Chapter 8: The Name Behind the Betrayal
The name Lila gave us was Marcus Vale.
For a moment, I thought I had misheard her.
Marcus had been a consultant during the early stages of the university's technology-transfer discussions. He had helped organize preliminary meetings between the university and several companies interested in medical imaging research.
He wasn't my supervisor.
He wasn't part of my research team.
But he had attended one of the presentations where Professor Shaw and I discussed the model's potential applications.
He had asked questions about the system's cost, its limitations, and the steps needed before a pilot program could begin.
At the time, I had assumed he was doing his job.
Now my sister was telling us that he had contacted her privately.
Professor Shaw sat down slowly.
“Tell us exactly what happened.””
Lila rubbed her eyes.
“I met him through someone who knows Dad.””
My father stiffened.
“Don't drag me into this.””
“I'm not dragging you into anything,” she snapped.
“You said I should find out what her research was worth.””
Dad stared at her.
“I said you should support your sister.””
“No. You said I should make sure she didn't forget the family when the money started coming in.””
“That is not what I meant.””
Lila gave a bitter laugh.
“Of course it isn't.””
My mother stood between them.
“Stop fighting. We need to think carefully about what we're saying.””
Dr. Bennett interrupted.
“Let's establish the facts first. Lila, when did you first communicate with Marcus Vale?””
She hesitated.
“About a month ago.””
“Before or after you began asking your sister about licensing?””
“After.””
“Did he contact you, or did you contact him?””
“He contacted me.””
“How did he obtain your contact information?””
“I don't know. He said he had been given my number.””
Dad looked away.
I watched him carefully.
He was no longer angry in the way he had been earlier.
He looked worried.
Not about my glasses.
Not about my missed defense.
About the possibility that something he knew might come into the investigation.
Professor Shaw asked the next question.
“What did Mr. Vale tell you?””
Lila took a breath.
“He said there were concerns about the licensing discussions. He said the university was moving too quickly and that the company might receive more than it deserved.””
“That doesn't explain why he would contact you,” I said.
“He wanted to know whether you had shared any details with the family.””
“I hadn't.””
“I know that now.””
“You knew it then. I never showed you the restricted files.””
She looked down.
“He said you had probably told me more than you realized.””
I felt sick.
Marcus had apparently been using my relationship with Lila as a way to discover information about my work.
But why?
Professor Shaw leaned forward.
“Did he ask you to obtain any documents?””
“Not at first.””
“What did he ask you to do?””
“He asked me what you were planning to present at the defense. Whether you were going to discuss the licensing negotiations. Whether you had any new results.””
“Did you tell him?””
Lila nodded.
“Some things.””
“What things?””
“General information. Nothing technical.””
I closed my eyes.
She had taken details I had shared casually at family dinners and turned them into information for someone who had no legitimate reason to receive it.
“How much did you tell him?”” I asked.
“I don't know.””
“You must have some idea.””
“He asked about your schedule. Your defense date. Whether you had submitted the final version.””
My stomach tightened.
Those details weren't all secret.
But combined with information about the licensing assessment, they could have helped someone target the most vulnerable point in my schedule.
“Did he ask you to interfere with my defense?”” I asked.
Lila looked at me.
“He said it would be better if the defense was delayed.””
“Why?””
“He said the licensing discussions needed more time. He said there were concerns about the ownership of the work and that if you defended before those issues were resolved, everything could become complicated.””
“That doesn't give you permission to stop me from defending.””
“I know.””
“Then why did you do it?””
She pressed her lips together.
“Because he told me there might be money involved.””
The words seemed to hang in the room.
Dad sat back.
Mom whispered, “Oh, Lila.””
My sister began speaking faster.
“He said that if the licensing agreement was delayed, the company might reconsider its offer. He said other people were interested in the technology. He said there were ways to make sure the family wasn't left out.””
“Which family?”” I asked.
She looked at me.
“Ours.””
“What did he promise you?””
“Nothing specific.””
“Lila.””
“He said there could be a consulting opportunity. He said I might be able to help coordinate things if the project moved forward.””
“So he offered you a position?””
“He said it was possible.””
“And what did he want in return?””
She looked toward Dr. Bennett.
“He wanted copies of the preliminary assessment.””
Professor Shaw's expression became very still.
“Did you provide them?””
“No.””
“Did you attempt to obtain them?””
She didn't answer.
Dr. Bennett repeated the question.
“Did you attempt to obtain the restricted assessment?””
Lila looked at the floor.
“Yes.””
My hands went cold.
“How?””
She shook her head.
“I can't explain all of it.””
“You can explain what you did.””
“I tried to get into your laptop once.””
I stared at her.
“When?””
“Two weeks ago.””
The open drawer.
The one I had discovered in my bedroom.
The sudden interest in my licensing discussions.
All the pieces were beginning to align, although several still had gaps.
“You went into my room?””
“I was looking for your files.””
“You told me you hadn't been in there.””
“I know.””
“Did you take anything?””
“No. I couldn't find what I was looking for.””
“Because I had already moved the important documents.””
She nodded.
I felt no satisfaction.
I had wanted answers, but every answer seemed to uncover another betrayal.
Lila had not merely been curious about my work.
She had entered my private space looking for information she knew I had not given her permission to access.
Then, when that failed, she had taken my phone and interfered with my defense.
Professor Shaw asked whether Marcus had instructed her to break my glasses.
Lila shook her head immediately.
“No. He didn't tell me to do that.””
“Did he tell you to take her phone?””
“He said you needed to be delayed.””
“That isn't the same thing.””
“I know.””
“Did he specifically ask you to prevent her from reaching the defense?””
“He said it would help if she couldn't attend.””
My throat tightened.
“Those are his exact words?””
“Not exactly.””
“Then tell us the exact words you remember.””
Lila described several conversations.
According to her, Marcus had told her that delaying my defense might force the university to revisit the licensing timeline. He had suggested that the company could lose interest if the project became entangled in an academic dispute.
He had also implied that there might be financial opportunities for people who helped him understand the situation.
But he had never given her a written contract.
He had never specified an amount.
And she had no proof that the promised opportunity would ever exist.
“What did you think would happen?”” I asked.
She looked at me with wet eyes.
“I thought you'd reschedule. I thought the university would give you another date.””
“You thought I would lose months of work and simply accept it?””
“I didn't think about it that way.””
“That's the problem.””
She started crying.
“I know I hurt you.””
“You didn't just hurt me. You tried to make decisions about my future without my permission.””
“I was scared.””
“Of what?””
She wiped her face.
“He said you were going to sign something that would make the technology impossible to control. He said the company would own everything, and you wouldn't be able to protect it.””
Professor Shaw shook his head.
“That description is inaccurate. The proposed licensing arrangements are being reviewed precisely to protect the relevant rights and obligations.””
Lila stared at him.
“That's not what Marcus told me.””
“Then he misrepresented the process.””
Dr. Bennett made another note.
“Did Mr. Vale communicate with you this morning?””
Lila nodded.
“How?””
“Through messages.””
“On the student's phone?””
She hesitated.
“Yes.””
The room went silent.
I looked at the phone lying on the table.
My missing phone.
The one Lila had taken while I was preparing for my defense.
“Show us the messages,” I said.
Dr. Bennett raised a hand.
“We need to handle that carefully. We should preserve the information without altering or unnecessarily exposing private material.””
Lila gripped the edge of the table.
“If I show you, will you tell everyone?””
“The university will handle relevant information according to its procedures,” he replied.
“I can't promise what conclusions the investigation will reach.””
Lila looked at me.
“Will you hate me forever?””
I couldn't answer immediately.
I had spent years loving my sister in the way people love someone they have known their entire lives.
I remembered childhood birthdays, shared holidays, and the times we had laughed together before every achievement became a competition.
But those memories didn't erase what she had done.
“I don't know,” I said honestly.
“Right now, I need the truth.””
She nodded slowly.
Then she unlocked my phone.
Her fingers trembled as she opened the message thread.
There were several messages from Marcus.
Some asked about the defense schedule.
Others asked whether I had completed my final submission.
One asked whether I had mentioned any changes to the licensing assessment.
Then we reached the message sent that morning.
Lila turned the screen toward Dr. Bennett.
He read it without speaking.
Professor Shaw leaned closer.
I couldn't see the text clearly, even with his glasses.
“What does it say?”” I asked.
Dr. Bennett paused.
Then he read the relevant line aloud.
“Make sure she doesn't reach the defense before the documents are secured.””
I felt as though the floor had dropped beneath me.
The message continued.
It referred to the licensing assessment and instructed Lila to notify Marcus once she had access to the relevant information.
I stared at my sister.
“You knew what he wanted.””
“I thought I could get the information without hurting you.””
“You took my phone.””
“I know.””
“You broke my glasses.””
“I know.””
“You were going to let me miss the defense.””
She lowered her head.
“Yes.””
For a long moment, I couldn't speak.
Then I asked the question that mattered most.
“Did Marcus tell you what he planned to do with my research?””
Lila shook her head.
“He said he needed to review it before the company made its decision.””
“Did he say he was acting for the company?””
“He said he knew people involved in the discussions.””
“That isn't what I asked.””
She swallowed.
“No. He never gave me proof that he was acting for them.””
Professor Shaw looked at Dr. Bennett.
“That distinction is important.””
Dr. Bennett nodded.
“Very important. We need to verify Mr. Vale's role and whether he acted independently or on behalf of another party.””
I felt a small, terrible hope.
If Marcus had misrepresented his authority, then perhaps the company itself wasn't involved.
Perhaps my research could still move forward without becoming entangled in someone else's scheme.
But we didn't know that yet.
Dr. Bennett documented the message and instructed Lila not to delete or alter anything relevant to the inquiry.
Then he asked her to provide a full account of her communications with Marcus through the appropriate process.
She agreed.
For the first time, she seemed to understand that the situation was no longer something she could manage through tears, excuses, or our parents' intervention.
My father remained silent.
My mother reached toward Lila but stopped before touching her.
I sat very still.
Marcus had wanted information about my research.
He had wanted my defense delayed.
And Lila had agreed to help him.
But one question remained.
Why had he chosen the morning of my defense to make his move?
Professor Shaw looked at the timestamp on the message.
Then he looked at the clock.
“There's something else,” he said.
Dr. Bennett nodded slowly.
“The timing of this message coincides with a scheduled review of the licensing materials.””
My heart began to pound again.
“What review?””
Professor Shaw looked at me.
“The university was scheduled to discuss the proposed licensing terms with the company today.””
I stared at him.
“Today?””
“Yes.””
The same day as my defense.
The same morning my glasses were smashed.
The same morning my phone disappeared.
The same morning someone tried to stop me from reaching the committee.
I finally understood why Marcus might have been so desperate to obtain the preliminary assessment before the day advanced.
But Professor Shaw wasn't finished.
“The review has already begun,” he said.
“And the university has received a communication from the company.””
Dr. Bennett looked at the message on his own phone.
Then he turned toward me.
“They want to speak with you directly.””
I looked at Lila.
She was crying quietly now, but I felt no urge to comfort her.
May you like
Not yet.
Because whatever happened next would determine whether my research survived this scandal—and whether the person who had tried to exploit my sister had been acting alone.
