Chapter 1087:

Deandre gave off an air of being jaded and unconcerned, yet beneath that surface, every move he made was deliberate and strategic. In a world where wealth and power were tightly bound, where brutality coexisted with structure, any technology that could grow living tissue—and perhaps even achieve full organ regeneration—was worth far more than money alone could measure.

Rylie fell silent briefly before speaking again, her calm voice carrying clearly through the still lab. “It’s not the environment, and it’s not the growth factors either. What if the real problem is the culture medium?”

“The culture medium?” Dominic repeated with a frown. “We’re using a standard formulation. Every component is carefully sourced and goes through strict quality checks.”

“Yes, it’s standard,” Rylie agreed as she stood and moved toward the screen. She pointed to a small, easily overlooked set of auxiliary data. “But the medium is freshly prepared by hand on-site before every experiment.”

𝗔𝗱𝘥𝗶c𝘵і𝘃𝘦 𝘀𝘁𝘰𝘳𝗶𝖾ѕ o𝗻 𝗴𝖺𝗅no𝗏e𝘭s.сo𝗆

Dominic drew a sharp breath as realization struck him. “So the issue isn’t coming from my team or me—it’s originating at headquarters?”

Given Deandre’s deep ties to the criminal underworld, the possibility of behind-the-scenes manipulation was hardly surprising. Dominic, however, knew none of that. To him, the project was simply backed by a wealthy businessman from Marinth.

Rylie continued calmly, “It could be internal mishandling, or perhaps just another accident. Either way, the project keeps stalling because of unexpected setbacks, and the return on investment is anything but reliable.”

Dominic’s brows knit together. “If even one person involved isn’t genuinely committed to this groundbreaking research, I might have no option left but to walk away.” Even so, abandoning it felt like a terrible loss. “The concept itself has real merit and enormous research potential.”

Rylie smiled lightly. “It’s not that complicated. Just let me help with the experiments on their side.”

Dominic shook his head at once. “No. It’s far too dangerous. You’re still young—this isn’t something you should be involved in.”

“Professor Holden, I won’t be going alone,” Rylie said calmly. “You know my family’s background. I travel with bodyguards at all times. We also have businesses in Marinth, which means I’d actually be safer there than you would. And if a breakthrough happens, you’d be guiding a major leap in medical history through your student. Leaders have to be willing to take risks. Don’t you agree?”

Dominic, who lived solely for academic research, normally detested anything tied to commerce. Rylie, however, was an exception—the only daughter of Eshea’s wealthiest family.

After thinking it over for a long moment, he finally nodded, his expression serious. “I’ll draft a recommendation for you. Once you’ve finished your entrance exams at Evergreen University, you can head there. Until then, we’ll stay in discreet contact, and any research data can be encrypted and exchanged so we can continue working together.”

Rylie and Dominic exchanged a brief, reassuring embrace, quietly sealing the decision between them.

Over the next few days, Rylie spent time enjoying campus life with the research students. On the final day of exams, she met Melany for a meal.

She arrived at the café in a loose, pale-yellow sweatshirt and jeans, a canvas bag slung over her shoulder, as if she’d come straight from class.

Although Melany tried to conceal her growing belly, a passing gust outlined it clearly as she crossed the street.

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