Three Years Forgotten, Why Go Crazy When I Say Goodbye? novel Chapter 412

Mr. Smith had spent two days at the Sinclair Group, thoroughly reviewing all their gene-editing initiatives. He paid special attention to the deep-dive research on their joint project with Merit Biotech.

In the conference room, Mr. Smith voiced his approval of the project's foundation. The theoretical approach was highly forward-thinking, the experimental design was rigorous, and the data samples were incredibly reliable. They had achieved breakthrough progress in gene sequencing and target research. It was the kind of work that wouldn't just benefit the Sinclair-Merit partnership, but would leave a massive mark on future patent development.

However, he quickly pivoted, noting that his praise only applied to the early phases of the project. The recent data, he pointed out, looked as though it had completely veered off course. Compared to the initial brilliance, the current state of the research was, in his words, an absolute disaster.

Confused by the stark drop in quality, Mr. Smith asked Vivienne Sinclair to explain how the exact same project could yield such vastly different results.

Vivienne knew the real reason perfectly well. The flawless early data had been produced by Leo Yardley and his team. The "disaster" Mr. Smith was currently reviewing was the result of Vivienne being forced to wing it after driving Leo away, hastily patching together experiments she barely understood.

But she couldn't admit that. She had to pivot the blame.

"Professor Smith, to be completely honest with you, the reason for the drastic shift is that we ran into a severe internal crisis halfway through."

"What kind of crisis?" Mr. Smith asked directly. He was a man who appreciated bluntness.

Mr. Smith was an academic purist. He spent his life in laboratories, largely sheltered from corporate malice. Seeing Vivienne look so wronged and frustrated, he didn't doubt her story for a second.

He had already been frustrated by the messy data, but hearing the supposed truth sent his anger boiling over. His face flushed red with indignation. "Leo Yardley, is it? I will remember that name. As a researcher, he threw the most basic professional ethics out the window. Jumping ship for personal gain is one thing, but to maliciously destroy a gene project that countless people poured their blood and sweat into? A man so devoid of loyalty and bottom lines doesn't even deserve to step foot in a laboratory. It is utterly despicable and infuriating!"

Standing off to the side, Vivienne lowered her gaze to hide the triumphant smirk playing on her lips. She immediately added fuel to the fire. "Of course, a betrayal of this magnitude isn't something he could pull off on his own. He definitely had backing from someone else."