"Right, that sums it up nicely," Simone said, nodding. "This afternoon, when you have a break, everyone should go check out the new lab. We'll be moving our offices over there next month."

As soon as the meeting ended, Faye wasted no time knocking on Simone's office door.

"Professor, there's something I need to report to you."

Simone looked up from her desk. "What's going on?"

"It's about Eleanor. Her behavior is completely inappropriate-she's been having an affair, cheating on her husband." Faye's voice trembled with indignation.

Simone paused, her expression sharpening. "Faye, that's a serious accusation. You can't just say things like that."

"I have proof," Faye insisted, her eyes blazing. "And the person she's involved with is none other than Joel. Someone like her has no place in our lab-she doesn't even deserve to call herself a scientist." With that, Faye took out her phone and played the secretly recorded video for Simone. "See for yourself, Professor. Is this acceptable?"

Simone watched the footage in silence, then sat back, thoughtful. "Have you told anyone else about this?"

Faye bit her lip. "If you won't do anything about it, I'll have no choice but to report Eleanor to the Dean's office and have her expelled."

Simone's tone turned firm, protective. "Faye, I think you're mistaken. Eleanor and Joel are just colleagues. There's nothing more to it."

Disappointment twisted in Faye's chest. She hadn't expected Simone to take Eleanor's side so openly, to shield her so blatantly.

Simone added a few words of advice, urging Faye to focus on her research. Faye nodded on the surface, but inside she seethed with frustration. Reporting to Simone and the Dean had led nowhere. The only way left was to go straight to Eleanor's husband-he'd know how to deal with her.

But she needed to find him first.

Eleanor had a daughter, so her child must be enrolled at a local school. If Faye could spot the school's name in their group chat, she'd be able to track down Eleanor and her husband.

It wasn't all that difficult. Gwenda was more than willing to lend a hand.

Eleanor didn't guard herself much around Gwenda, so it only took a flimsy excuse to get a look at Eleanor's pinned messages. As expected, when Gwenda asked Eleanor to forward her a document, Eleanor grabbed her phone and opened her messages. Right at the top was the name of her daughter's school: "Nova Prime Class."

Gwenda memorized it and passed the info straight to Faye. "I checked it out. It's a preschool just down the street from Eleanor's house. If you wait around there, you're bound to run into her husband."

A cold, satisfied smile flickered across Faye's face. Let Eleanor deal with her own husband's wrath. The thought even crept in—maybe, just maybe, he'd turn out to be the violent type, and give Eleanor exactly what she deserved.

At two in the afternoon, everyone set out to visit the new research facility. Jude Vaughn had been busy there all week, overseeing the installation of the new equipment.

"Feel free to check out your new labs and offices," Jude announced. "Everyone gets their own private workspace."

Eleanor and Joel rode the elevator up to the fourth floor, their new offices side by side. Eleanor went straight to the lab, her eyes sweeping over the gleaming new equipment. She moved from bench to bench, inspecting everything with care. Then, she paused in front of one machine. There was something odd about its label-creased and peeling. Eleanor picked at the edge and lifted the top layer, revealing a half-torn old sticker beneath.

Kneeling for a closer look, she caught sight of the faded return date underneath. This wasn't new at all. It was a refurbished or second-hand machine, passed off as brand new.

Fury rose hot and sharp in Eleanor's chest. So this was the equipment Vanessa's father had supplied to their lab?