Chapter 7
The ballroom's massive projection screen suddenly emitted a sharp burst of static.
Vanessa's promotional video, which had been looping, went black.
The next second, a Twitter screenshot hijacked the screen, magnifying before everyone's eyes.
The poster: "K"—a legendary figure in the global hacker community.
On the left side of the screenshot was Vanessa's "core code" from the summit presentation.
On the right, a discarded draft from three years ago.
The base logic of both codes was identical down to the last detail.
Even the misspelled word in the third-line comment had been copied exactly.
K's caption read: [Veridian Research Institute's specially recruited genius?]
[Takes someone else's three-year-old trash from the recycling bin for her demo. Even copied the garbled code word-for-word. Shameless thief!]
The ballroom fell into dead silence.
Clatter.
Vanessa's phone hit the floor. Her face went deathly pale.
"How is this happening..."
The guests who had been fawning over the Stone family moments ago now backed away in disgust.
"She even copied the spelling errors? This fraud couldn't be more blatant!"
"She called it independent research. She's embarrassing us internationally."
"If the research institute hires this kind of academic cancer, their reputation's finished."
The mainstream media outlets the Stone family had paid handsomely to promote Vanessa's "genius girl" image pivoted immediately.
Cameras swung toward Andrew onstage and Vanessa on the floor, shutters clicking furiously.
"Mr. Stone! Did Stone Group know about Ms. Stone's academic fraud?"
"Ms. Stone, what's your response to hacker K's allegations?"
Andrew's face darkened. Suppressing his panic, he barked into the microphone. "Where the hell is security? Clear the room!"
"Find out which media outlets snuck in tonight. Anyone who leaks a single word online—Stone Group's legal team will bury them!"
Marcus panicked too. He rushed forward to shield Vanessa, shoving at the cameras.
"Stop filming! This is a private event! Anyone who publishes this—Stone Group will sue you into bankruptcy!"
Security flooded in, attempting to escort the reporters out.
The reporters had finally struck gold. They weren't backing down easily.
The two sides clashed. The scene descended into chaos.
Tears streamed down Vanessa's face. She clutched Marcus's sleeve, sobbing pitifully.
"Marcus, I didn't plagiarize."
"I pulled countless all-nighters developing that model! Parallel thinking is normal in science. I don't even know this K person or where he got similar code..."
"Marcus, someone's setting me up! I completed that code independently at home. No one but family had access..."
She suddenly looked up, pointing toward Sienna in the corner.
"It's you, isn't it? You're jealous I got into the institute, so you teamed up with some hacker to frame me with a fake draft!"
Marcus immediately turned to Sienna.
He pushed through the crowd and confronted her.
"Did you do this?"
"You're a useless waste, so you got some outsider to destroy Nessa's hard work! Have you no shame?"
Andrew shook off the reporters and strode over, jabbing his finger at Sienna's face.
"You ungrateful wretch! We brought you back, gave you everything, and this is how you repay us?"
"Post a statement on your account right now! Clarify that K is a fraud you hired! Or you're not leaving here in one piece!"
Sienna set down her glass and looked coldly at the frantic father and son.
"Brains are useful. Too bad your whole family can't scrape together one complete set."
She leaned back in her chair, a mocking smile playing on her lips.
"Vanessa presented the code herself. She typed out the garbled mess herself. What, did I hold her hand and force her to copy?"
"How dare you talk back!"
Marcus lost control. He raised his hand high, ready to slap Sienna hard across the face.
Behind him, Vanessa's lips curled upward.
Sienna's eyes flashed coldly. Instead of dodging, she grabbed the glass from the table, ready to smash it into his stupid face.
Just then.
BANG.
The ballroom's heavy carved doors burst open. Two rows of black-suited bodyguards filed in with military precision, parting the crowd to create a wide path.
The next second, Zane strode into the hall.
His stark black suit emphasized his commanding frame. His chiseled features radiated an unapproachable authority under the lights.
Ryder followed half a step behind.
The ballroom, which had been as loud as a street market, went silent instantly.
Why would Zane come in person?
Andrew forgot about punishing Sienna. His expression shifted. He plastered on an ingratiating smile and rushed forward.
"Mr. Hearst, what an honor! You should've given us advance notice so I could greet you personally."
Zane didn't respond. His gaze swept the room and landed on Sienna in the corner.
Marcus assumed Zane had come to support Vanessa. He quickly pulled her forward.
"Mr. Hearst, you're here for Nessa, right? She's officially joining the institute tomorrow. There's plenty of room for our families to collaborate."
Vanessa's cheeks flushed with a bashful glow. Her voice dripped sweetness. "Mr. Hearst, I'll be counting on your guidance at the institute..."
Before she finished, Zane walked right past her.
He completely ignored the Stone family's fawning and headed straight for Sienna.
He tilted his head slightly, his tone carrying subtle familiarity.
"How's Hearst Group's supercomputing center working out for you?"
On the way over, Zane had already reviewed Sienna's top-clearance usage logs.
Sienna set down her glass without even glancing at the frozen Stone family members. Her tone was casual.
"Not bad."
Their conversation carried clearly throughout the ballroom.
Andrew looked thunderstruck. His eyes bulged.
Hearst Group's supercomputing center? That was Riverton tech's most classified facility!
How could that useless Sienna possibly have access?
And Zane's attitude—like he was asking for her opinion!
Zane paid no attention to the others' reactions and continued.
"Finished what you needed to do?"
Before leaving earlier, Sienna had submitted progress on the TS Algorithm. She knew Zane was eager to see the final model.
"Pretty much. Let's go."
Their casual exchange left everyone stunned.
The untouchable head of Hearst Group was this attentive to the Stone family's castoff?
Andrew's fake smile collapsed completely.
"Mr. Hearst... you're leaving already?"
Zane didn't spare him a glance. He signaled Ryder.
"Mr. Stone, please stay where you are."
Ryder understood. He blocked Andrew and pulled a red-stamped document from his briefcase, dropping it heavily on the table in front of Vanessa.
"As Hearst Group is the research institute's largest investor, we hold veto power."
His tone was strictly professional. "In light of Vanessa Stone's serious academic fraud, Hearst Group has formally submitted a rejection to the institute's board of directors."
He paused, his voice carrying across the room. "Effective immediately, Vanessa is permanently barred from the research institute. Furthermore, any research institution in Riverton with Hearst Group capital will never employ Vanessa Stone."
Before anyone could process this, Zane added, "Let me reintroduce someone. Sienna Stone, Chief Technology Partner of Hearst Group."
"All future technical operations at Hearst Group will be under her direction."
