Hayley’s POV:
Francis’s expression was grave. He sighed softly, then looked at me and said, “Hayley, you know I’ve always had high expectations for you.” Recalling the rumors I’d skimmed online earlier, I immediately understood the subtext behind his words. Keeping a polite smile, I replied calmly, “Professor Cain, if there’s something you’d like to say, please be direct.”
He seemed slightly taken aback by my straightforwardness but quickly nodded. Turning to his desk, he pulled out two pieces of draft paper from under his teaching materials and laid them flat on the table. “These are the calculations from the math problems you solved earlier. Take a look—do they seem familiar?” he asked, his tone even.
I glanced down briefly and answered honestly, “Yes, they’re mine.”
“I recall asking if anyone had guided you through these problems, and you said you completed them independently,” he continued.
“That’s correct,” I replied with the same composed smile.
Francis’s face darkened slightly. “Here’s the issue. This problem was created by Academician Ethan Drake. He personally confirmed that, so far, only one person has ever solved it successfully—and the process was incredibly rigorous and complex.” He tapped the paper. “But your solution is too simple. It raises serious suspicions of cheating.”
Meeting his disappointed, doubtful gaze, I simply smiled, unbothered. After a brief silence, I looked directly at him. “Professor Cain, if I’m not mistaken, there’s an international mathematics competition happening in about a month, correct?”
“Yes,” he nodded, somewhat puzzled. “Are you planning to participate? But you don’t have any experience with such events. And to enter an international competition, you’d need to have won a gold medal in the national math contest first, which I doubt—”
“There’s no ‘doubt’,” I cut him off smoothly. “There are countless countries around the world. Somewhere, a competition is always taking place. I’ll secure my spot in the international math competition before it starts.”
With that, I saw no point in dragging the conversation any further. “If there’s nothing else, I have an appointment this evening. I’ll be leaving now,” I said casually.
“Go ahead,” Francis replied, waving his hand dismissively, his expression still filled with disappointment and disbelief. I nodded politely, then left his office without another word.
As I approached the door, I spotted Mira leaning against the wall, clearly eavesdropping. “What are you doing here?” I asked, only to realize a beat later that she was probably sent by Benjamin.
Mira didn’t bother explaining. Hands stuffed into her pockets, she turned lazily and started walking ahead of me. I followed her, and as we walked, it struck me that with everything I had planned, I couldn’t rely on Benjamin to pick me up all the time.
After some thought, I stopped and called out, “Mira.” She paused mid-step, her sharp brows knitting together like blades. She stood there casually, shaking her right leg with a cocky, devil-may-care attitude. “What?”
“Drive,” I said with a grin.
Her eyes widened. “Wait, I’m your bodyguard and your driver now?”
Half an hour later, Mira dropped me off at a car dealership downtown. I brought her along as I planned to pick out a modest, budget-friendly car. Normally, I’d just have my assistant, Thomas, handle something like this. But he was busy dealing with matters related to the Shadow Pack, and I didn’t want to bother him. So, I decided to take care of it myself.
The moment we walked in, the sales manager noticed us. But after realizing I was an ‘Omega,’ his demeanor shifted to one of thinly veiled disdain, blatantly ignoring us. Just then, a man dressed in flashy designer clothes walked in with a woman clinging to his arm. The sales manager’s attitude changed instantly. He rushed over with an ingratiating smile. “Mr. Ortega! Perfect timing. We just got a new model in today. Would you like to take it for a spin?”
That man lazily chewed on some gum, his gaze drifting carelessly around the showroom. Suddenly, his eyes landed on me and lingered.