James Klein finished speaking.

The conference room fell into dead silence.

Everyone exchanged uneasy glances.

Julian Evans frowned at Isabella Ashcroft. "What's going on?"

Isabella bit her lip. "Dr. Nan sent all proposals to the Ashcroft family privately. Assistant Klein wouldn't know about them."

She turned to Julian. "Julian, Vance Group didn't suffer any losses. Let's just drop this."

Julian became visibly angry. "Mr. Klein, this is an internal Vance Group matter. Outsiders have no say here."

Vance Group held an unshakable position in San Francisco.

He only showed James respect because of Dr. Nan.

James simply smiled. "Dr. Nan indeed never emailed Isabella."

Julian scoffed. "Then where did the proposal come from?"

"Excellent question." James pointed at Linda Lowell. "She provided it. The surveillance footage clearly shows her copying files from a USB drive to Isabella's computer."

The room gasped in shock.

Could it really be explained that way?

Julian laughed in disbelief. "Are you suggesting Evelyn's own mother stole her proposal and gave it to Isabella? That's absurd!"

"Not absurd at all." James suddenly looked at Alexander Vance. "What does Mr. Vance think?"

All eyes turned toward him.

Alexander tapped his fingers lightly on the table.

He spoke in a low voice. "The logic holds."

The atmosphere in the room shifted instantly.

Julian suppressed his rage. "So the proposal was Evelyn's, not Dr. Nan's?"

James raised an eyebrow. "It was also Dr. Nan's."

Julian stared blankly.

Isabella interjected. "Did Evelyn's proposal coincidentally match Dr. Nan's?"

Julian finally exploded. "You want to avoid punishment and take credit too? What a clever scheme!"

He looked at Alexander. "Uncle, you actually agree with this?"

Alexander's gaze was profound.

James's confidence, Evelyn's composure...

A thought resurfaced in his mind.

He sharply turned his attention to Evelyn.

Could it be...?

Seeing his silence, Julian said furiously, "I will never agree! Uncle, Evelyn is your person. James clearly has close ties to her too. But I was the one who invited Dr. Nan! I must protect Dr. Nan's dignity!"

His words resonated with many.

People looked at Alexander with condemnation.

This was too much.

Not only shielding the thief but also letting her steal credit?

The company intranet was already exploding.

An anonymous post was live-streaming the conference room developments.

The comments section was in an uproar:

--Has Mr. Vance lost his mind over a pretty face? This is disheartening!

--Support Vice President Julian for upholding academic integrity!

--Mr. Vance is such a disappointment!

--A mother helping an outsider bully her own daughter? Outrageous!

--Dr. Nan's fans protest! We won't tolerate our idol being humiliated!

--Vice President Julian bringing Dr. Nan is an honor for the company. What kind of花瓶intern did Mr. Vance hire?

--If Dr. Nan leaves because of this injustice, we will protest collectively!

...

Thomas Watson anxiously handed his phone to Alexander.

But Alexander kept his eyes fixed on Evelyn.

Thomas was frantic with worry.

Director Brown was the first to speak up. "Mr. Vance, this goes against my principles."

Others quickly joined in:

"I cannot agree with this either."

"Dr. Nan deserves respect. She shouldn't be treated this way."

Dean Mitchell said sadly, "Evelyn Ross, you've deeply disappointed the university! Dr. Nan is a national icon. How dare you?"

Vice President Clark shook his head with a sigh.

Linda Lowell cried, "Evelyn, we can't continue down this wrong path..."

Isabella lowered her head to hide a triumphant smile.

Evelyn had become the target of everyone's criticism.

Julian gained more confidence and challenged James. "As Dr. Nan's assistant, shouldn't you protect her instead of scheming against her? How can you face her?"

James wasn't angry. He smiled.

He strode over to Evelyn Ross and bowed respectfully.

"Dr. Nan, do you find my performance as your assistant satisfactory?"