Marry Ex's Billionaire Uncle After Divorce (Aurora and Jasper) novel Chapter 53

Chapter 36: Public Humiliation–2

Harrison’s mouth opened, then closed.

Lewis allowed himself a small, dry smile. “As for Walsh–he’ll come to you eventually. Not because of sentiment, but because Aurora is the only person alive who can fully implement his algorithmic models. You haven’t hired a researcher, Harrison.” The elevator arrived. He stepped in. “You’ve acquired the key to two of the most significant intellectual vaults in biomedical science. Try not to waste it.”

The doors slid shut.

Harrison stood in the corridor for a full ten seconds. Then he walked back to the lab, pulled up the internal project roster, and reassigned the lead position on their most critical new development program to Aurora’s name.

When the notification reached the lab, Sylvia saw it first. She looked up from her bench.

“Aurora.”

Aurora set down the pipette. She read the message once, then again.

Around her, the shift in the room was immediate. Colleagues who had offered polite nods that morning were now watching her with something different in their eyes. Open curiosity. Respect. The particular kind of attention that follows someone who has just been quietly revealed to be extraordinary.

Aurora went back to her sample.

She had work to do.

By nine that evening, Jasper had succeeded in assembling the dinner. A private room at one of the city’s most exclusive members–only clubs. Crystal glasses, a sommelier on standby, and Chancellor Miller doing his best impression of a man who wasn’t deeply uncomfortable.

Professor Lewis walked in, took one look at Jasper and Sienna seated at the table, and

turned around.

“Henry.” Miller stepped forward, hands raised. “Please. Just an hour. As a personal favor to me.”

Lewis looked at him with the expression of a man calculating the exact cost of this favor. Then he sat down.

The conversation that followed was painful. Jasper spoke about vision and capital

Chapter 36: Public Humiliation 2

Claim

allocation. Lewis watched his wine glass without touching it.

“Mr. Everett,” Lewis said, when Jasper paused for breath. “I don’t enjoy indirection. Aether Life Sciences doesn’t have the scientific infrastructure to justify this partnership. I won’t be licensing the patent to you.”

Jasper opened his mouth. Sienna spoke first.

“Professor Lewis, I think you may be missing the full picture.” Her voice was smooth, authoritative. “We have the strongest funding pipeline in the sector. And your student Aurora said we were a suitable partner–she worked for us, after all.”

Lewis looked at her. His gaze was the kind that made people feel they had said something deeply stupid.

“Who are you, exactly?” he asked. “Is it customary where you come from to interrupt when adults are speaking?”

Sienna’s jaw tightened. She sat up straighter. “I’m the R&D Director of Aether. And Jasper’s girlfriend. His fiancée, actually.” She lifted her chin. “What I say in this company is final.”

The room went very still.

Jasper looked at her with pure alarm. It was too late.

Lewis set down his napkin. He rose slowly, buttoned his jacket, and looked between them

with an expression of complete contempt.

“Fiancée,” he repeated. “Mr. Everett, you are still legally married, are you not?” He didn’t wait for an answer. “So you abandoned the most gifted scientific mind I have encountered in a decade–Aurora–for a woman who cannot read a basic experimental dataset?”

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