The Lost Heiress 299

The Lost Heiress 299

Chapter 299 The Face Behind the Mask 

What Sierra feared most was that Azure might be involved

She prayed with everything she had that it wasn’t truebut reality always had a way of cutting deepest

When Johnathan hung up the phone, he turned to look at her. That one glance was all it took for Sierra to understand. She let out a bitter laugh

It really wasAzure?” 

Yeah, He’s the one who altered the data.They were in the same lab every day. If Azure wanted to mess with something, it would’ve been easy

Why?” 

Sierra struggled to accept it. Was it for money?” 

Out of all her seniors, aside from Autumn, Azure had been her favorite. She never imagined he’d do something like this

It wasn’t just about money.” 

There was something deeperjealousy

Azure wasn’t the most naturally gifted. Even those who joined after him, like Autumn and Erwin, had more raw talent

Still, their abilities only went so far. Professor Martin would scold all of them from time to time

But everything changed when Sierra showed up

Professor Martin appreciated her. Most of what he said to her was praise. To motivate the others, he often used Sierra as an example

The pressure on Azure had already been mounting. He was hoping to stay on and apply for a lecturer position, and Sierra’s presence brought a new kind of stress and threat he hadn’t anticipated

At first, he never expected things to spiral this far. He only wanted Professor Martin to scold herto damage her standing in the professor’s eyes

Of course, he didn’t come up with that plan on his own

He was a regular at a quiet little bar where no one knew who he was. He could speak freely thereand that’s where someone took advantage of him

They still didn’t know who had approached him. But the person responsible had finally been found

We’ll take it from here,Stone and Maddox said

With this new evidence, they could get Draven released and clear Sierra’s name

After they left, Sierra still couldn’t process it

I never thought it would be Azure.” 

If it had been Erwin, she might’ve understood. He’d always been hostile, even though things had improved somewhat. Still, he was always set on outshining her

When the data issue first came up, she’d reviewed her own work. After confirming it, she’d started thinking about who might’ve tampered with it

She had briefly suspected Erwin

1/3 

3:31 PM dd 

Chapter 299 The Face Behind the Mask 

Finished 

He’s not worth it.” 

Not worth wasting sadness on

But he also knew how much Sierra cared for her senior classmates

I justI’m worried about the professor.” 

Thanks to the lead Johnathan uncovered, the followup investigation moved fast

Azure was placed under heavy questioning, and just like Johnathan said, he confessed

He had been manipulated, convinced it wouldn’t amount to anything. He figured the professor would catch the mistake. But when it was submitted, the professor missed itand so did Draven

That’s when Azure started to panic

He knew the data had been tampered with, and the errors weren’t subtle. He couldn’t believe no one caught on

When nothing happened, he actually felt relieved. Maybe, he thought, it had slipped through

He never expected it would trigger a leak investigation

When Sierra was taken, he was terrified. And then the others were dragged inalong with the professor

That’s when he knew this was serious. So he clammed up and insisted he knew nothing

He told the lie so many times, he started to believe it himselfuntil the truth came out

The entire ordeal lasted almost a month. During that time, all of Sierra’s projects were frozen. She and the others were fully involved in the investigation

The institute itself had to conduct a full internal review

Through it all, Professor Martin seemed to age ten years

By the time the Bureau finally told them they didn’t have to return, all anyone felt was numb

Far from the Bureau building, Autumn finally spoke

Heywhat’s going to happen to Azure?” 

Professor Martin sighed

He made the mistake. He has to face the consequences.” 

Even if he hadn’t meant to cause a security breach, he’d still chosen to actand had to accept what came next

Thinking of that, Professor Martin looked over at Sierra

This wasn’t your fault. Don’t blame yourself.” 

Because of all this, their early research was wasted, and as the project lead, he would be held responsible

But he never once blamed Sierra

If there’s anyone at fault, it’s me.” 

If he’d realized sooner that something was off with his student, none of this might’ve happened

He turned to look at the remaining four students, a flicker of sorrow in his eyes

The Lost Heiress

The Lost Heiress

Status: Ongoing

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