Chapter 67

"Lily, what are you going to do?" Olivia asked, turning to her. "They're slandering you! Even some of your college classmates are involved. I don't understand. They were your classmates. Even if they weren't your friends, they can't spread such nonsense!"

"You can't blame them," Lily said lightly. "After all, I wasn't close to my classmates then. Not many people knew about Nathaniel and me."

She needed to be objective. To be precise, she and Nathaniel only became officially a couple after she graduated and he confessed following her first award. After the "incident," he never left her side. Perhaps she was touched, or perhaps it was something else, but their relationship quickly blossomed. She willingly supported him, working tirelessly in the lab, her life consumed by him and her work.

She’d been completely infatuated. Coupled with her career setback, she’d been incredibly insecure. Now, looking back, it all seemed like a trap.

"Is that so…" Olivia frowned, lightly biting her spoon. "Then, did no one else know about your relationship? Besides us three, any mutual friends?" Lily shook her head silently.

"Even if there were, it's best not to involve them; it would only make things worse."

"So you're just going to let them get away with this?" Olivia was furious on Lily's behalf. The whole situation was infuriating. People were slandering Lily, and she couldn't clear her name. How unfair!

"Don't you think everyone's focusing on the wrong thing?" Lily calmly sipped her coffee. "Between MN Inc. and me, the biggest issue is the authorship and ownership of First Love. My relationship with Nathaniel is private; it's none of their business. Why is Nathaniel exposing this? Is it simply to go public with Melanie?"

Olivia pondered this, then slammed her fist on the table. "I see! Nathaniel is diverting attention from the copyright issue!"

"No," Lily chuckled, gazing at the sunny weather outside. She hadn't seen such good weather in a long time, having been cooped up in the lab. "It's about manipulating public perception. Mel and Nate are smearing my name to damage my reputation. They want people to believe I'm a homewrecker and a thief—that I'm jealous of Melanie, and because I'm inferior, I stole her ideas and company secrets. It sounds plausible; people will believe it without evidence. After all, I'm the 'other woman,' aren't I?"

Olivia was stunned. "That's vicious!"

Lily smiled. "Just a little trick," she said. "It's all irrelevant. If I win this lawsuit, my name will be cleared. Everything else is secondary." Olivia had initially thought this would be complicated, but now it seemed simpler. Still, she didn't know Lily's plan. "But the evidence…"

"Evidence exists objectively," Lily said, pointing to her head and laughing. "Nathaniel thinks he has all the evidence—my notes, my materials—but the most crucial evidence is here! He can't take this away."