Chapter 1377 Cole’s Ploy

All the researchers were in their respective laboratories performing their research to secure the next

stage of funding. That was why Rhett thought that Cole would be in his laboratory rather than in his

office. Seeing that Luca was so insistent, he did not say anything.

Luca walked in front of the manager's office and knocked on the door. "Come in." A voice was heard

from within, which made Rhett surprised.

Luca opened the door and went inside, and Rhett quickly followed behind.

Cole was sitting on his chair, dressed in his white lab coat. He smiled and greeted the woman in

front of him, pretending that he was oblivious to what happened in Luca's laboratory. "It's you, Dr.

Craw. How can I help you? Are you taking the day off again?"

Luca shook her head and told him about the situation in her laboratory.

Cole acted as though he was shocked after hearing what Luca had to say. "How is that possible? I

hope that you're not joking, Dr. Craw. Your research is far ahead compared to anyone else in the

department. I was planning to use your research as an example when I submit my monthly

departmental progress report to Mr. Crawford."

Luca had an idea of what happened when she observed his expression. "I believe someone in our

company must have done it. Moreover, that person has a managerial position.”

All the doors in the company were equipped with the most advanced security system. One could

not gain access to a room without the proper access card.

The list of people who had access to Luca's laboratory was very short.

"That might not be the case,” Cole said when he heard that Luca was suspecting someone inside the

company.

"Dr. Kidman, there aren't many people who can gain access to my laboratory. Usually, regular

employees won't have the proper credentials to enter. Moreover, there were no signs of tampering

on the magnetic lock," Luca said.

When Luke set up the company, he had taken many precautions to enhance the company's security.

Cole rubbed his chin as though he was thinking of what she said.

Luca could tell that he was only pretending. His gaze was unfocused, which would not happen if he

were really thinking seriously.

A while later, Cole nodded and said, "If that's the case, we should get to the bottom of it. I'll have to

report this incident to Mr. Crawford though. You should know that the company has placed a lot of

hope on your research because it'll be the first product to go into the market. Now that this has

happened, the later stages of your research and the clinical tests would definitely be delayed. I'd

rather not be responsible for that, if you know what I mean.”

"Yes, I do," Luca nodded and said.

Cole raised his eyebrows when he saw that Luca remained calm instead of begging him to keep it a

secret. "If Mr. Crawford intends to point the finger at someone..."

"Whoever is responsible shall take responsibility,” Luca said. She was not so stupid as to claim all the

responsibility.

Cole was surprised to hear that Luca's answer was different from what he expected. He chuckled

awkwardly and said, "Yes, yes, we'll have to get to the bottom of it, but before that happens and Mr.

Crawford wants to assign responsibility, I'm afraid I'll have to be honest to him. I hope that you

won't mind that, Dr. Craw."

Luca smiled. If Cole wanted to play politics, she would gladly oblige. "Dr. Kidman, I believe that you

underestimate Mr. Crawford. He is a just and fair person. No single individual in the department

should claim responsibility for the accident, and even if a single individual takes the blame, I don't

think the rest of the department would be spared.”

Cole glanced at her coldly and sized her up. "Why won't she claim responsibility? She'd be more

likable if she's smarter.’

He did not like Luca because he thought that she was lacking in interpersonal skills.

"I'll return to my lab, Dr. Kidman. They should have come up with a list of damages by now,” she

said.

Cole nodded and watched Luca and Rhett leave. He grunted coldly and dialed a number on the

internal line. "Come to my office for a while."

"Yes," Talia replied.

Cole ended the call, took out his phone, and found Jason's number in the address book. He rubbed

his chin as he considered the extent of his responsibility if he were to make the call.

He had intended for Luca to take all the blame, but not only had she said that she would not claim

responsibility, her responses had also angered him.

Someone would have to claim responsibility. If Luca was not willing to do so, the responsibility

might fall on him.

Talia entered the office and closed the door. She noticed that Cole was frowning, so she asked,

"What happened, Dr. Kidman?"

"That thing I told you to do. Are you sure that you didn't leave any evidence behind?" Cole asked

sternly.

Cole had tasked Talia to mess up Luca's laboratory. The reason was simple -- he could not stand

Luca's arrogance.

If Luca's "mistake" affected the company's profits, her career would be over. It did not matter if she

was Luke's woman like the rumors said.

Cole knew that Luke was not someone who would be so easily charmed by women. To Luke, the

company's profits were more important than anything else.

"I swear that I didn't.” Talia smiled knowingly when she saw how anxious he seemed. She leaned

over and whispered into his ear, "You have nothing to worry about, Dr. Kidman. How could I have

left any evidence that I was there? Even if they knew I was there, isn't it normal because I'm your

assistant?”

She knew that the security camera in Luca's laboratory had broken down, and she had tampered

with the security camera in the corridor.

Of course, Talia was only willing to do that because she bore a grudge against Luca.

If Luca had been willing to help her, she would not have traded her body for the assistant position.

She thought that her career would be smooth-sailing once she had become Cole's assistant, but just

when she had the chance to go to New York to pad her resume, Luca had snatched the chance

away.

Words could not express the hatred and jealousy Talia felt for Luca. When she saw that Cole was

looking for some way to get rid of Luca, she had suggested that idea to him.

Cole envied Luca because she had more funding and manpower. When he heard Talia's suggestion,

he immediately agreed to it.

Cole nodded when Talia said that. He had specifically told Talia to destroy the cultures in the

laboratory. "We'll have to inform Mr. Crawford about this incident. There's no turning back now."

Talia nodded. "Don't worry, Dr. Kidman. No one will suspect us."