The Mocked Miss’s Hidden Crowns novel Chapter 848

Charlotte blinked, caught completely off guard when her name was called.

“Your report was impressive. You offered some really fresh perspectives,” Sunlight said, his eyes steady on her and a small smile tugging at his lips. “What the student from Cabinda University just mentioned barely scratched the surface. There’s nothing useful there. In your opinion, what’s the biggest flaw in the cytology textbook, *Cell*?”

Barely scratched the surface… nothing useful…

Olivia’s cheeks went from red to pale as she heard Sunlight’s comment. She quietly slid back into her seat, feeling like all her hard work was wasted.

Charlotte stayed quiet. Sunlight didn’t push, but now everyone in the room was watching her, waiting for her to speak up. There was no chance they’d let her off the hook.

“*Cell*, huh…” Charlotte picked up the book, casually flipping through a few pages before her lips curled into a smile. “Two years ago, because of certain limitations, the clinical trials only made it through phase two. The data isn’t very reliable. If they added some new drug components and pushed through a third phase, the results would probably be a lot better.”

Her answer seemed to click for the others, especially Olivia. They’d all been so focused on the drug ingredients that no one had thought about the clinical trials.

“Well said. Looks like we’re thinking along the same lines,” Sunlight said, his approval obvious. “Who says students from traditional medicine universities aren’t up to par? I think we should include those schools in our future seminars.” He turned to Charlotte, smiling. “Would you be interested in joining my research team?”

A student this sharp, with a solid foundation, would be a breeze to mentor.

“No.”

Everyone had expected Charlotte to say yes, but her answer was quick and firm.

Not interested?

Both Sunlight and Olivia were stunned. How could she just turn down such a great opportunity?

Sunlight didn’t get upset. He just said, “Think it over. I hope you won’t regret it later.”

...

“Happy now, seeing me embarrassed?”

Charlotte slid her hands into her pockets, lips curled in a slight smile. “Was I that obvious?”

“You—”

Olivia looked like she wanted to snap back, but Charlotte couldn’t be bothered. She just turned and walked away.

Olivia glared at Charlotte’s back, simmering with frustration, and marched into the restroom.

That’s when she noticed a beautiful red carnelian bracelet sitting on the sink. It looked familiar… She was pretty sure it was the one Charlotte’s mom had left her. Supposedly, it was worth a fortune.

Glancing around and seeing no one else, Olivia picked up the bracelet and quietly slipped it into her bag.