Chapter 169

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“ Lance mentioned you’ve stepped away from Kerano Global Health for now . Since you’re between positions , would you be interested in joining , Mooney University as a faculty member ? ”
Mooney University was one of Erenoland’s oldest and most prestigious institutions , world – renowned for its achievements in medicine , it was also considered one of the toughest universities for international students to get into .
Landing a professorship at Mooney University carried far more prestige than being a research supervisor at Mandino University .
Hearing that someone was trying to poach Aria , Martin couldn’t stay silent . “ Ava , I invited Professor Colton first . Don’t try to poach her from me . ”
Ava snorted disdainfully . “ Let’s keep it fair . May the best one win . ”
Liam , surprised by how much Ava valued Aria , quickly cut to the chase . “ Professor , when it came to developing the protease inhibitors , wasn’t it Hannah who finalized the last component and gave you her notes ? ”
On the screen , Ava’s expression froze for a beat before instantly smoothing over . “ Indeed . ”
Hearing this , Hannah finally felt the tension in her chest ease a little .
Liam’s face lit up with delight . “ Professor Wallace , Aria , that is , Professor Colton . has published the paper on protease inhibitors , but she omitted Hannah’s name from the credits . ”
He continued , “ It’s one thing for Professor Colton to take all the credit and put her own name first , but she can’t just erase everything Hannah did . Professor , please help us set the record straight and make sure Hannah gets the recognition she deserves ! ”
Ava scoffed and suddenly shot back , “ I don’t even blame her for deceiving me , but you actually have the audacity to ask me to testify for you ? ”
The atmosphere froze instantly .
Hannah’s face went rigid as overwhelming panic set in . She stepped forward , trying to keep her voice steady . “ Professor Wallace , there must be some misunderstanding . The notes I gave you can be verified by handwriting analysis . They were definitely written by me . ”
Hannah reached out to snatch the phone from Liam’s hand .
But someone was quicker and snatched the phone away .
It was Owen .
Owen’s demeanor was gentle , his expression calm , yet his words carried an icy edge . He looked at Hannah and said , “ Why the rush to hang up ? Afraid Professor Wallace might say something inconvenient for you ? ”
Hannah’s lips trembled . ‘Why would Owen help Aria ? ‘
But if she really hung up now , everyone would just assume she had something to hide .
She couldn’t freak out . She had to stay calm .
Though puzzled by Hannah’s abrupt ending of the video call , Liam still chose to stand by her .
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“ Give me back the phone , ” Liam demanded .
He reached out to grab the phone , but Aria seized his wrist and flung it aside . “ What’s the rush ? ”
Owen turned to the screen with a faint smile . “ Please continue , Professor Wallace . ”
Owen deliberately angled the screen toward the crowd , ensuring everyone could see Ava’s expression clearly .
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Ava’s face hardened with disgust . “ The moment the protease inhibitors were ready , Kerano Global Health immediately misbilized major hospitalų ma gather herbal ingredients . Professor Colton rushed to the frontlines with equipment and materials , dumping the entire production protocol on my desk
She said coldly , “ She was in a hurry to go elsewhere , so we didn’t meet face to face . It was you who took that original document , rewrote it , and let me new version on my desk . You even emitted many details and disguised it to look like notes for me . ”
She sneered . “ I’ve known all along that it was Professor Colton who led the team in developing the protease inhibitors . *
Upon seeing those notes , she immediately recognized Hannah’s academic dishonesty . Still , Hannah was an exceptionally talented researcher who worked tirelessly to care for patients and help produce inhibitors .
Ava had always noticed how hard Hannah worked , and deep down , she hoped to steer the girl back onto the right path .
“ Actually , I had written the recommendation letter for Kerano Global Health a long time ago . I chose to keep it a secret to give you a chance , hoping you’d come to your senses in time . What a pity you didn’t cherish the opportunity . Since you returned to the country , you have ceased to be a Kerano Global Health researcher ! ”
Liam froze on the spot , unable to believe his ears .