Marry Ex's Billionaire Uncle After Divorce (Aurora and Jasper) novel Chapter 63

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Chapter 43: Was It Another Man?-2

He scanned the room, his flashlight cutting through the haze. He stooped near a workbench and picked something up with a pair of tweezers.

A cigarette butt.

“Are you insane?” he roared, turning on me. “Smoking in a bio–lab? With these chemicals? This is a Class A violation!”

I stared at the soggy butt in the tweezers. My heart hammered, but my voice was steady.

“Use your brain,” I snapped. “I just walked in the door. I was at the subway station two minutes ago. Unless I can teleport, I didn’t smoke that.”

“It’s in your lab,” he spat. “On your watch.”

“I don’t smoke,” I said, stepping closer to him, ignoring the water ruining my shoes. “Bag it. Test the DNA. If it’s mine, I resign tonight. If it’s not, you apologize.”

I didn’t wait for his answer. I pulled out my tablet and dialed Charlie.

He picked up on the second ring.

“Charlie, get back here,” I said, my voice low and dangerous. “Now. You have a hell of an explanation to give.”

The next morning, Director Harrison’s office felt like a courtroom.

“I didn’t do it!” Charlie screamed, his face blotchy and red. “I locked the door! I checked everything!”

“There was a cigarette in the trash, Charlie,” Harrison said, his voice tight.

“I don’t smoke!” Charlie insisted, looking frantically between us. “Ask anyone! I left at 6:05! Check the cameras!”

Harrison sighed and tapped his keyboard. He turned the monitor so we could see.

The footage was clear. At 6:05 PM, Charlie turned off the lights, locked the door, and walked toward the elevators. He didn’t look back.

“He’s clear,” Harrison said. He looked at me. “Now let’s check your return.”

He clicked the next file. The screen flickered. Static filled the frame.

Chapter 43 Was It Another Man?-2

“That’s odd,” Harrison muttered. “The camera feed for the hallway corrupted right after Charlie left. It doesn’t come back until the security chief arrives.”

The room went silent.

Charlie’s panic vanished. A sneer twisted his face.

“Convenient,” he said. “The camera breaks just when you come back?”

I looked at him, stunned. “Excuse me?”

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“I know you were mad about the data discrepancy yesterday,” Charlie said, his voice rising. “But to frame me? You burned the lab to get me fired? That’s sick, Aurora.”

I felt a laugh bubble up in my throat. It was sharp and devoid of humor.

I took a step toward him. Charlie flinched.

“Let me get this straight,” I said, my voice ice cold. “You think I torched my own project–a multi–million dollar grant–just to frame a junior researcher?”

“You… you wanted me out,” Charlie stammered.

“Charlie,” I said softly, leaning in. “If I wanted to destroy you, I wouldn’t use fire. I have a hundred ways to end your career that don’t involve water damage and soot. Burning my lab is a waste of resources. And I hate waste.”

Charlie opened his mouth, but no sound came out. The air in the room was suffocating.

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