At Pierce Biotech's IPO celebration, Natalie Hayes heard her husband Ethan Pierce's assistant, Lila Warren, joke, "Mr. Pierce has V-cut abs. He looks so sexy when he works out."   Natalie's face went cold, and she slapped Lila across the face.   The next day, Natalie, Pierce Biotech's lead technical specialist, could not even get past the front doors.   Meanwhile, Lila, the young assistant, had somehow become known throughout the company as "Mrs. Pierce".   Natalie walked away without looking back, taking her core technology with her as she joined the National Research Institute.