The Killer Queen (Noella Briony) novel Chapter 154

They had all scrambled their way to a position where they were stuck in limbo, neither rising nor falling in the ranks. They had long lost any real interest in putting in an honest day's work at the lab!

After punching the clock, they would skedaddle out to fish, play cards, or find some other mischief. Little did they know, their shenanigans were being captured in crystal clear detail!

“You’re invading people's privacy!” one of them protested.

Mizar just shrugged. “You’re fishing in my pond. I haven’t even billed you for that pleasure. And the card games? They're held at my own tavern. Tell me, what rules have I broken?”

When the whiz kids from Polaris Star arrived in Emerald County, they embraced the laid-back lifestyle with gusto. They leased a few ponds for casual fishing and bought some storefronts to dabble in business. Before they knew it, they had snapped up an entire block.

And in the process, they also managed to catch Zack and Ryker's fun-seeking escapades on camera.

“Speaking of which, you still owe for last month's card game and yesterday's fishing. We run a tight ship here, right, Boss?”

“Of course, payment is due.” Noella faced the pair's panicked attempts to shut down the central monitor with a sneer. “I’ve come to ask Mr. Pollack whether the security network at your lab has fallen so far behind that even experimental data can be intercepted?”

Just minutes ago, her freshly minted experimental data had been pilfered, still warm from the lab!

Turning to Elara with a softened tone, Noella continued, “Ms. Schnabel, have all the recent experimental results from Phoenix Lab been your doing?”

“Yes, it's all my and my team's sleepless work, but…” Elara’s face turned ashen, her words trailing off.

The data were hers, but for reasons unknown, they had vanished overnight!

The assistant, indignant on her behalf, chimed in, “Our director Elara hasn’t had a proper night's sleep in a week, living in the lab, and now the data's gone.”

Zack fumbled with the controls, trying to stop the endless loop of video on the central screen. As he neared the controller, Noella's cool, detached voice rang out.

“I’ve forwarded a copy of that video to Mr. Pollack. It’s the full, unedited high-definition version. As for its contents, maybe it's time to reflect on what you've been saying.”

Zack, realizing the gravity of her words, collapsed onto the floor, legs turning to jelly.

What had they been saying?

Of course, they had bad-mouthed Elara, and not even their boss Jacob Pollack was spared. They claimed he had climbed the ranks on looks alone, lacking any real expertise, and now was probably trying to keep Elara as a... Well, the words they had used were far from flattering!

If Jacob ever saw that video, their careers were as good as over!

Ryker, mustering what little spirit he could, challenged Elara. “Just because Ms. Schnabel claims to have done the experiment, we should believe her? You don't have any data to show for it!”

The lack of data was indeed Elara's biggest problem.

These two were dead set on using that point to force her out of Phoenix Lab, weren't they?

Noella rested her chin on her hand, eyeing Elara with a gleam in her eye. “Ms. Schnabel, do you remember your experimental results?”

“Of course, I remember, but results without data... they're useless.” Elara’s expression was tinged with a resigned bitterness.

At Phoenix Lab's caliber, a single experimental result must be underpinned by countless pieces of validating data. Results derived from too few or no samples would not be acknowledged!

Noella nodded. “That’s enough for me. I came because I discovered data from Phoenix Lab and our own lab being intercepted, and it's an inside job.”

Her announcement stunned everyone.

Someone from within the lab had stolen their colleagues' data? In the world of research, this was nothing short of scandalous!

Ryker looked at Noella, his voice strangled. “You’re not even part of our lab. What gives you the right to spout such nonsense?”

“Whether it's nonsense or not, you'll soon find out.” Noella turned to the large screen behind her and switched the display. “These two sets of data, one of them was submitted by Ryker, correct? I remember it well; it was from the experiment I conducted half an hour ago and sent to Phoenix Lab.”

As Ryker compared the data on the screen with the email he received, he nodded after confirming it matched.