Chapter 4

She let herself fall backward, rolling down the two steps as she went, then lay on the floor wailing in agony.

"Vanessa! I think my leg is broken!"

Vanessa's face changed completely, and she kicked away the hand I'd stretched toward her.

"Mom! Are you okay?"

She stepped right over me where I'd collapsed and rushed to Louisa's side, carefully helping her up,

then walked out the front door without a single glance back.

The door slammed shut behind them.

I lay there on the cold floor as my consciousness slid into darkness.

"Ms. Sharpe, you're finally awake."

I opened my eyes slowly.

Mervyn Finch stood at the bedside, his face taut with worry. When he saw my eyes open, he let out a long breath.

"You went into anaphylactic shock. You were in the ICU for three whole days."

"If I hadn't happened to find you passed out that day, I don't dare think what would have happened."

"Where's my phone?" My voice came out hoarse.

Mervyn took it from the nightstand and handed it to me.

I swiped the screen open.

In those three days I'd been unconscious, Vanessa hadn't sent a single message to ask whether I was alive or dead.

I opened her social media feed. The most recent posts were all photos of her at the beach with Louisa.

In the pictures, the two of them wore designer beach dresses and dined on expensive seafood spreads.

The caption read: 【Taking the mom who worked so hard her whole life away for a little relaxation, far from those fake, vicious people. It feels wonderful.】

I looked at the screen, and the corner of my mouth curved into something cold.

Just then a message popped up at the top of the screen.

It was from Vanessa.

【Mom, I just got a call from the lab's finance office. They say the account's empty.】

【Wire fifty million into it right away. Next week the science prize organizers are coming to inspect the lab.】

【If the lab fails its rating because of a funding problem, my award will be revoked.】

【If you dare screw this up, I'll never forgive you as long as I live!】

Reading those lines, so full of righteous entitlement, I actually laughed out of sheer anger.

I didn't reply. Instead I called Victor.

"Assistant Wells, how are things going at the lab?"

"You don't need to worry, boss."

"Three days ago, per your instructions, I had every precision instrument and every core data server belonging to our company moved out of the lab."

"All thirty-seven senior researchers have been transferred back to headquarters."

"As for the account, I've frozen it and pulled out every remaining cent."

I nodded, satisfied.

"Good. Book me a flight to the overseas branch. I have a meeting to run, and I could use the change of scenery."

One week later.

Vanessa arrived leading several foreigners in sharp suits, the review team from the science prize organizers.

Louisa trailed at the back of the group, chin high, chest out.

"Everyone, just ahead is my own private laboratory."

"It has the most advanced equipment in all of Asia and the most elite research team money can buy."

"Everything I've achieved rests entirely on the hardware in this lab."

"You could say it's the highest-level laboratory in the country, bar none."

The reviewers nodded along, their eyes bright with anticipation.

The doors swung slowly open to both sides.

Vanessa didn't even turn to look. She simply made a sweeping gesture of welcome.

"After you, everyone."

But the gasps of admiration she'd expected never came.

The reviewers stood in the doorway, the anticipation on their faces freezing over in an instant,

replaced by bewilderment and shock.

One reviewer pointed inside and asked:

"Ms. Sharpe, this is what you called the highest-level laboratory in the country?"