Broken Vows, A Scientist's Revenge

' s posthumous research award. He gave it to his y

my lab and my life's work-the cure for the very cancer tha

samples. Then, he had my hands, the hands of a neuroscienti

away my entire career and publicly

ed to learn. How could the man who swore t

ge lit up my screen: "Need help? I owe your family a debt." He

pte

Dicker

s about to crack the code for a rare, aggressive cancer, the same one that had stolen my mother and w

was Javier

to snatch Kayla' s posthumous research award. He wanted t

bi who kille

n't know. He tho

asn

ugh the tension in my lab. He stood framed in the doorway, his silho

arrived li

er. My hands trembled, not from fatigue, but from a cold dread that had beco

s eyes, usually so warm and inviting, were cold, hard chips of ic

er vision? It was Kayla's vis

. "You will publicly endorse Bambi, Aurelia. And you

. My sister, Kayla. My brilliant, kind, and fragile younger sister. S

he words catching in my throat. "After Bambi fram

on my nerves. "Bambi was distraught by Kayl

her own mentor?" My voice rose, raw with emotion. "You ca

" He took a step closer, his shadow engulfing

a. He had no idea the torment I lived throu

at, devoid of any warmth. "She drove my sister to

your proof, Aurelia? Show me a s

with hope. Then, the frantic phone calls, the vicious online attacks, the fabricated accusations that

s, meticulously cloned and re-attributed to Bambi. The timestamps, the IP addresses-they all pointed to Bambi. But the final, damning piece of

tremor. "Your network. Your servers. You gave Bambi

something, something akin to fear, but it was quickly masked by his usua

the

I'll destroy you. I'll fund your rival, I'll discredit your research." He gestured around the lab, to th

cating. My life's work. The cure that coul

ely audible. "This research... it sav

your claims and endorse Bambi. Otherwise, I will ensure your name is erased from every scientific journal, every grant, every un

me gasping for air. He was serious. He w

m with a ferocity that

-four

out. But there was no way out. Not

flashed, the crowd buzzed with anticipation. Javier was there, a triumphant

ickerson, to present this year's prestigious Innova

ward, a puppet on Javier's strings. Bambi offered me a saccharine smile

my fingers brushing against the cold meta

r the award and her smug face w

throat. My voice was flat, devoid of emotion, a stark contrast to the performati

right choice, Aurelia. You always do." Her hand bru

y. Her touch felt li

e raised a glass, a silent toast to his victory, to my public humil

s. He held her hand, his gaze fixed on her with an intensity he once reserved

my equal. The words echoed in my mind, a cruel, mocking refrain. Now, his eyes held Bambi with that s

the festive chatter. My as

ed, her voice frantic. "The new batch... they're con

s. The ones I had just painstakingly prepared. The

gripped the phone,

mpered. "It's a compl

pulent room spinning around me. This was Bambi

till laughing, his arm around Bambi

him, every step a deliberate act of w

L

s head snapped to the side, a crimson mark blossoming on

wide with shock. Bambi g

t, my voice hoarse with fury. "She ruined

search is often unpredictable." He turned to her, his voice softening. "Don't worry, dar

My work wasn't about money or grants. It was about Kayla. It was ab

You think everything can be bought, replaced, compensated." My voice dropped

nching. "What is that su

ose, my eyes boring into his, "th

her chest. "Oh, Javier! I feel faint... all this... te

oncern. "Bambi! Are you alright, my love?" He scooped her up, crad

one amidst the stunned silence, the air still thick wi

pe died in my heart. H

your family a debt." It was Brian Moore. He had been a colleague of Kayla's, a riv

e still tingling from the slap, but a new kind of resolve settled de

was

till trembling, but with a new dete

l over me. Javier. He was back. His eyes narrowed, sus

urelia?" he asked, his

slipped fr