After the previous upheaval with Westgard Pharmaceuticals, Vincent Hawthorne wanted to be much more cautious this time. He looked at Cindy Lynn, "Cindy, can you contact Professor Carter now?" "I can, but I’m not sure if Professor Carter has time right now." Cindy Lynn said as she took out her phone, having already saved the number Julian Poole had sent her for Professor Carter. She had previously messaged Professor Carter, introducing herself. Though in return, she received only a brief response: "Mm." Cindy Lynn naturally dialed the number. Vincent Hawthorne: "Put it on speaker." Rhys Lucas glanced at him, barely perceivable, he frowned slightly. He wondered if he was overthinking it, but he always felt Vincent Hawthorne was becoming increasingly distrustful of Cindy Lynn lately. Cindy Lynn, as Vincent Hawthorne suggested, placed the phone on the table and turned on the speaker. After waiting for about half a minute, the call was answered. "Hello Professor Carter, I am Cindy Lynn, who has contacted you before." Cindy Lynn quickly spoke, afraid of revealing any flaws. However, a young voice was heard from the other end of the call. "Ms. Lynn, Professor Carter is currently in a meeting with several important guests and cannot take the call. I am his student." "I’m sorry, it was presumptuous of me. I, along with President Hawthorne, will visit the research base tomorrow morning at ten." The other party politely responded: "Okay, then we’ll be awaiting your arrival." After the call was hung up, Cindy Lynn looked at Vincent Hawthorne and said softly, "Vincent, let’s meet Professor Carter together tomorrow morning. Professor Carter has already seen my collaboration proposal, and there are no issues." Vincent Hawthorne’s concerns finally dissipated. "Great, you’ve worked hard this time." "Why would I mind? I’m part of the company too, and..." Cindy Lynn lowered her head and laughed slightly, "I’m happy to be able to help you." Vincent Hawthorne looked at Cindy Lynn’s understanding manner and couldn’t help but feel a tinge of guilt about his previous doubts. She asked for nothing, only wanted to help him... Cindy Lynn, however, got up: "President Hawthorne, I’ll go take care of some things now." Rhys Lucas stood up as well. "I have things to do too, let’s go together." Rhys Lucas left with Cindy Lynn, walking to the elevator, standing beside her, he couldn’t help but glance down at her. She had barely put on makeup today, her face pale, and her eyes were red from crying earlier, making her look pitiful and sympathetic. Since Tanya Sinclair had awoken, Cindy had been bullied and looked increasingly haggard! Rhys Lucas frowned deeply, his disgust for Tanya Sinclair reached an unsurpassed level. "What’s up, Senior Brother Lucas?" Looking at Cindy Lynn’s gentle and clear brows, Rhys Lucas felt his heart block up uncomfortably. "I once promised to take care of you and protect you, but I haven’t done it." Rhys Lucas bit his teeth angrily, "If it weren’t for that bootlicking heir of The Monroe Family, acting like a madman and refusing to let me go, alarming Old Master Lucas, who placed numerous restrictions on me! I would have dealt with Tanya Sinclair long ago!" The bootlicker of The Monroe Family? Cindy Lynn felt a slight stirring in her heart. Wasn’t that Zion Monroe, whom she had seen at Westgard Pharmaceuticals earlier? That unrefined bootlicker, how did he suddenly start clashing with Rhys Lucas? No wonder Rhys Lucas had been contacting her less often... "Senior Brother Lucas, don’t worry about me anymore." Cindy Lynn said considerately, "I remember all the good you’ve done for me over these years. You need to take care of yourself..." As Cindy Lynn spoke, she reached out to touch Rhys Lucas’s slightly furrowed brow, touching it briefly like a dragonfly skimming the water before pulling away. Rhys Lucas was taken aback as if electrified, he pressed his lips together, solidifying his determination... When he left the main doors of Zenith Group, Rhys Lucas immediately took out his phone and made a call. "Spread the word, say that The Lucas Family wants to blacklist someone — Tanya Sinclair, who is currently collaborating with Westgard Pharmaceuticals. From today on, anyone who collaborates with her is opposing The Lucas Family!" A lean camel is bigger than a horse. Although The Lucas Family was no longer as glorious as before, its residual power remained, especially since Old Master Lucas had nurtured many juniors in politics who were now in high positions. Everyone would give The Lucas Family some face! Just a mere Tanya Sinclair, he wants her to kneel and apologize to Cindy! "Young Master Lucas, isn’t Tanya Sinclair President Hawthorne’s wife? Taking such actions, President Hawthorne..." Rhys Lucas laughed coldly at the mention: "Don’t worry. I’ve been brothers with Vincent Hawthorne for years, for him, Tanya Sinclair is not even worth a dog raised by The Hawthorne Family." Upstairs, Cindy Lynn stood by the floor-to-ceiling window, lowering her gaze to watch Rhys Lucas leave on the phone, her lips curving in satisfaction... Meanwhile, at The Veridia Project research base. Professor Carter had just come out of the meeting room, his expression solemn and stern, the most crucial aspect had yet to be breached... "Professor Carter." His student Sam Sawyer approached, handing him his phone, "That Cindy Lynn will be visiting with President Hawthorne from Zenith Group tomorrow morning." Professor Carter paused slightly, recalling the person Cindy Lynn was, recommended by Julian Poole. "Mm." He indifferently said, "Tomorrow, you’ll handle the reception, just go through the motions. Find a project that’s not important, and sign the contract for cooperation with them." He had heard of Zenith Group’s name, a family enterprise with some capability. But as far as he knew, in the field of renewable energy, Zenith Group hadn’t achieved much. He’s agreeing to the cooperation for no other reason than to do Julian Poole a favor. "Understood, Professor." Sam Sawyer responded. Professor Carter suddenly remembered, "By the way, has Old Truman returned to teach at Northwood University?" The "Old Truman" in his mouth is none other than the renowned Academician Truman, Preston Truman. The two were university classmates and are considered giants in the academic world, comparable to the likes of Southern Carter and Northern Truman. Sam Sawyer respectfully said, "Yes, Academician Truman has returned to Northwood." Professor Carter was overjoyed, "Quick, quick, quick, arrange a car for me! I need to find him now! If Old Truman can bring along his disciples to join the core team of The Veridia Project, we might even be able to shorten our completion time!" Sam Sawyer quickly arranged for a car while keeping pace with the swift-moving Professor Carter. Mentioning Northwood University, he suddenly recalled a person. "Professor, wasn’t that genius student who caused a sensation years ago—Tanya Sinclair—one of Professor Truman’s protégés?" Although he was not from Northwood at the time, Tanya Sinclair’s name was well-known. "Indeed she was. Old Truman was incredibly proud of her back then, taking her everywhere or praising her behind her back, expecting her to carry on his legacy." Professor Carter had been Truman’s old friend for years, fully aware of Preston Truman’s arrogance. It clearly showed how much he cherished Tanya Sinclair. "So why has Tanya Sinclair vanished from sight?" Sam Sawyer was puzzled. Logic dictates that Tanya Sinclair, being a rare genius and under the tutelage of Academician Truman, should have made a name for herself internationally by now, right? Professor Carter paused, turned to look at Sam Sawyer, and did not respond directly. Instead, he warned, "When you see Old Truman, if you don’t want to be chased out with a stick, then don’t mention the name Tanya Sinclair in front of him!" Westgard Pharmaceuticals. Tanya Sinclair was swamped all morning, not even having a moment to take a sip of water. In this collaboration, she was hired as the project leader. Westgard Pharmaceuticals has its independent research center, complete with sophisticated laboratory equipment and an entire professional team. The research center initially had a great deal of autonomy, and after Declan Pierce became the owner of Westgard Pharmaceuticals, he made no changes. Even the layoffs only involved the high-ranking confidants of the former boss. Everything else remained the same. The head of the research center is named Belinda, in her early thirties, with a neat, ear-length short haircut, very capable. She holds a Ph.D. from Stanford and is an expert in the pharmaceutical field, having published multiple SCI papers during her university years—an archetypal academic talent. This morning, Belinda personally received Tanya Sinclair, gave her a brief tour, and then led her to her office. "My office is at the end of the hallway. If you need any help, Ms. Sinclair, feel free to let me know." Belinda’s attitude towards Tanya Sinclair was distant but polite. "Thank you, Manager Belinda." Tanya Sinclair nodded and thanked her politely in return. She then dove into her work. After all, she was there to earn money, not make friends. As long as they cooperated well professionally, a cool demeanor in private was irrelevant. Tanya Sinclair spent the entire morning further refining the research plan, detailing the time required for each development step and the manpower needed. She took the documents to Belinda, intending to implement them after her approval. But she hadn’t yet reached Belinda’s office when she overheard gossip from colleagues as she passed by the pantry. "What’s the story with that Tanya Sinclair? I checked her information; she’s just an undergraduate like me. Even if it’s Northwood, it’s not that prestigious here, right?" At the research center, everyone is a graduate from a prestigious university, and most hold at least a master’s degree. Undergraduates typically only do the most basic work. The man complaining was Kyle Crawford, the only undergraduate hired earlier this year. Others usually become permanent after three months; he took half a year. Kyle Crawford initially thought nothing of it until suddenly a project leader appeared—a woman—and not only that, an undergraduate like him. He felt unbalanced inside. Tanya Sinclair had heard such idle talk years ago when she joined the Zenith Group’s research department. She didn’t pay it any mind. But the next voice was from another male colleague, with meaningful undertones. "Apparently, she’s singled out by the new boss; those who know understand." This was followed by some vulgar, low chuckling. Kyle Crawford lowered his voice, "I must say, although Tanya Sinclair dresses mundanely, she does have a striking face and figure. Way better than Belinda, the flat-topped tomboy crap!" Kyle Crawford hadn’t finished speaking when someone splashed water on his face. He awkwardly wiped off the droplets, ready to lash out, but when he glanced up, he saw Tanya Sinclair standing in front of him with an expressionless face. "With a mouth that foul, I thought I’d help cleanse it with leftover tea," she said, holding a half-full cup of someone else’s leftover tea. Tea leaves stuck on Kyle Crawford’s face. He was infuriated, his neck flushed red, yet he dared not actually confront Tanya Sinclair. After all, while his mouth ran unchecked, he knew very well that Tanya Sinclair was the highest-ranking leader of this project. "Ms. Sinclair, please don’t be angry. I was just joking." Kyle Crawford forced out a smile, suppressing his anger. Tanya Sinclair stared at him coldly, "Really? Then did you see me laugh?" Her cold demeanor was overwhelmingly strong. By now, a number of colleagues had gathered around the commotion. Kyle Crawford felt humiliated, "Ms. Sinclair, since you can’t take a joke, how about I apologize?" Follow current novels on 𝗻𝗼𝘷𝗲𝗹•𝓯𝓲𝓻𝓮•𝕟𝕖𝕥 Tanya Sinclair looked at his nonchalant expression, her eyes utterly turned cold. Clearly, he’s ingrained with the habit of spewing lewd remarks, slandering, and defaming women in the workplace. He believes his behavior is normal, and such people don’t change. Just like how dogs can’t stop eating crap! The male colleague beside him also mumbled an apology, "Sorry Ms. Sinclair, I... I was joking too." Tanya Sinclair remained expressionless, "You should apologize..." Kyle Crawford thought the matter would be settled with an apology and prepared to leave. However, Tanya Sinclair immediately changed her tone, coldly saying, "But I don’t accept!"