Free Web NovelChapter 84: Chapter 84 The Evidence Against Rose
At that moment, Rose actually found herself thinking:
A rare moment of peace.
She shook her head, changed into her sterile lab coat, and got to work.
With Samantha absent, the researchers from Columbia University no longer had anyone to crowd around. They quietly focused on their experiments instead.
Rose had already completed nearly all the necessary preparations.
After extracting and purifying the drug compounds, she conducted animal testing. So far, all the results had remained stable.
However...
By the third day, Samantha still hadn’t shown up.
And today happened to be the deadline Rose had originally given her.
If Samantha still couldn’t provide a satisfactory answer, Rose would have every reason to remove her from the project.
"Dr. Rose, I can’t get in touch with Ms. Hill, and the people from Columbia University keep dodging my questions."
Sofia walked in with a pout, looking visibly frustrated.
Every day of delay meant another day of uncertainty.
It would affect not only the clinical trial but also the project’s eventual launch and the contributions of everyone involved.
Who wouldn’t be anxious?
"The clinical trial we scheduled with Peace starts tomorrow," Sofia continued. "If Ms. Hill still isn’t responding, how are we supposed to coordinate with Peace?"
A single pharmaceutical product required coordination among countless departments, not just researchers.
Every step had to proceed flawlessly.
But without Samantha’s approval, Columbia University refused to move forward.
Rose lowered her eyes and carefully sealed the vials of purified solution.
Her voice remained calm.
"Notify Peace that the clinical trial schedule remains unchanged. Have General Manager Byrne from Columbia handle the discussions."
Without Samantha’s signature, Columbia University couldn’t officially proceed.
But it was impossible for an entire team to remain on hold because of one person.
Whether Samantha was injured or not, neglecting her responsibilities and disappearing without explanation was simply irresponsible.
Too many people were being affected.
Samantha needed to be dealt with.
*****
That afternoon, Diana stopped by.
She looked unusually unhappy.
"This isn’t good."
Rose removed her gloves. "What happened?"
Diana gritted her teeth. "I don’t know which idiot leaked the raw footage. Remember when Isabella mentioned seeing a video of Samantha trying to kiss Ryan during filming? I only found out today that it came from the unedited footage."
Rose finally remembered.
Isabella had mentioned it during the stairwell incident, but there had been so much chaos that she hadn’t paid much attention.
The documentary hadn’t even been released yet.
The footage should never have leaked.
"Did you find out who leaked it?" Rose asked.
Diana shook her head. "No. Nobody’s going to admit to violating company policy."
Rose immediately understood.
Diana had been dragged into the mess as well.
As for Samantha’s injury, the truth had been completely covered up.
Everyone at Columbia University—and even throughout New Hope—believed Samantha had simply suffered an accident.
Ryan had handled the matter thoroughly.
"Come to the hospital with me this afternoon," Diana said. "My boss got involved after hearing about it and told me to deal with the situation personally."
After all, the incident involved Ryan.
No one wanted to cross him.
Rose patted Diana’s shoulder.
"Alright."
*****
The reason Rose agreed to accompany Diana to the hospital was simple.
She wanted to confirm whether Samantha was truly unable to move.
Only then could things be handled fairly.
Samantha had been admitted to Peace Hospital.
When Rose and Diana arrived, they found Oliver and James already visiting her.
The moment they entered the private room, Rose spotted Ryan standing by the window.
One hand rested in his pocket as he leaned casually against the wall.
His tailored black vest outlined his lean waist, while his broad shoulders gave him an imposing presence.
Hearing footsteps, he slightly raised his chin and looked over.
His expression remained unreadable.
Samantha had been laughing and chatting with Oliver.
The moment she saw Rose, her smile disappeared.
"What are you doing here?"
Diana answered before Rose could speak.
"The documentary is still being filmed. We came to show a little human concern."
As if they actually wanted to see Samantha.
They weren’t fish swimming around in her pond.
"Ms. Robinson, are you really here to show concern," Oliver asked with a chuckle, "or are you here to stir up trouble?"
His gaze toward Rose carried a hint of suspicion.
James remained silent, studying Rose thoughtfully.
Seeing her calm expression, his eyes narrowed slightly.
"Oh, if our visit wasn’t dramatic enough, I can always hire a funeral procession to park outside and turn it into a public event. Would that make you happier?" Diana sneered.
She had absolutely no respect for this group of wealthy young heirs.
A nest of snakes.
Oliver was momentarily speechless.
That was brutal.
Samantha understood the implication as well, and her face darkened immediately.
Who exactly was Diana wishing dead?
Rose gently tugged at Diana’s sleeve before turning toward Samantha, who appeared perfectly healthy lying in bed.
"Since you’re fine, when can we move forward with the Columbia University project?"
Samantha’s expression cooled.
Leaning back against her pillow, she smiled faintly.
"Unfortunately, I was framed and ended up injured. The project will have to wait a little longer."
Rose wasn’t surprised in the slightest.
Samantha acted difficult even when she wasn’t injured.
A minor injury would only make things worse.
In that case...
It was time to remove her from the team.
"Fine," Rose said. "Then stay in bed. Stay there as long as you’d like."
Now that she’d decided to kick Samantha off the project, Samantha could remain there forever for all she cared.
Rose turned to leave.
"Rose, aren’t you going to explain yourself?"
Samantha’s voice suddenly rang out.
Rose stopped.
Turning around, she looked genuinely puzzled.
"Explain what?"
A mocking smile appeared on Samantha’s lips.
"The original footage was leaked, which led Isabella to find out about everything. But how exactly was that footage leaked? And why did it just happen to end up in Isabella’s hands?"
Oliver looked at Rose with a pitying expression.
"Rose, you really didn’t have to do something like that."
The warning bells in Rose’s head immediately started ringing.
Something was off.
Diana’s face darkened.
"Are you accusing Rose of leaking the footage to Isabella?"
Samantha let out a cold laugh. "At this point, whether you admit it or not doesn’t matter. Before you arrived, I’d already spoken with Columbia University. On the same day the footage was leaked, Rose went to the server room where the files were stored and had lunch with Ms. Robinson."
She paused. "Is that just a coincidence?"
The accusation couldn’t have been more obvious.
Rose hadn’t expected things to take this turn.
"I don’t care how you choose to compete with me," Samantha continued calmly. "But this? Rose, if you were a little more straightforward, I might actually respect you."
"What nonsense!" Diana snapped. "If you hadn’t done something shameful in the first place, would Isabella have come after you at all?"
She immediately saw through Samantha’s attempt to shift the blame onto Rose.
Instinctively, she glanced toward Ryan.
He had been standing by the window the entire time.
Not once had he spoken in Rose’s defense.
Diana suddenly felt sorry for her.
Rose noticed Ryan’s detached attitude as well.
From beginning to end, he hadn’t even reacted.
She found herself unable to care.
"If you suspect me," she said calmly, "show me your evidence."
She couldn’t even be bothered to defend herself.
Oliver frowned. "I think admitting your mistake is still your best option."
In his eyes, Rose was simply refusing to give up until she hit a dead end.
Everyone knew how deeply she loved Ryan.
What wouldn’t a jealous woman do?
James frowned slightly.
Leaning against the wall, he remained silent.
Because...
"If you won’t admit to leaking the footage," Samantha said slowly, her eyes fixed on Rose, "then what about pushing me down the stairs?"
