Chapter 394

The silent figure disappeared at the end of the hallway.

"No rush with the thesis. I trust you'll handle it well." Beatrice Merouin lifted her teacup, steam obscuring her expression.

Audrey Escent leaned in. "Auntie, you're amazing. Just a few words and he obeyed like a lamb."

......

The rejected lab application weighed on her heart like a stone.

Hannah Flores slammed her chopsticks down. "This is outrageous! Doesn't the faculty care?"

Liam Kalmien adjusted his glasses. "Victor Dimucci followed all procedures. What grounds does the administration have to interfere?"

"What about our research project?" Hannah poked listlessly at her rice.

"The CPRT Analyzer is the real issue." Liam sighed. "Without the equipment, even an approved lab would be useless."

Hannah suddenly looked up. "How much does that machine cost?"

Evelyn Langley's spoon clattered onto her tray.

Liam froze for two seconds before frantically searching his phone. "The latest model costs $1.26 million."

"Only a million?" Hannah blinked. "Why don't we just buy one?"

Liam nearly choked. "Excuse me?"

"I'll cover it." Hannah patted her chest. "Leave it to me."

"Where would you get that kind of money?" Liam eyed her skeptically.

Hannah was already dialing. "Dad! I need to buy some lab equipment!"

A hearty laugh came through the receiver. "How much does my princess need?"

"Just a million. I've got half a million in my account already."

Liam and Evelyn exchanged stunned glances as their food grew cold on the trays.