The recipient was a shell company registered to Dr. Sterling’s predecessor.

“They planned this before I even finished my candidacy,” I said, the realization hitting me like a physical blow.

“Your husband, Hunter, was brought into the scheme when Arthur realized you were not going to sign over the intellectual property voluntarily,” Vance said.

“Hunter told me he loved my work,” I said, my voice barely audible. “He said he wanted to help me build a legacy.”

“He wanted to build his father’s legacy,” Vance said. “And his mother, Barbara, was the one who managed the distribution of the stolen data.”

She clicked another tab on her screen.

An email chain appeared, dated three weeks ago.

The sender was Barbara Hayes.

The recipient was a generic email address linked to a competitor firm in Zurich.

The subject line read: *Preliminary Data Package – Phase 1.*

“They were selling my research to overseas buyers,” I said.

“They were trying to liquidate the assets before the university could audit the lab,” Vance said. “But they needed you out of the picture first.”