His Last Command Came Back to Kill Him novel Chapter 123

Clive was not in the medical industry, nor was he directly involved in its commerce.

Yet, if he wanted to protect her, his status alone meant a single word from him could flip the narrative. He could silence the aggressive academic authorities and smooth the whole scandal over, preserving her dignity.

But Clive just sat there, his fingers unconsciously tapping his knee. His expression remained as aloof and detached as ever. From start to finish, he didn't say a word.

Yelena's heart plummeted, turning ice-cold.

She knew Clive too well.

He would indulge her every whim in private. He would pave the way for her career, casually throw millions at a project just because she asked, and even make things difficult for Whitley on her behalf.

But he would never, under the glaring lights of public scrutiny and against undeniable evidence, openly wage war against the entire academic establishment for her sake.

Doing so wouldn't just embarrass her—it would completely humiliate the Sherwood family.

His favoritism always had boundaries.

And that boundary was always drawn exactly where his own interests began.

With things as they were, arguing further would only make her look worse.

Yelena took a deep, shuddering breath. Her eyes instantly reddened, and pristine tears welled up, trembling in her lashes. She looked unbearably fragile and wronged.

Lowering her head slightly, she spoke into the microphone with a perfectly measured sob, addressing the academics and the crowd.

"I know... I know everyone here now believes I plagiarized, that I stole her work."

"But I swear, I pieced these concepts together myself, little by little."

"We're family, after all. We live together. It's inevitable that our thoughts would be similar..."

She paused, raising a hand to delicately wipe her eye. A tear slipped through her fingers, painting a picture of pure, tragic innocence.

"If everyone truly can't accept that and insists on pursuing this... then I'm willing to apologize. I'll take responsibility for all the reputational damage. Whatever compensation is required, I'll pay every cent..."

With that final word, she couldn't hold it in any longer. Covering her face, her shoulders shaking, she turned and fled the venue in tears. Her retreating figure looked so thin and panicked, as if she had just suffered the greatest injustice in the world.

She was the one who plagiarized. She was the one who twisted the truth. Yet, the moment she was publicly exposed, she somehow spun herself into the bullied victim.

The baseless accusations rained down on her, fast and heavy.

She was the one whose work was stolen. She was the one who had been slandered and publicly humiliated. She was the one who had simply reclaimed her own truth. Yet, in the eyes of her so-called family, winning made her the villain.

If she didn't bow down to Yelena, she was cold-blooded.

Whitley looked at the familiar, yet intensely foreign faces before her. Watching them twist the truth and abandon all reason, a bone-chilling coldness shot up from the soles of her feet, freezing her down to the marrow.

She let out a mocking laugh. "Humiliated? You blindly defend a plagiarist, ignore the blatant truth, and attack the actual victim. Isn't that what's truly humiliating here?"

"She stole my work. She ruined my reputation. She had the entire industry pointing fingers at me, calling me a thief, and every single one of you turned a blind eye."

"Now the truth is out, and she has to face the consequences of her own actions—and somehow, it's my fault?"

"Just because she's pregnant, she gets a free pass to steal someone else's achievements?"

"Just because she's your favorite, I'm supposed to swallow my pride and hand over my life's work on a silver platter?"