Chapter 409

Hannah Flores had never met Adrian Klein, nor did she know about his connection to Evelyn Langley. But that didn't stop her from wanting to vent.

After lunch, the three returned to the lab.

Hannah planted her hands on her hips with a sigh. "The space is nice, but cleaning it is a nightmare..."

Before she could finish, a voice called from the doorway. "Excuse me, is this C116?"

Two cleaning ladies stood at the entrance, holding mops and rags.

"Huh? Yes..." Hannah blinked in confusion. "You are...?"

"Perfect!" The women immediately got to work without another word.

Hannah's eyes widened. "Wait, are you sure you have the right place?"

"Absolutely. The administration office sent us to clean C116."

The administration office?

Hannah and Evelyn both turned to Liam Kalmien.

Liam shook his head.

Since when did he have that kind of pull?

"Whatever, free cleaning service!" Hannah plopped down and ripped open a bag of chips. "Come on, dig in."

Evelyn accepted a chip but seemed distracted.

She had a guess about who might have arranged this.

It really wasn't necessary...

"Hey, not hungry?" Hannah nudged Liam.

He declined. "Too many calories."

"..." Hannah rolled her eyes.

Meanwhile, in the Life Sciences office...

Benjamin Aldridge wiped sweat from his brow, forcing a stiff smile. "Mr. Winston, what brings you here today?"

Ethan Winston's expression remained icy. "You know exactly why I'm here."

"Has all the equipment donated by Solaris Tech gone to waste?"

Benjamin paled. "I don't understand what you mean."

As the associate dean in charge of fundraising, Benjamin prided himself on being diplomatic. But Ethan's tone sent chills down his spine.

"Our department has always upheld fairness—"

"Fairness?" Ethan's laugh was sharp. "Is it fair when someone monopolizes lab equipment and blocks others from using it?"

"What was promised when we donated the CPRT analyzers? Equal access for all students."

"Instead, they've become tools for power plays."

Ethan narrowed his eyes. "This directly impacts Solaris's future donation plans."

Benjamin's back prickled with cold sweat. "Mr. Winston, I'll investigate this immediately!"

His mind raced.

The issue had to be with those two CPRT analyzers...

"Your insight is invaluable. We'll address any academic misconduct with the utmost seriousness."

Ethan's expression softened slightly. "I've always trusted your judgment, Dean Aldridge."