Chapter 1

The lab manager loved playing "pranks."

I had barely set foot in the research lab when she blasted an announcement into our WhatsApp group.

[Our new girl, Harper Vance, wants to bond with the team! She's treating everyone to dinner tonight at the newly opened high-end rooftop restaurant, Lumina Private Dining!]

As the supposed host, I had zero clue about any of this.

It wasn't until my phone started blowing up with people tagging me like crazy to pay the bill that I realized they had already run up a tab of $18,000.

When I dropped a single question mark in the chat, Mandy Smith texted back with complete nonchalance.

[Oh come on, I was just teasing! Who knew everyone would take it seriously?]

[Besides, you're the newbie. Isn't buying dinner for the seniors an unwritten rule everywhere? We all went through it when we joined. Why are you being so difficult?]

What she didn't know was that I wasn't some naive undergraduate intern. I was the distinguished scientist Professor Miller had begged for months to bring onto his team.

Staring at her messages, I didn't bother arguing.

I just texted back calmly:

[Since you said it was just a joke, Mandy, I won't take it to heart.]

[I won't be coming tonight. Have fun, everyone.]

After hitting send, I ignored Mandy's barrage of incoming calls and turned off my phone.

The next morning, the moment I arrived, Mandy marched over to my lab station and slammed both palms onto my desk with a deafening bang.

"Who gave you the nerve to turn your phone off? You promised dinner! What is your problem?"

"Every single one of us bought dinner for the team when we joined. Do you think you're special?"

"Or were you expecting the seniors to split that eighteen-thousand-dollar bill themselves?"

The rest of the grad students in the room shifted uncomfortably.

Eighteen grand divided among them was definitely not pocket change.

"Harper, what's your deal? You just got here yesterday. Are you trying to act like a boss and flex on us?"

"Seriously. Everyone pays their dues. Who do you think you are? You really think you'll last in this lab with that attitude?"

"You better cover that bill today, or you can pack your trash and get the hell out!"

I calmly booted up my workstation terminal and prepped my materials.

"Mandy, you were the one who announced dinner, not me."

"You also admitted yourself it was just a prank. Why would anyone take a prank seriously?"

"And another thing—when did I ever say I was just a student?"

A chorus of mocking snickers erupted around the room.

"Look at her ego! Here for one day and already thinks she runs the place."

"If you're not a student, what are you? Don't tell me you're gonna claim you're that VIP guest scientist Professor Miller invited!"

"That legend isn't arriving until next week. At least get your lies straight before you open your mouth."

As the lab erupted into laughter, I ignored them, grabbed my mug, and walked into the breakroom.

Ten minutes later, a ping chimed on my phone.

[You have been removed from the lab WhatsApp group.]

Right after that, I opened Instagram and saw Mandy's brand-new story.

[Some people really think they can come into our lab and act like they're running the show. Too bad for you, sweetie—you crossed the wrong person. Your life here is going to be a living hell.]

The comments underneath were flooded with brown-nosing lab mates hyping her up.

I tapped a heart on the post and strolled out of the breakroom.

If she thought this petty hazing would rattle me, she was sorely mistaken. I didn't care about their childish mind games.

But when I got back to my station, I froze.

My desk was piled high with random clutter and lab waste, while my personal belongings had been tossed like garbage right in front of the hallway restrooms.

My freshly printed data sheets had visible dirty shoe prints stamped across them.

Seeing me standing there, Mandy let out a smug chuckle.

"Oh, Harper, we had too much extra inventory and nowhere to put it, so we borrowed your bench."

"You're getting kicked out soon anyway. You don't mind, right?"

"Suit yourself," I said with a light shrug.

I stepped forward and swept an arm across the desk, sending every single box and piece of equipment crashing onto the floor.

Glassware and supplies shattered across the tiles with a deafening clatter.

Mandy's eyes widened, her face instantly turning scarlet with rage.

She lunged to shove me, but I grabbed her wrist in an iron grip before she could even touch my coat.

"How long I stay here is my business. Mind your own damn business. Touch my things again, and you'll regret it."

I let go with cold precision and began sorting through my items as if nothing had happened.

Just as I finished setting my desk back up, a text from Professor Miller popped up on my phone.

[Dr. Vance! You arrived early? Why didn't you let me know? I'm still overseas at an academic summit, but I'm catching the next flight back right now.]

[Nothing was prepped for you! I'll have administration set up your private executive lab suite immediately.]

Catching Mandy glaring daggers at me from across the room, I typed back:

[Don't worry about it, Professor Miller. We can deal with the private lab later.]

[I'm out here in the open floor plan. It's actually a great chance to get to know the team.]