?Chapter 531:

    Pulling her hand from Sandra’s, Ste faced the woman and answered, “So what if Nina studied abroad? That doesn’t make her some kind of legend. And as for her friendship with William, that’s her business, not mine.”

    Unimpressed, the woman scoffed, ready to shoot back, but Ste cut her off before she could get another word out.

    “Whatever is—or isn’t—going on between Nina and William has nothing to do with me. I came here to focus on my research, not get tangled in someone else’s drama. If you’re so determined topare people, why not see how you measure up against a billionaire? If youe up short, are you going to start crying in public?”

    The woman was left speechless by Ste’s retort, her finger trembling as she pointed at her. “Say that again, Sylvia!”

    Meanwhile, the lunch line was finally moving, and Ste realized she had no time for pointless squabbles.

    “Stop stirring up trouble and just get on with your work. If you keep acting like this, you might get thrown out of the institute before you even realize it. Then you’ll have no one to me but yourself.”

    With that, Ste took Sandra by the arm and walked off to grab their lunch, paying no mind to the woman’s loud protests behind them. That afternoon, the whole research institute seemed to divide.

    Some put their faith in Nina’s abilities, while others rallied behind Ste. The heated debates between the two camps didn’t let up, and the whole institute buzzed with rumors for the rest of the day.

    Not long before everyone was supposed to clock out, William made his way toward Paul’s office.

    While moving through the corridor, a pair of coworkers spotted him and greeted him politely, “Hey, William!”

    William returned the greeting with a small nod.

    As they continued, William caught a snippet of their hushed conversation. “Did you catch what Sylvia said to Hester in the cafeteria earlier?”

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    William paused mid-step, ncing back at the two as they walked ahead, then started following at a distance.

    “I heard all about it. Sylvia sounded so sure of herself, saying neither William nor Nina mattered to her. She’s just here to work on her research, nothing else.”

    He stopped once more, disappointment settling in his chest like a heavy stone. So, that was how Ste saw things—he didn’t even register on her list of priorities.

    Her research clearly meant more to her than he ever had.

    For a few seconds, William just stood there before letting out a soft, bitterugh.

    He’d always known Ste could be distant, never one to show much gratitude or warmth.

    Despite opening up to her, it was obvious she hadn’t cared about his feelings at all.

    With that, William finally pushed the thought aside and walked into Paul’s office, determined to leave Ste out of his mind.

    That night, Ste returned to her dorm room. Since lunch had been filling, dinner could wait. Instead, she settled in to review her project documents. A little curiosity got the better of her, so she started searching online for anything she could find about Nina.

    “You can’t beat your rival unless you understand what you’re up against,” Ste reminded herself.

    She had barely made it halfway through her research when the doorbell rang.

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