Chapter 158 The Dean Approaches
"Here comes Mr. Gosling!" someone shouted, and the crowd parted to make way. The portly dean hurried over, first sweeping his gaze over everyone before finally landing on Calista. He forced a smile and said, "Calista, I heard you want to report Quincy because she stole something from you?" The school's higher-ups were aware that Calista was the adopted daughter of the Fairchilds. After her arrival, they treated her with great respect. This was the advantage of having powerful backing.
Calista evidently anticipated this and nodded. "Yes, the research assignment that Quincy submitted was actually the work I prepared for the combined master's and doctoral program." Quincy's face turned deathly pale.
Seeing that Benedict could not interject, Quincy was worried that Calista would expose her today. However, that couldn't happen! Regardless of the evidence Calista could produce, she would be able to refute it. If it really came to a showdown, it was still unclear who would have the upper hand.
However, Yelena wasn't so forgiving. She stared at Calista nervously, her words laced with an implicit threat.
"Calista, are you really going to let a misunderstanding cause such a rift with your family? Yes, you're successful now, but blood is thicker than water. If anything were to happen, it's your real kin who would help you! Your recklessness is tarnishing our family's reputation! Aren't you afraid your father might forbid you from coming home in the future?"
Upon hearing this, Calista gave Benedict, whose face was ashen, a half-smile.
She spoke slowly, "Quincy's grades are poor, and she has absolutely no talent for medical research. If she gets away with this once and tastes success, she will only become more audacious in the future, relying on usurping others' achievements to satisfy her own vanity. Even if I were to cover for her, it would be of no use."
Upon seeing that Calista's demeanor had softened and her words held merit, Benedict's expression finally eased a bit. Indeed, helping Quincy once could actually harm her! However, given the circumstances, Callie will have to bear the brunt of this. He was resolved to sternly reprimand Quincy, ensuring she recognized her mistake and would never repeat it in the future.
But before he could even respond, Calista spoke again. "However, I have no intention of covering for her, as she's nothing but useless! Anyone with a brain could see who holds more value. Sacrificing me for her sake would be the most foolish decision!"
Her tone was assertive and her gaze gradually turned sharp. The people around her inexplicably felt a heavy pressure, as if the air itself had become taut.
"The situation between Quincy and I today is entirely her own doing. If you are considering jeopardizing my exams to accommodate her, I'm afraid I must apologize. Whether it's talent, potential, or even looks, Quincy is utterly worthless! She's the one who should be sacrificed! To let her ascend at my expense, Dad, have you lost your senses?" hissed Calista.
She spoke quickly, her enunciation precise, and everything she said held significant power.
The crowd watching collectively let out a murmur of awe. This was the first time witnessing someone speak so matter-of-factly. This kind of intimidating dominance was incredibly attractive to them.
On the other hand, Benedict's face had turned pale. He pointed at Calista, but couldn't utter a single word. As for what he was thinking, it was beyond anyone's comprehension.
Quincy had no other choice but to resort to desperate measures.
Suddenly, she exclaimed, "Callie! Since you keep accusing me of stealing your work, then let's settle this once and for all! Whether it's the idea or the actual content, only a confrontation will reveal who the true author is!" Barry felt a jolt in his heart. It appeared that Quincy had come prepared as well.
Yelena knew that Quincy had prepared thoroughly. Besides, they were in public, so what was there to fear from a verbal confrontation? Therefore, she gritted her teeth and chimed in. "Exactly, let's put the matter to rest by confronting it!" Yet, Calista looked mockingly at Yelena, giving the latter a cold once-over.
"A confrontation? Do you think I have nothing better to do?"
Calista had been pressuring Quincy before to force her to hand in her own work. She didn't want to make a big fuss or to publicize the contents of the assignment. Why escalate this? How foolish of her!
Quincy, however, seemed to have latched onto a misunderstanding, and loudly exclaimed, "I bet you don't have the guts! You just want to hand in my work so you can pass the exam. How could you, Callie?"
The people around were utterly confused, unsure of who was telling the truth and who was lying. Why was the menacing girl unwilling to confront the matter?
Calista turned to Professor
Lockwood and said, "Professor, the
truth is, what Quincy stole was just a prototype. Its formula is only
effective for women over the age of twenty-five. Even then, it only provides about eighty percent protection."
As she spoke, she opened a document on her phone and handed it over.
"This is the final product. The assignment I Submitted was a by-product derived from this final draft. It has the potential to effectively prevent ovarian cancer, which is the subject I plan to focus my research on next! I only submitted a semi-finished product as
my assignment because it's a trade secret. I never expected such a thing to happen."
Calista's words left everyone in utter shock.
She had actually developed a cancer prevention drug!
Emmett was even more astounded. He finally understood why Calista was reluctant to cause a scene before, and instead tried to pressure Quincy into backing down. This assignment wasn't just an
assignment, it held immens1
commercial value! Its potential was hard to estimate.