The Fake Heiress and Her Purrfect Partner novel Chapter 149

Chapter 149

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Chapter 149

The next morning, Jelasburg University’s auditorium was packed and buzzing with excitement as the welcome ceremony was about to kick off.

Nina had come to campus just for an experiment. Her hair was casually pulled into a bun, and she was rocking a plain white shirt and jeans.

Thanks to her role as a distinguished alum, Spencer invited her to join the special guest section for the ceremony.

Her seat was set in the middle row, right next to the aisle.

Coincidentally, seated just ahead and a little to the side was Claire, representing the new grad students.

Claire wore a graceful, classy dress and subtle makeup, calmly and confidently chatting with a few government officials in the front row.

One of the officials commented in admiration, “Claire, you’re so young and already leading vaccine development. That’s seriously impressive.”

Another quickly added, “She’s not just a rising star in research, but also the head of Summer Veterinary Group.

“With the pet industry taking off these days, her future is truly limitless.”

Claire responded with a modest smile, chatting away with effortless grace.

Just then, she turned and glanced at Nina, then warmly introduced her to the officials, “Oh, this is Nina. She’s a veterinarian as well.

“She’s also the owner of Forest Isle Zoo and has been working hard behind the scenes. It’s really tough for her.”

Her tone was friendly, but she put extra emphasis on “behind the scenes” and “tough”-the subtext was obvious.

Wilfred, sitting nearby, nodded in approval. “Claire is truly amazing. She appreciates the accomplishments of others.”

The officials just shot Nina a quick nod and a perfunctory smile, not really giving her much attention before refocusing on

Claire.

They thought she was just a zookeeper, nowhere near Claire’s level.

Suddenly, one of the younger officials seemed to recall something and shot Nina a surprised look. “Nina?

“Wait, your name rings a bell. Aren’t you the younger sister from the Star Pair that the Jelasburg Police Department is always talking about?”

Nina was a bit surprised, but she nodded politely.

She said, “Oh, I’m really flattered.

“I’m hardly an expert in investigation-there’s still so much I need to learn. If you ask me, the real stars of the show are actually those animals.”

The other two officials who had been pretty dismissive toward Nina just a moment ago suddenly realized who she was, and their attitude instantly changed.

“Oh wow. So, you’re one of the Star Pair from the police department,” one of them exclaimed.

Another chimed in. “That Tomb Robbery Homicide Case a while back-weren’t you and your brother the ones who cracked

Chapter 149

it?

“You’re really amazing. Since you started assisting, the precinct’s case-solving rate has improved significantly.

“We’ve all been super curious-how did you manage to find those crucial clues back then?”

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Another official joined in, dropping his voice a notch. “Word is, there was this professor named Alex from criminal investigation who actually ended up getting the wrong guy.

“And that poor kid was just about to leave for some huge international competition-time was extremely tight.

“Thank goodness you and your brother figured it all out in the end.”

Claire, who was sitting close by, suddenly stiffened. Her smile froze.

At that moment, one of them seemed to have a lightbulb moment and looked at Nina with curiosity.

He asked, “Wait, you all share the same last name. Are you somehow related to Professor Alex Summer and Claire?”

Nina shook her head right away, her voice clear and steady. “No, there’s no relation between us at all.

“My last name comes from my mother.”

After Nina left the Summer family, she actually considered changing her surname to follow Simon’s lead.

However, once she learned that her mother also carried the Summer name-and left behind a treasured manuscript for her -she ended up keeping it.

Not to mention, there was something even more important.

Nina had always stuck with her original name whenever she attended international conferences or published new research.

The Summer family’s audacity was beyond what Nina dared imagine.

If she ever changed her name, the Summer family would have Claire or another family member snatch up the “Nina” name and try to claim all the honors she had worked so hard for.

All her credentials and memberships clearly listed her info, but in the real world, there were always loopholes-no matter how strict things looked on paper, name-doubling and mix-ups could still happen before one knew it.

She would never, ever give the Summer family a shot at that.

Nina smiled and replied, perfectly composed, “Actually, Claire is Professor Alex Summer’s real sister.”

Everyone shot Claire a look-now they finally understood, but surprise was still written all over their faces.

Claire’s smile froze for a second, and she turned awkward as she tried to play it cool.

She managed to say, “It’s pretty normal to make a mistake when you’re cracking a case.

“Plus, my brother didn’t hold the suspect for over twenty-four hours-he let him go soon.”

She paused for a moment, visibly forcing the words out between clenched teeth. “Of course, it was the Star Pair who saved the day.”

Claire’s last sentence pretty much came out as a forced mumble.

Right then, the host’s voice thundered across the stage. “Now, let’s give a warm welcome to this year’s outstanding freshman rep-Claire, first-year grad student from the Department of Veterinary Medicine.

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“She’s not just the director of Summer Veterinary Group; she also took the lead in developing the groundbreaking FlashVax

Vaccine.

“And today, this vaccine officially launches, bound to bring a whole new wave of innovation to the pet healthcare world.”

The host paused for a moment, amping up the energy in the room.

He said, “Word has it, the FlashVax Vaccine hasn’t even officially dropped yet, but top-tier pet hospitals from around the globe have already sent in a flood of pre-orders.

“And today’s welcome ceremony will be the spotlight moment for Claire to announce the spectacular launch of FlashVax Vaccine.”

Claire rose to her feet, her eyes sweeping over the rear row to land on Nina, a smirk of unapologetic superiority and subtle mockery playing at her lips.

Nina just responded with a calm smile, refusing to engage.

She glanced down at her phone-Hector had just sent her the latest update.

Hector: [The halt procedure for FlashVax Vaccine has been activated; we’re on our way.]

Hector: [Nina, are you at Jelasburg University? Is Claire there with you?]

Hector: [The Animal Health Bureau people are on their way. Claire must be on-site as a patent-involved party to assist with the investigation. Do not let her escape.]

Nina: [Got it.]

When the host called Claire up to the stage, the crowd practically blew up-chatter and gasps flying everywhere like a live- stream chat gone wild.

“Claire? She just started grad school, and she’s already killing it. Holy crap, she’s a total legend.”

“Eastland must be proud of her. This is what a real genius looks like.”

“Whoa, I seriously thought she was some celebrity guest. She’s smart and gorgeous.”

With the crowd bursting into applause, Claire stood up with graceful ease, a gentle smile on her lips. All eyes turned to her as she strode confidently toward the stage steps, clearly the star of the morning.

However, just as Claire was about to step onto the stage, something happened.

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18:38 Tue, Jan 6