“This is personal revenge,” Arthur said, his voice rising.

“Mr. Hayes, please,” Dr. Sterling said.

“The university does not concern itself with your corporate disputes.”

“But we do concern ourselves with scientific integrity,” Dr. Sterling said.

He looked at the papers Hunter had given him.

“The metadata on these files matches Evelyn’s digital signature,” Dr. Sterling said.

“The IP address is registered to your marital home.”

“I did not write those formulas,” I said.

“The carbon chains are completely wrong.”

“They are designed to fail,” I said.

“That is exactly what Vanguard Chemical claimed when they contacted our president,” Dr. Sterling said.

The room went completely silent.

The only sound was the low hum of the ceiling projector.

“Vanguard contacted the university?” Arthur asked.

His voice was suddenly quiet, almost a whisper.

“Their legal counsel called thirty minutes ago,” Dr. Sterling said.

“They claimed Evelyn tried to sell them the formula under the table.”

“They said she offered them the lethal version to sabotage their own upcoming trials,” Dr. Sterling said.

“That is a lie,” I said.

“I have never spoken to anyone at Vanguard.”