Betrayed? I Upgraded to His Billionaire Brother novel Chapter 191

**Chapter 191**

The atmosphere in the room was thick with tension as one of the team members, who had always leaned on his seniority at Windsor, shot me a look that could cut glass. His resentment was palpable, a storm brewing just beneath the surface. “And how exactly are we less skilled? She wasn’t exactly elected team lead based on merit, was she?” he spat, his voice dripping with disdain.

I held his gaze, my expression unwavering, and responded with a chill in my voice that matched the frost in the air. “Fine. Then enlighten me. What specific progress have you made on the project during this time?”

He scoffed, his leg bouncing impatiently, a clear display of his arrogance. “What, so I can spill my hard work and let you steal the credit? No thanks.”

Elias, who had been listening quietly, finally interjected with a soft chuckle, breaking the tension like a ray of sunlight piercing through storm clouds.

“I suppose we forgot to mention something important. Dr. Windsor has no need to pilfer anyone’s work. Her research has already advanced to the side effect reduction phase. And, remarkably, she has successfully reduced those side effects by fifty percent.”

His words reverberated through the room, creating a palpable shockwave that left everyone momentarily speechless.

Impossible.

The Windsor Group project had only recently been given the green light. There was no conceivable way the progress could be that monumental. Reducing side effects by fifty percent? The very thought was not only improbable but seemed like an outright fabrication.

The two slackers exchanged glances, their disbelief evident.

“That’s impossible!” one of them exclaimed, his voice rising in incredulity. “If that were true, how come we didn’t know about it?”

They were convinced I was merely bluffing to save face, a desperate attempt to hold my ground.

After all, they had been present in the lab during my tenure. They had never witnessed me making any grand, sweeping changes. A fifty percent reduction in side effects should have been a cause for celebration, a topic of conversation buzzing through the halls. Shouldn’t everyone have been buzzing about it?

I simply smiled, a calm and collected facade masking the tumult beneath. “It’s our research breakthrough. Why would I need to notify you?”

These two had been coasting along, not pulling their weight in the project from the outset, all because they couldn’t stomach the idea of a young woman leading the charge.

In truth, I hadn’t cared much about their attitudes before. Managing them felt like a burden I didn’t want to shoulder. I figured that no matter how badly they dropped the ball, it wouldn’t hinder my progress.

“If you haven’t made a breakthrough, just admit it. There’s no need to be so proud. You’re young and inexperienced. No one will laugh at you if you can’t deliver. But it would be wise to step down from the team lead position sooner rather than later.”

At this, Amelia seemed to visibly relax, a quiet breath escaping her lips, as if a weight had been lifted.

Amelia’s face soured, her disappointment evident. But then, a thought seemed to spark in her mind. She turned to me, her voice dripping with false sweetness. “Since our two teams will be collaborating on this R&D moving forward, perhaps you could share the specific formula for this drug you already have in testing?”

Her intentions were as transparent as glass, almost laughable. She didn’t even bother to disguise her eagerness to take advantage of our hard work.

I raised an eyebrow, surveying her shameless expression with a cold gaze.

“The agreement is for collaborative R&D, not for you to sit back and reap the rewards. When you can produce research of a comparable level, I won’t keep my findings to myself!”

I saw right through Amelia’s facade. She craved the fame and accolades without the effort, and since she lacked the ability to contribute meaningfully, she resorted to underhanded tactics.

The entire meeting had accomplished nothing, save for adding a burden to our project—a burden masquerading as ‘collaboration,’ always on the lookout for a free ride.

As soon as the meeting concluded, I felt an overwhelming urge to escape that room. Elias and I stood up, leaving without a moment’s hesitation.

But Amelia, her heels clicking furiously against the floor, caught up to me in the hallway, her voice laced with accusation.

“You’re bluffing! They might have fallen for your act, but I don’t believe for a second that you’ve actually developed anything.”