He’d been stabbed in the back by his own student. For years, Theodore believed Selene had really handed over her research to Quentin.
So five years later, when Theodore saw Selene again, a storm of emotions rose inside him–like something lodged in his throat, impossible to swallow.
Adrian asked her quietly, “Do you still have an old draft of your thesis?”
Selene lifted her hand to cover her stinging eyes.
“My old laptop… someone spilled milk on it, and after it crashed, I could never get it to work again. Later, the housekeeper just tossed it out with the trash…”
Back then, Dames was just a toddler. Selene had been holding him when he accidentally knocked over a glass of milk, spilling it all over her laptop’s keyboard
Her first instinct had been to pull Dames away from the computer, making sure he wasn’t burned or hurt. She soothed him for a long while before he finally let go of
her.
Only then did she return to wipe off the computer, only to find the screen frozen
blue–a fatal crash.
She’d immediately called Harrison, hoping he could find someone to help recover the laptop.
“My IT guys aren’t here to fix your computer,” Harrison replied coldly. “Go find someone else.”
“But all my research from college is on there!”
“You dropped out, didn’t you? And you think an undergrad’s work is worth calling ‘research‘?”
His voice, thick and lazy with drink, was punctuated by Felicity’s hearty laugh somewhere nearby.
“Harrison, who’s on the phone?”
“Just a nuisance caller,” he said and hung up.
The call ended with a click, and with it, Selene’s hot tears finally fell.
Clutching her dead laptop, she set out to find a repair shop.
Every technician she visited just shook their head after a quick look.
1/2
08:11
That night, while rushing to the fourth repair store, her phone rang. It was Gemma.
“Where the hell are you? Why aren’t you home with the baby?”
“There’s a housekeeper-”
“Dames has been crying for you all night. I don’t care what you’re doing. Get home. Now.”
Selene sat down heavily on a plastic chair, wrapping her arms around her knees.
Her child had once been her whole world–something she could never bear to part
with.
But now, Selene couldn’t help but wonder: What had marriage and motherhood actually given her?
Her dark, silky hair fell like a curtain as she leaned her cheek against her knee, drawing a shaky breath.
“I let Professor Shaw down.”
She bit hér lower lip. Even if she knew Quentin had stolen her research, she had no proof.
Adrian’s voice came through, warm with encouragement. “Don’t cry over spilled milk. However Quentin clawed his way up, you can drag him right back down.”
*
The next morning, the ALI Group’s mathematics committee posted a five–hour video of Selene’s preliminary round on its official Twitter account.
The caption read: This is the surveillance footage from Selene’s qualifying round. If anyone can find evidence of cheating, the committee will award a $10,000 bounty.
Within a minute, over a hundred thousand viewers tuned in, magnifying glasses at the ready.
The rules of the math competition required every contestant to set up five cameras at their station–each positioned and distanced according to strict regulations.
With five cameras rolling, every angle of the contestant was exposed, 360 degrees, with some cameras placed over fifteen feet away to ensure no one could sli
answers.
Of course, the contestant’s computer screen was also monitored in real time by the proctors.
02.11
Chapter o/
Only under such airtight rules did the ALI Math Competition earn its reputation for integrity.
The $10,000 bounty attracted a swarm of popular livestreamers, all eager to catch Selene cheating.
Online sleuths rubbed their hands together in anticipation–if there was even a hair out of place, they were sure to find it.
Under the spotlight, Selene appeared in front of the cameras on that fateful competition day.
“Holy crap! She’s gorgeous!”
“Why did nobody tell me Selene was a knockout?!”
08:11
