He Wanted My Research, She Wanted My Seat, I Wanted Out Chapter 09

He Wanted My Research, She Wanted My Seat, I Wanted Out Chapter 09

“How did you get…”

I looked at Henrik. “When you used that USB drive to steal my research, you ‘accidentally’ picked up a little piece of spyware too.”

“So everything on your computer? I saw all of it.”

“Henrik, you betrayed me for Tessa. And now you have the nerve to come crawling back?”

“Don’t you disgust yourself?”

A shrill voice cut through the air.

“So you did come to find Camila. Henrik, how could you do this to me?”

“Camila, have you no shame? Still clinging to Henrik?”

“Fine, I’ll say it. Henrik and I have been sleeping together for a long time. You had this coming! You always had to be better than me! Better family, better grades, better everything!”

“I wanted you to know, no matter how great you are, your boyfriend came running the second I crooked my finger…”

Before she could finish, Henrik spun around and slapped her across the face.

“Shut up, you trash. You think you can compare to Camila?”

“You’re nowhere near her. Not as pretty, not as smart, not as decent. You’re nothing but gutter scum.”

—

Tessa screamed and clawed at him. They tumbled into each other, fighting like animals.

I turned and walked back into the school.

Henrik didn’t give up. He waited outside the campus gates every day, harassing me nonstop.

I’d had enough. I called the cops.

They picked him up for stalking someone right after he got out of prison, and held him for ten days.

Tessa tried to restart her life after prison. She wanted to retake exams, go back to school.

But the scandal had followed her. No institution would take her.

Her parents set up blind dates, hoping to marry her off.

But the moment anyone heard her name, they backed out. Wouldn’t even meet her.

Tessa hit rock bottom. She hunted down Henrik and demanded he take responsibility.

“Because of you, my reputation is destroyed. No school wants me. No one wants me.”

“You have to marry me.”

Henrik wasn’t doing much better. The guy who once had Harvard in his sights now delivered food for a living, taking crap from everyone.

When he saw Tessa, he lost it.

—

“Get lost. Your reputation’s all your own fault. You’re the one who threw yourself at me!”

“You ruined my life too, you curse. Stay the hell away from me!”

Tessa shoved his delivery moped over in anger. The insulated bag flipped open, food spilling everywhere.

Henrik saw red. He grabbed her by the collar.

“You stupid bitch, you know how much I’m going to get fined for this? My whole day, wasted!”

“Curse. Trash. You’re going to pay for this.”

They went at each other right there on the side of the road.

A car taking a sharp turn didn’t see them in time.

It hit both of them.

I heard they were critically injured. Hospitalized for two days.

What happened after that I don’t know. I don’t want to know.

It was all in the past. Nothing to do with me anymore.

Two years later, I graduated from Stanford. Dr. Thompson took me straight into his graduate program.

After that, the university recommended me to the National Research Institute.

I’d published several more projects during college, so the day I walked in, they made me deputy director, leading my own team.

—

Five years after that, I became the youngest associate director in the institute’s history.

My name started showing up on headlines. Regularly.

One day, my phone rang.

I looked at the screen: Number Withheld.

I answered gently.

“You did well.”

“Congratulations. This time, you protected everything that was yours.”

“For the rest of your life, let yourself shine.”

I didn’t ask who she was again. I just said, softly, “Thank you.”

I hung up and pushed open the window.

Below the institute building, the flowers were blooming.