After All the Hurt, She Chose Herself novel Chapter 97

Aria also saw Gideon.

He poured a glass of juice and handed it to Lilith, his expression gentle. "Have some juice."

Most people didn't know Gideon was married and were jokingly teasing him and Lilith.

Gideon listened without refuting any of it.

As he casually looked up, his eyes met Aria's.

His brow twitched. After saying a few more words to Lilith, he headed over.

"What are you doing here?"

His first words were an accusation.

Flora and Lilith also noticed Aria's presence.

Flora crossed her arms and sneered, "Aria, we haven't broken any contract. You're not going to sue us again, are you?"

"Aria, this drug has worked wonders for me. What Hazel is doing can help so many more people. Why do you have to stop it? Are you just unhappy to see me doing well?"

Although Charles didn't speak, his expression was wary, as if he expected Aria to lunge at the two of them at any moment.

Aria hadn't even opened her mouth when the sound of a microphone being adjusted crackled from the stage.

Alden Reaves looked displeased and gave Aria a slight nod.

Aria knew what it meant. The negotiation had failed. It was time for the worst-case scenario.

"Don't worry, I don't have time to cause a scene with you."

Aria said, turning to walk toward Alden Reaves.

Gideon understood what she intended to do. "I won't let you ruin this symposium today."

Aria sidestepped Gideon's grasp, but Charles reached out to grab her at the same time.

Flora's expression shifted in a flash. She quickly grabbed Charles's arm, and as she moved, she guided his hand forward in a push.

She ducked to the side, making it look as though Charles had shoved Aria. Aria stumbled forward.

Her stomach slammed into the corner of a table, and the sharp pain made her gasp.

Aria walked onto the stage step by step, holding up the USB drive in her hand. "This is the proof! And all the evidence that you plagiarized my work!"

"What plagiarism?" Hazel's face went white instantly as the crowd erupted in discussion. She rushed forward, trying to cover Aria's mouth.

"Don't you dare make baseless accusations! I was clearly building on the institute's research!"

"Security! Where's security? Get her out of here!"

Aria dodged Hazel's hand and made eye contact with Alden Reaves in the audience, who nodded in return.

Two security guards came on stage, separating Aria and Hazel.

Aria inserted the USB drive and displayed her experiment data alongside Hazel's.

They were practically identical. Even the final drug Hazel developed was a carbon copy of Aria's last experiment data.

The audience was full of medical professionals; they understood what was happening at a glance.

Someone asked, "Ms. Rowan, based on this data, it does indeed look like plagiarism. But what's the problem with the drug?"

Aria began to explain, "After observing my lab mice for a month, I found that although they weren't aggressive, they were abnormally hyperactive..."