Chapter 867 The Report
Marshall entered the laboratory and found Catherine seated in her office. He was confused. âCatherine, arenât you going to the authentication conference?
Catherine looked up at him, puzzled. â Yeah. Why?â
âThen you should be preparing,â said Marshall. Catherine seemed to be carefree as a person who was going to attend a authentication conference.
Catherine grinned. âDonât worry about it. Someone will do it for me.â
âLook at you guys! What are you talking about?â Someone interrupted them. Marshall turned around and saw Ultan and Rylan standing behind them. It was Rylan speaking.
Marshall looked at Ultan, wondering why they were there. Ultan explained, â I invite Mr. Melton to the authentication conference.â
Rylan was the patron who founded the entire experiment.
Although Marshall found it inappropriate, he didnât want to upset their sponsor.
âDr. Hartley, what have you been talking with Catherine? You seemed to have fun,â asked Rylan. He knew Catherine would not answer his question, so he turned to Marshall.
âI was worried about her preparation for the authentication conference,â answered Marshall.
Ultanâs face became serious at the mention of the conference. But Rylanâs gaze fell on Catherine, who was behind Marshall. âCatherine has been reliable all the time. I believe she is well- prepared today. Am I right?â
He did not expect her to reply. But she did. âYou donât need to flatter me. I can afford to fail.â
Hearing what she said, everyone was looking at each other in dismay and at a loss for words. They had known Catherine was frosty, but she was rarely so aggressive. Ultan was too shocked to speak. Luckily, Rylan only sneered at her. He had been used to her harshness.
Marshall changed the topic timely before things got nastier. âItâs about time. Shall we set out now?â
âOkay.â Catherine nodded.
Marshall breathed a sigh of relief without her noticing. He had been worried that she would lose her temper. Together, they reched at the conference venue.
âExcuse me. I need to use the bathroom,â said Catherine. As soon as she walked into the bathroom, she received a call from the unknown man.
âMiss Swann, it has been three days. Have you made up your mind? I know you are at the authentication conference now. If you agree, I will ensure you are authenticated today,â said the man on the phone.
Catherineâs lips curled into a charming smile. âSome powerful man, huh?â
The man burst into laughter. âIâm flattered, Miss Swann. You know I can save you and Styre University from a ruined reputation. That would be enough.â
âThanks, but no.â With that, Catherine hung up.
She hated to be threatened. She would have cooperated if he asked politely, but yielding to force was not an option.
When Catherine returned from the bathroom, Marshall noticed she was feeling low. He thought that she was stressed out because of the authentication and tried to cheer her up. âThereâs no need to be anxious. We can always come back in a few years.â
All brilliant scientific achievements were based on numerous failures and a significant amount of time. Honest researchers would not care about what it took as long as it ended well.
Catherine didnât have time to reply. It was time for her to get on stage.
The number of judges at the authentication conference was one- third less than expected since many didnât anticipate Catherineâs success. It would be a waste of time to attend the meeting.
Catherine strode onto the stage confidently, unafraid of any challenges ahead.
âExcuse me. I just finished improvising my report. Do you mind if I print it now? âasked Catherine.
Rodge sent her the files via email just before she went on stage. People were booing from the audience, which clearly showed that they had no expectations for her.
But Catherine couldnât care less. She stood there peacefully, gazing at the chairman and waiting for his approval.
The chairman slowly replied, âSince we are here already, a little waiting wonât hurt. Print it now, please.â
Rylan couldnât stop staring at Catherine. The way she remained so calm had an impact on him that he couldnât quite explain.
Catherine began her speech after the files were printed and handed out to judges. This was the best way to demonstrate the difference between the current and previous reports.
The speech lasted for thirty minutes, and Catherine delivered it without stopping. She stood elegantly on stage, commanding the attention of all.
After finishing her speech, Catherine switched off her microphone. The audience remained silent for a long time.
Marshall was the first one to come to his senses. Although he was Catherineâs mentor, he was shocked by her talents. Who would have thought she could complete such a perfect report in three days?
The thunderous applause shattered the silence. Catherineâs talents charmed everyone.
As people walked out of the venue, they still couldnât believe what had happened. Ultan had never been more uncertain. âWill we be able to make it this time?â
âOf course,â said Marshall firmly. âIf we fail this time, those judges might as well quit their jobs.â He was not overly confident. As a professional, he knew clearly how incredible Catherineâs report was. She was a genius, one of a kind.
âCongrats!â Rylan reached out. Catherine glanced at him faintly and ignored his hand. âThanks,â she answered.
When she was leaving, she heard him asking from behind. âYou must have prepared for a long time, havenât you?â Catherine sneered and left.