Chapter 198: Elise Warren Double-checked the Data

Elise Warren double-checked the data, her brow relaxing slightly. "This should be correct now."

Theo Marsh suddenly pressed a finger on one page. "Wait. These two sets still don't match."

Clara Whitmore happened to pass by. Her gaze swept over the dense numbers before her fingertip landed on the seventh row. "This is wrong. It's not 50 and 71. It should be 50.2 and 70.88."

The lab air froze.

Elise, Theo, Felix Moreau, and Celia Monroe exchanged glances, suspicion evident on each face.

Celia rolled her eyes dramatically.

Theo was the team's strongest at calculations. If even he missed it, how could Clara spot the error at a glance?

Ridiculous.

Elise cleared her throat. "Clara, Felix has been tracking this dataset. We've all verified—"

"Professor Caldwell and I both checked the calculations," Theo added.

"Some people just love showing off," Celia sneered, stepping aggressively toward Clara. "Biology and physics are worlds apart. What would you know?"

Her voice turned cutting. "So you won a high school competition gold medal? Big deal. Research isn't about solving textbook problems!"

"If you don't understand, stay quiet. That's basic professionalism."

Elise tried to mediate, but Celia's rapid-fire words shut her down.

The lab fell dead silent.

All eyes were on Clara.

Elise sighed inwardly. Maybe letting her learn this lesson wasn't a bad idea...