After the Fall A Leap into a Stranger's Arms novel Chapter 253

And then there was that number, the digital watermark hidden deep in the system. What was it supposed to mean? Why would the original creator leave something like that behind?

Shirley couldn’t stop thinking about her late advisor. If she were still alive, maybe she’d have some answers. But she was gone, and there was no one left to ask.

She turned to her laptop and pulled up the university’s student directory. Typing in Catherine’s English name, Nancy, she found her right away. Catherine really was a year ahead of her. She must have used the same lab. Could that mysterious flash drive have belonged to her?

No way. Shirley’s eyes narrowed, burning with jealousy and anger. Catherine just didn’t have the talent for something like that.

Shirley dug deeper, opening the files for all eight PhD students from that year. Aside from Catherine, there were seven others, three of whom were from other Asian countries. If someone with an Asian background was investigating now, that meant Catherine could probably be ruled out.

She went through their backgrounds one by one, searching for anything that didn’t add up. On paper, any of them could have done it. But Resonance AI was already cutting edge six years ago, way ahead of its time, and she couldn’t figure out who could have pulled it off.

Finally, her eyes landed on an old photo of Catherine. She stared at it for a long moment. The name tag said Nancy Xu, age nineteen. She wore a plain white shirt and her hair was pulled back in a ponytail. Her eyes were bright, full of determination. Her research focus: artificial intelligence and systems modeling. The advisor’s notes praised her as exceptionally gifted and creative, with multiple papers published in top journals.

Shirley’s heart dropped.

Catherine’s area of study matched Resonance AI perfectly. No. That was impossible.

It had to be anyone but Catherine.

If it really was her, then everything Shirley had done these past years would look ridiculous, nothing more than a desperate performance in front of the real genius. It would be the most humiliating thing that had ever happened to her.

And if someone actually started digging into the past, they might find out about something else, too. Something Shirley had never told a soul.

“Nancy, are you saying someone went into the lab after I left? That it wasn’t an accident, and you were the real target?”

“I think so. Their goal was probably to destroy all the computers in the lab.”

Amy’s eyes widened. “Oh my god. That’s scary. If they hadn’t put out the fire in time, the whole building could have gone up. Don’t worry, I’ll keep your secret safe until you win this case.”

“Thank you, Amy. I’ll make sure someone is looking out for you,” Catherine promised. She’d already talked it over with Magee. Nexus Dynamics would send security to protect Amy.

They had to be careful, so Shirley wouldn’t suspect Catherine was behind the investigation into Resonance AI. If Waldo and Shirley ever found out the truth, they’d move fast and pull every Resonance AI product off the shelves.

Even if Catherine won the lawsuit, she’d never get the chance to really hold them accountable.