The Double or more Life of the Fake Heiress (Mirabella)

Linden fiddled with his nose, curious but smart enough not to dig deeper. He left the office shortly after.

An hour later, Wade showed up at the department. After a brief chat with Zane, he remarked, "I had a look at Calvin's student's paper earlier. The first version was all about genetic engineering and didn't really stand out. Then Calvin brought me a revised version, the one focusing on the value of decoding genetic codes. The thesis and the differentiation formulas were way more polished."

Wade paused, setting his glass on the coffee table. "So, that second paper was Mirabella's idea?"

He'd been puzzled about how a student could whip up such a mature thesis so quickly. It seemed extraordinary. Research papers aren't like your average essays; they demand lots of time for digging up data and testing theories.

If she'd borrowed someone else's ideas, though, it made sense.

Zane was surprised to learn Wade had read Meg's paper. If that was true, it strengthened the case that Meg had used Mirabella's concept, didn't it?

Zane gathered his thoughts, nodding, "I mentioned before how Mirabella could whip up a 3D simulation in no time. If I'm right, Meg's paper must've been based on Mirabella's calculations."

For someone with a good foundation, writing a paper based on another's calculations isn't too tough.

"Technically, Meg using Mirabella's calculations isn't outright theft, but doing it without asking isn't cool either. If everyone starts ignoring morals, things would get messy, right?"

Wade tapped his knee, his presence commanding yet calm. After a pause, he said, "Go gather everyone."

"Got it," Zane replied, quickly leaving the office.

*

Meg was still in the lab when she got the message. A fellow student had come to fetch her. Hearing she needed to go to the office right away, a wave of panic swept over her. Being called in at this time could only mean one thing: the paper.

Her teammates felt the same unease, their faces showing mixed emotions. Initially, everyone had second thoughts about using Mirabella's idea, but the allure of recognition was too strong.

"Moonlight, I can't believe they went to the professor. We're in deep now."

"It was just using an idea. Mirabella didn't patent it, so why make a fuss?"

"Yeah, never seen someone hold a grudge like this."

Her teammates gathered around Meg, looking worried.noveldrama

Meg stayed silent, sitting still for a good five minutes before regaining her

composure. She then went over to the computer, found the saved data files, and hit permanent delete.

Afterward, she looked at her teammates. "This idea has to be ours alone."

They got the message, nodding in agreement.

"But Mr. Zane was there too. Even if we delete the files, he saw everything," one teammate pointed out.