He Was But A Failed Detour

The doors of elite research institutions aren't open to the unknown. But Rick Allen pulled Beth out of nowhere. He poured everything into nurturing her talent and promised her the world.

The Allen family's compromise was simple: the Chief Young Scientist had to be Summer Belden—someone from their own social circle. From that day on, the words Rick said to Beth most often were, "Just wait a little longer."

He told her to wait when her groundbreaking paper was published under Summer's name in exchange for research funding. He told her to wait again when the research she'd perfected over three years was packaged as Summer's signature work, paving the way to major awards. "The bigger picture comes first," he said. "The next Nobel Prize—I'll make sure it's yours."

But when the paper credited to Summer—though written by Beth—was exposed for fabricated data, everyone reached the same conclusion: Beth, as a core member of the project, had tampered with the data to steal the credit.

Locked in a glass-walled archive room, Beth looked at Rick standing outside the door. His gaze was ice-cold, full of disappointment.

"Why did you touch the data?" he said. "You've ruined everything I've built."

She remembered how he once told her, "In this world, yours is the only talent I truly recognize."

He had promised, "I'll make sure achievements with your name hang among the stars."

Now he stood with the others, judging her. He looked at her the way people look at a ruthless, ambitious fraud.

When she was finally released, Beth dug her nails into her palm until blood ran down.

This time, she wouldn't wait any longer.

There was an unwritten rule in academic circles: the doors of top-tier research institutes did not open for the nameless.

Yet Rick Allen—hailed as a living legend in the medical world—had gone into an impoverished mountain ravine and unearthed Beth Chalke.

For the sake of her astonishing talent, he defied his father, the institute's chairman. He rejected a prearranged academic marriage and personally guided her through experiments, revised her papers, and worked alongside her day and night. Almost hand in hand, he polished her from a rough, uncut stone into a masterpiece capable of stunning the world.

He once smiled and told her, "Beth, don't be afraid. You have me. Your talent deserves the very best."

Eventually, the Allen family relented.

They allowed him to keep Beth—but the institute's Chief Young Scientist had to be Summer Belden, an heiress from a medical family who was a perfect match for the Allens.

From that moment on, the words Rick said most often to Beth were, "Just wait a little longer."

The first time, he asked her to wait while a paper good enough for Cell was published under Summer's name.

He said, "With Summer's family background, we can secure the most critical Phase II research funding."

The second time, he asked her to wait again, packaging the research she had spent three years developing as Summer's