“Dad, take it easy!”
Adrian didn’t dodge–he took the blow from Theodore’s cane head–on.
Theodore jabbed his walking stick against Adrian’s shirt, which clung to his waist.
“Can’t you show some restraint? It’s disgraceful! What, are you possessed by some temptress? You! You! Why are you trying to seduce her?!”
“Shh! Keep your voice down!” Adrian hissed, glancing around nervously.
“Oh, I should keep it down? You think this is something to be proud of?” Theodore’s
face was crimson,” beyond words.
Adrian just grinned. “If people overhear, how am I supposed to keep seducing her?”
Theodore rolled his eyes so hard he nearly passed out.
Selene had found a few comic books for Daph, then asked the housekeeper for some paper and colored pencils.
Daph was content to sit quietly, drawing and reading for hours without a fuss.
“Excuse me, Professor Shaw asked me to work on one of his problem sets,” Selene said, after settling Daph. She turned to one of Theodore’s students and asked for a copy of the advanced math test.
The young man raised an eyebrow, glancing from Selene to five–year–old Daph. “Are you a student at Capital University too?”
“I graduated from Aldonia University of Science & Technology,” Selene replied.
He pressed further, “So, are you a grad student? Or working on your PhD?” Selene smiled. “No, I stopped at my bachelor’s degree. Haven’t gone any further.” Around the long wooden table, a few students looked up, listening in with curiosity. The student handing her the test said, “Then you probably won’t be able to solve these problems. Professor Shaw’s sets are at least master’s level–second year or higher.”
A guy with thick–rimmed glasses snorted under his breath, “An undergrad trying to tackle advanced mathematics?”
Another muttered, “She’s got a kid that old, doesn’t look like someone who spends her life doing math.”
Someone gently nudged his arm. “But she solved the problem Professor Shaw put up on the board. We spent a week on it, wrote out our whole process, and still got chewed out by him…”
The guy in glasses looked at Selene, skepticism all over his face. “Probably just dumb luck. Even a blind squirrel finds a nut sometimes.”
Selene ignored the chatter, took the test, and found a quiet spot to sit.
Professor Shaw’s advanced math tests allowed students to use the internet and even math software for help. He didn’t even mind if they posted the problems online and crowdsourced for answers.
But even then, hardly anyone could crack them..
Selene set her phone aside, skimmed through the test, and picked out the types of questions she was best at. She dove in, completely absorbed–it had been ages since she felt this kind of thrill.
As she worked, old knowledge rose to the surface, not forgotten but simply waiting for her to call on it. She felt as if her mind were being washed clean, her thoughts sharp and clear.
After finishing several of the questions she was most confident in, Selene glanced up and was surprised to see Adrian helping Daph with her drawing.
The sight made Selene pause. This this was the kind of family scene she’d always dreamed of during her marriage.
But Harrison had never really spent time with their daughter.
Lost in thought, Selene didn’t notice a student peering over her shoulder at her test.
“You–you solved this many already?!”
His shocked whisper caught the attention of the others.
“No way! It’s only been an hour and she’s halfway done?”
“She must be making it up! That’s impossible!”
A group of students crowded around Selene.
“Filling a page doesn’t mean you got the answers,” the guy with glasses said, unable to hide his irritation. “Watching you try to tackle Professor Shaw’s problems is like
no
Chapter 38
watching some random kid online claim they’ve solved the Riemann Hypothesis.”
To him, it felt like an insult that Selene–an outsider, in his eyes–was even attempting the same test as them, Capital University PhD candidates.
Without warning, he snatched the test from Selene’s hands, ready to tear her work
apart.
