see which company would dare hire them after that."

At his words, all color drained from everyone's faces.

"Ms. Gunner…"

"Please, Mr. Faraday, no…"

"We didn't do anything…"

Their voices shook with fear. Most of them had worked with me for years. Some had joined straight out of school and poured the best years of their lives into this project. If they were branded with such a stain, their scientific careers would be completely ruined.

Linda struggled to her feet and weakly shook her head at me. "No, Erica… You can't agree…"

After a long silence, I finally said, "I agree."

Avery stood beside Draco with a triumphant smile. After I transferred all the materials to her, I submitted my resignation. At the exchange conference, Avery took the stage and delivered her presentation confidently.

The media immediately praised her as a "returnee genius" who had "achieved revolutionary breakthroughs," while neither the team nor I was mentioned.

Meanwhile, I began reaching out to those willing to stay with me and helped them prepare for what was ahead.

As I was contacting a new company that day, Draco's call suddenly came through.

As soon as I picked up, his enraged voice burst through the line. "The second clinical trial has resulted in severe side effects. Several patients are now in critical condition. Get to Rosenhalt Hospital immediately. This isn't something you can walk away from. You're responsible for dealing with it."

I waited until he finished, then responded calmly, "Mr. Faraday, you must've dialed the wrong number. I've already resigned. If there are any technical issues at the company, you should go find Avery, who now holds the shares and has returned from studying abroad."