The Double or more Life of the Fake Heiress (Mirabella)

The assistant initially thought Joen was still worried about Summer, so he nodded and pulled out his phone. "I'll call the registrar's office to check with the professor."

Joen rubbed his temples, trying to piece together the day's events in his clearer mind. Over fifty pieces of equipment had been destroyed, the surveillance footage was unrecoverable, and whoever was behind this seemed to be taunting them openly. The complete absence of any clues made it clear that this wasn't just an inside job by a professor.

No professor on the inside could have covered their tracks so perfectly.

Moreover, out of all the labs, his was the most thoroughly trashed, suggesting he was the real target. Joen couldn't think of anyone he'd crossed recently.noveldrama

The assistant ended the call, snapping Joen back to the present. "Doctor, they said those students have already left."

Hearing this made Joen's temples throb even more. He'd hoped to get data from that girl, but now it seemed... today was turning out to be a real downer. Once she left the campus, the opportunity for testing was gone, especially since she was likely tied to the Davis family.

Thinking of the Davis family, an idea suddenly flickered in Joen's mind, like the mystery was about to unravel.

Just then, there was a knock at the office door.

"I'll get it," said the assistant, heading over. Opening the door, he nodded quickly. "Mr. Hammond, you've come."

Mr. Hammond waved a hand and stepped into the office.

Joen paused his thoughts and stood up to greet him politely. "Mr. Hammond."

Mr. Hammond gestured for him to sit back down. "Doctor, are you feeling any better?"

He was referring to Joen fainting from anger earlier that afternoon.

Joen nodded, feeling slightly awkward. "I'm alright, thank you for your concern, Mr. Hammond."

"That's good to hear," Mr. Hammond said with a sigh of relief. "By the way, have you tallied up the losses from the lab building?"

"We've already got the figures. I'll prepare a report and send it over later," Joen's assistant chimed in quickly.

Mr. Hammond nodded. Truth be told, his mood over the lab incident was just as sour as Joen's. The lost equipment was one thing; the real worry was the data and research.

Even though most of the data was backed up, some crucial elements couldn't be duplicated, which was the truly alarming part.

Mr. Hammond sighed and pulled a check from a folder, placing it on the coffee table. "Originally, this money was for a new lab building, but right now, you should use it to fix the equipment."

His eyes lingered on the check, and handing it over felt like a punch to the gut.

Just that morning, he'd been thrilled about a benefactor funding the school, thinking they could ramp and enhance the facilities. Who

would've thought that by after not

they'd be dealing with a massive equipment wreck?

Now, the funds they'd just received had to be used immediately, and it was beyond frustrating.

Joen glanced at Mr. Hammond and then took the check. Seeing the amount, he paused. "Mr. Hammond, how did you manage to get such a big sum so quickly?"

"This funding it's hard to say if it's good luck or bad. A wealthy benefactor gave the check this

morning to support the school

planned to use it for the new lab building, but with everything that's happened, that project will have to wait," Mr. Hammond lamented.