Bianca quicklyposed herself, repeating a mantra in her mind: she had important things to do today and couldn''t let Noreen get to her.


    She wasn''t going to let anyone else''s presence shake her confidence. So, she swiftly regained herposure, shifting her focus away from Noreen and onto the task at hand.


    The summit included a segment for corporate representative speeches, which was Bianca''s main reason for attending. And she considered herself lucky.


    Not only was she scheduled in the middle of the lineup, but the speakers before her were all from rtively unknownpanies.


    As a result, the moment she stepped onto the stage, shemanded the full attention of the audience.


    PerseTech had been a subject of industry buzz since its inception.


    With its IPO just around the corner, thepany''s valuation had hit an all-time high: three hundred billion dors - a full three times that of InnoCore.


    So, as Bianca stood on the stage, she was brimming with confidence.


    Her speech was prepared in advance. She delivered it with passion, listing all of PerseTech''s strengths.


    She touted PerseTech as the dark horse of the future financial market, poised to be the next trillion-dor IPO.


    She dered that superconductors weren''t a future technology but a revolution happening right now, her words ringing with infectious enthusiasm.


    It was clear Bianca was pulling out all the stops to promote PerseTech, hoping to use the summit to attract more capital and drive up thepany''s valuation.


    Even Noreen had to admit it was a clever move.


    And the tone of the speech... it was clearly Seth''s style: sharp, incisive, and direct. Its goal was clear: to spark heated debate around PerseTech, drive up the buzz, and create a major impact on the stock market.


    When Bianca finished her speech, the room erupted in thunderous apuse.


    A smile tugged at the corners of her lips, and she instinctively scanned the crowd, looking for Seth.


    However, Seth wasn''t in his seat.


    He must have stepped out for a moment.


    Her eyes then found Noreen, and she shot her a look of smug superiority, a hint of disdain in her gaze.


    Noreen was pping, but her expression was calm.


    Bianca thought she was impressivelyposed.


    In that respect, she had to admit, Noreen had the upper hand.


    With her objective achieved, Bianca was about to make a triumphant exit to allow the next representative to take the stage when a voice from the crowd suddenly posed a challenge


    "Ms. Lowell, have you reached out to apologize to Ms. Gilmore at Winrich for that paper you giarized from her before?"


    Bianca''s face fell.


    She tried to pretend she hadn''t heard, but the questioner was persistent, giving her no room to retreat.


    "How can investors trust someone whomits academic fraud?"


    Bianca was forced to confront the issue.


    But when she saw who was asking the question, her mind went nk for a second.


    It was someone she never would have expected.


    Henry!


    Henry had stood up to ask his question, a microphone in hand, his eyes fixed on Bianca like a spotlight.


    She felt pinned, with nowhere to hide.


    The entrepreneurs who had just been apuding her now wore expressions of doubt and scrutiny.


    "Ms. Lowell, please answer my question directly," Henry pressed, giving her no chance to catch her breath.


    Bianca''s ears were ringing, the blood


    freezing in her veins. Her


    burned with humiliationnel


    hands trembled uncontrobly,


    "It... it was all a misunderstanding," she said, her mind racing for an excuse. "I was in a rush to prepare for my exams, so asked my doctoral advisor at WT Business School for help. The topic was mine, but he guided the content.