The next day, I arrived at the research institute as usual. Before I could even sit down, I saw Juniper wiping away tears, looking extremely pitiful.

She said, "Victoria, I truly wished nothing but the best for your patent, but how could you steal my data and use it as your own? I understand how desperate you must've felt, but this is still wrong!"

The second she said that, it was like lighting a match in a gas leak. The whole research institute burst into chaos.

"What? Juniper, has there been a misunderstanding? Victoria is the best. She's not only helped you, but all of us with our data," a researcher said.

Another researcher agreed. "Right. Besides, Victoria has plenty of patents. Maybe you were mistaken."

I watched Juniper put on that fake, sympathetic act in front of everyone, and couldn't stop myself from laughing.

"Juniper, just because you accuse me of something doesn't naturally make it true. If you're gonna slander me, at least produce some evidence," I said.

I had already destroyed every shred of relevant material the day before, so there was no way anyone knew a thing about that patent except me.

Juniper didn't so much as flinch. She flashed me a smirk that was half mockery, half pity. "You don't think I have proof?"

She marched over and slammed a thick stack of papers onto the table. I stared, dumbstruck. Every page was identical to my research data and findings.

Then, it hit me. Connor had stammered about getting my bag for me a couple of days ago, saying he didn't want me to strain myself. My bag had never left my side, so we were the only ones that had touched it.

So, he had stolen my manuscript, made a copy, and swapped the duplicate back into my bag, before I had even realized!

My body trembled with anger. I had thought Connor finally started to care about me, but it turned out he had been in cahoots with Juniper all along.

More of our colleagues gathered around. When Connor heard the news, he rushed over and planted himself firmly by Juniper's side.

"Victoria, I know you've always been jealous of Juni for being well-educated, but you can't go and tamper with things like this!" he said. "The country invests in us to serve the people. How can you let jealousy drive you to steal her credit?"

Everyone around started looking at us with suspicion. Some even picked up the notes scattered across the table and flipped through them, whispering among themselves.

"I guess it's true, since even her husband is condemning her. That's his wife over there. Surely, he has no reason to slander her."

"But Victoria is our genius researcher! Why would she need to steal data from an unknown college graduate…"

Juniper glanced around and suddenly broke into a smug smile. She cleared her throat and said, "Settle down, everyone. I've got more proof."

She strode over in just a few steps, shoved me aside, and yanked open my desk drawer. Inside was a manuscript—my original manuscript.

Caught off guard, I stumbled and slammed my lower back into the metal cabinet. Blood started seeping out instantly.

Juniper raised her voice. "This is the proof! This manuscript contains the exact data as mine. Anyone can see this is clearly Victoria's handwriting!"

I stared at Connor in disbelief. To help her pull off this switch, he actually let her use my reputation and hard work to pave her way, all while turning a blind eye as I got accused and slandered.

"Damn. This is Victoria's handwriting, indeed…"

"I can't believe this is her true colors!"

"Hold on. We can't just say Victoria's guilty with this alone. Neither of these manuscripts has a date on it. There's no way to tell which came first. What if it was switched later?"

Juniper chortled. "Don't let her fool you, everyone. This isn't the only shady thing she's done!"

She continued, "Remember when Dr. Williams finally managed to extract that formula, and the test tube mysteriously shattered? The only person in the lab that night was Victoria.

"Then, there were Dr. Lambert's documents, which were suddenly covered in ink. Who in this place has more ink on hand than she? And what about all those half-finished samples that kept disappearing and messing up our progress every time?

"Has no one thought that maybe it wasn't just bad luck? She's the only one with a personal connection with Connor, who's the only one with keys to the lab. Who else has such a convenient excuse to get her hands on them without anyone realizing?

"Just because she's referred to as a genius researcher doesn't mean we can all turn a blind eye. Let's be real—everyone here got in by being the best of the best!"

"She's right," Connor said."Academic ability doesn't equal integrity. Just because she's called a genius doesn't mean we can overlook her problematic morals. Who knows if all her results were stolen from any of you here?"

I tried to explain myself. "Guys, that's not it. Hear me out—"

However, one of the researchers, Lucas Lambert, cut me off. "We have proof! What else can you say for yourself? You can't just steal Juniper's patent just because you're jealous of her!

"We've all been so nice to you. How could you do this to us? Gosh, you're so fake and ungrateful. You're no genius; you're just a shameless thief!"

I looked at those accusing me in disbelief. Some were people I had personally helped get promoted, others I often lent a hand to. When they couldn't get their data right, I analyzed it. When they were too busy to go home, I took care of their families.

Now, thanks to Juniper's accusations, everyone has turned their backs on me. She was smug as ever. Meanwhile, Connor couldn't even look me in the eye.

I was heartbroken and barely managed to say, "Is that how you all think of me?"

Suddenly, the door flung open, and my superior, Hector Link, walked in.

He said, "How else should we think of you? The proof is crystal clear. Should we doubt Juniper, who has all the evidence, and believe you, who has nothing to show, instead?

"Besides, not even your husband is on your side. What else do you have to defend yourself with? If you can't prove the data is yours, I'm afraid the institute can no longer keep someone like you around."

Proof? I laughed bitterly.

I fed my hard-earned data—the manuscript I thought was the original—to the pigs, thinking I had destroyed all materials regarding the patent.

Now, the real one sat in my drawer after Connor swapped it out of my bag a couple of days ago. Ironically, it was used as solid proof that I had plagiarized Juniper's work.

There were no written dates on my manuscript. How on earth was I supposed to prove my innocence?

Faced with my silence, my colleagues began casting contemptuous looks at me.

"Juniper was right. Victoria Wilson is a thief!"

"And I was even defending her earlier! Ew!"

"Get out of here! You're just a parasite who only knows how to steal others' hard work. You don't deserve to stay in this institute!"

My usually kind colleagues started throwing stuff at me—fruits, eggs, rotten vegetable leaves—all hitting me from every side. Soon, I was a complete mess.

Hector watched with a smirk, clearing his throat. "Since you fail to produce any proof, while the existing evidence points directly to your plagiarism, we'll have to—"

"Wait!" Connor, who hadn't said a word until then, suddenly stepped forward, and the whole place went quiet.

Our colleagues looked at him in disbelief. "Connor, you're not defending her, are you?"

"Someone like her deserves to be locked up! You can't give in now, Connor!"

Juniper gently looped her arm through Connor's, gazing at him with worry. "Connor?"

He gritted his teeth, then spoke slowly but clearly. "Due to Victoria's misconduct and repeated plagiarism, I'm officially filing for divorce."

He looked at me coldly. "On top of everything you've done, you even stole the lab keys. I can't live with you anymore. Let's just get the divorce over with."

I stared at Connor in utter disbelief. He felt like a stranger, as though I had never truly known him.

A bitter laugh slipped from my mouth, my tears streaming down my face. "You're divorcing me?"

Connor and I met when he was at his lowest. I went against my family to be with him. Back then, he had promised me he would never betray me.

In just a few years, he rode on my name, made a fortune, and changed his mind.

He looked guilty for a moment and was about to brush the rotten leaves off my head, but I took a step back and nodded. "Fine. We're getting divorced."

The crowd breathed a sigh of relief.

"Good. At least Connor's future won't be dragged down by her. I guess she does know her place."

"Yeah. She couldn't even say a word to defend herself. She's a genius researcher by day, a thief by night. What else do you expect?"

Hector cleared his throat. "I see no one has any objections. In this case, Victoria Wilson is hereby expelled from the research institute with immediate effect and is permanently prohibited from setting foot on its premises ever again."

The crowd chanted, "Get out! Get out!"

I was shoved and pushed toward the door, and before I knew it, I twisted my ankle and dropped to my knees.

Just as they yanked me by my collar to drag me out, the door suddenly slammed open, and a commanding voice boomed, "Stop what you're doing right now!"