From Ashes to Queen: Now I Call the Shots novel Chapter 98

Chapter 98 A Crumbling Crown

The moment Scarlett spoke, the entire hall froze.

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Only the senior professors reacted differently–turning toward her as if she were a rare national treasure. Their gazes burned with a feverish intensity.

Once the audience realized none of the esteemed experts were disputing her claim, their shock deepened.

All eyes turned to Scarlett.

Martha’s gaze, especially, was like daggers–if looks could kill, Scarlett would’ve been shredded on the spot.

Beside her, Oliver quickly tried to calm her down.

“Mom, don’t worry. I’ve got everything under control.”

“Rebecca’s incredible. She’ll be fine against someone half as competent.”

Martha’s heartbeat slowed.

Right. How could I ever doubt Rebecca?

Come on, Rebecca–wipe the floor with this little fake!

She clenched her fists and looked back toward the stage, eyes gleaming with hope.

But Scarlett had long stopped caring about how people viewed her. At this point, she could handle praise or humiliation without flinching.

Her tone remained calm, steady, and powerful.

“If you’ve truly studied this subject,” she said, “then you should know: the density of CD28 receptors on human T cells is several times higher than that on lower–order animals. Antibody binding doesn’t trigger ‘activation–it causes a ‘burst“.”

The entire auditorium fell silent.

If it caused a cellular burst…

Then any patient who received this treatment would be as good as dead.

Calvin whipped his head around and stared at Rebecca, panic flashing in his eyes.

“Rebecca, are you telling me you didn’t run verification with the primate simulation system?”

Rebecca’s face went ghostly pale.

She hadn’t even considered it.

The idea had originally been Scarlett’s.

When Rebecca first saw the promising mouse data, she had taken it without hesitation.

Scarlett had objected in the lab, but she brushed it off.

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Chapter 98 A Crumbling Crown

And to keep the truth from ever getting out… she’d orchestrated that lab fire.

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But after the fire, Scarlett had broken off the engagement and cut ties with the Joyner family, so the matter had quietly died.

She had thought–after the conference, she could use Scarlett’s isolation to control her completely and secure her position in the academic world.

She hadn’t expected to stumble this badly.

Looking back now, she couldn’t help but wonder–maybe Scarlett had fought her so fiercely back then for her own good.

Rebecca clenched her teeth.

Then put on a pitiful face, eyes brimming with tears.

“Professor… I did run the simulation. But the research is still in the mouse–testing phase, and the later trials weren’t finished in time, so I left them out of the paper.”

Calvin let out a breath of relief.

Of course–Rebecca had always been meticulous. The innovation was solid, the work methodical. She couldn’t have missed something so basic.

As someone who’d handled many public situations in his career, Calvin quickly took control.

“My student is cautious by nature.”

“Since the primate simulations weren’t conclusive yet, she chose not to present that data.”

But the audience wasn’t convinced.

A few scoffed loudly.

“Well, Professor Miller, if you’re that cautious, why’d you let your student present half–finished work? Thought we were witnessing a breakthrough in immunotherapy–what a letdown. Even basic research should include primate simulations before moving toward clinical trials. This is hilarious. A conference this prestigious, and someone shows up half–baked.”

Calvin had always held himself above others, so he wasn’t especially well–liked in the field.

Now, his rivals wasted no time kicking him while he was down.

Calvin was seething.

Scarlett must’ve known all along.

And she’d waited for this moment–when the whole room was watching–to embarrass Rebecca.

He’d thought Rebecca’s presentation might place in the top three,

Now, it would be lucky not to fall to the bottom three.

If I’d known this would happen. I’d have sent Micah instead. At least he wouldn’t humiliate me.

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