Chapter 51
Louis wanted to check it out himself, but he held back.
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“Better not. If we get caught and piss off Dr. Bennett, that’s serious trouble. The big families in Morganburg will freeze out both our families in a heartbeat. Plus, she’s a top official,” he said.
“I don’t think Dr. Bennett is narrow–minded. Even if we accidentally offend her, she won’t hold it against us. Besides, it’s not like we’re going to walk right up to her. We’ll just watch from the sidelines. As long as we’re careful, no way she’ll notice us,” Andrea said.
Louis’s resolve wavered.
Andrea noticed right away and slipped her arm through Louis’s, snuggling up to him. “Louis, you really don’t have to worry. There’s no way we’ll get caught. Plus, Dr. Bennett is such a low–profile person, so she probably keeps her style super plain too. Imagine if we bumped into her in real life and didn’t even recognize her–what if we accidentally offended her? I’m just trying to cover all the bases here.”
She went on, “But if we know what Dr. Bennett looks like, next time she needs help, we can jump in right away, solve her problems, and clear the way for her. Wouldn’t that mean we’d be friends with Dr. Bennett? If we get in her good graces, both the Bennett family and the Ross family will be set for life!”
Louis was convinced by Andrea’s words. He clenched his jaw and said, “No risk, no reward. Let’s go
for it!”
The two of them slipped off to the side and waited for someone to come out of the private room.
Over an hour later, Tobias and Russell stepped out of the private room after finishing their meal.
“Hey, what are they doing here? Sneaking around like that–they’re definitely up to something shady,” Russell said, eyeing Louis and Andrea.
“It’s none of our business. Let’s go,” Tobias said, ready to leave.
“Wait! My guts tell me something juicy is about to happen,” Russell said.
With that, Russell grabbed a passing waiter.
“Mr. Fisher, you…” the waiter stammered.
“Shh! Keep it down,” Russell said.
Russell looked over at the private room where Louis and Andrea were watching. “Tell me, who’s in that room?” he demanded.
If it were anyone else, the waiter might have hesitated, but Russell and Tobias were at the top circle.
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He didn’t dare lie to them.
“It’s Dr. Bennett’s research team,” the waiter replied.
“What?” Russell exclaimed.
Russell was taken aback, and Tobias looked surprised, too. They shot each other a look.
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They knew Dr. Bennett’s research team was having dinner there today, but they hadn’t expected Andrea and Louis to be lurking around.
“They’ve got some nerve, don’t they?” Russell muttered, ‘Even I’m sweating for those two.
Just as Russell finished speaking, Tobias was about to leave.
“Tobias, you’re leaving? Don’t you want to see what Dr. Bennett really looks like?” Russell asked.
Tobias glanced back at Russell. “Those two idiots have a death wish. What, you want to get on Dr. Bennett’s bad side too?”
Hearing that, Russell just made a face and dropped the idea of sticking around.
It was those two. Andrea spotted Tobias and Russell coming down the hallway. No matter how many times she saw them, she couldn’t help but sigh to herself, ‘Their looks are seriously off the charts. If only Louis could match up in the looks.‘
Just as she was thinking that, the door to the private room swung open.
Just as Tobias reached the door, it swung open from the inside.
‘I never expected to hear such unique insights from Dr. Bennett at tonight’s dinner. Just a few words from Dr. Bennett are worth more than years of study! I’ve learned a lot!” a senior professor said as he pushed the door open.
The other professors started chiming in, one after another.
That’s right! Sorry to trouble you, Dr. Bennett. Even at dinner, you still have to work.”
Then, a clear, elegant female voice rang out, standing out all the more against the senior professors‘ voices.
“Just chatting,” Kaia replied.
Tobias stopped in his tracks. ‘Wait, was that Kaia’s voice?‘ he thought, a bit thrown off.
Before Tobias could process it, Kaia stepped out, surrounded by professors all fawning over her like
she was the center of attention.
Kaia saw Tobias, too, and her eyes widened a bit in surprise.
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‘Kaia? What is she doing here?‘ Andrea’s eyes went wide, and Louis was left with a million questions.
“What are you doing here?” Russell blurted out, echoing everyone’s thoughts.
The whole scene was unreal. Kaia was just a student, a country girl from a small–time rich family who nobody cared about. Yet there she was, surrounded by all the top scientific big shots in Morganburg–every single one a senior professor from Dr. Bennett’s research institute.
Kaia quickly regained her unruffled composure, her lips curling into a slight smile as she replied with effortless grace, “I know people from Dr. Bennett’s research institute. They invited me to join them for dinner.”
As she spoke, Kaia turned to Stephen beside her. “Wouldn’t you agree, Professor Weaver?”
Just that one respectful “Professor” from her was enough to make Stephen’s heart skip a beat. He might’ve been old enough to be her grandfather, but in the world of academia, seniority was all about talent and achievement. Kaia’s brilliance was unmatched. She was both a genius and a leader in their eyes.
“Yes, yes, that’s right,” Stephen replied with an awkward chuckle.
Tobias glanced at Kaia, then at Stephen, who looked a bit guilty. His gaze grew thoughtful, keeping his true thoughts hidden. ‘Something’s definitely up here, Tobias thought to himself.
you know? “How do you even know people from Dr. Bennett’s research institute? Who exactly do And why have you never mentioned this before?” Andrea couldn’t hold herself back anymore and burst out with her questions.
Normally, Andrea was pretty good at holding herself back, but what was happening right then was just too shocking for her to handle.
She used to think Kaia was just a good–for–nothing, but then Kaia became the top scorer on the SAT and even managed to cozy up to the Crawford family. That alone was enough to make Andrea green with envy,
envy, but compared to Kaia knowing people from Dr. Bennett’s research institute, all of that was nothing.
“Andrea? What are you doing here? Did you get some inside info and decide to stake out the place? Who were you waiting for, huh? Dr. Bennett?” Kaia’s eyes narrowed even more as she spoke, her tone sharp and mocking. “You two do have guts!”
Whether it was Kaia’s intimidating aura or just the shock of her words, Andrea’s face instantly went ghostly pale.
“W–what are you even saying? We, we had no idea Dr. Bennett was here! We were just passing by,” Andrea blurted out, her voice trembling as panic flashed across her face.
“Is that so?” Kaia’s eyes narrowed, a dangerous glint flashing in her gaze. “You two better fess up, or I’ll call over the manager and the waiter who served us. They’re the only ones who know exactly
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who’s in this private room. And trust me, with all these senior professors around, neither the manager nor the waiter would dare lie for you.”
Andrea was scared out of her wits. Right then, Kaia seemed to be towering over her, and she felt like nothing more than an ant under Kaia’s foot.
Andrea was burning with unwillingness. Why? Why am I just an imposter, not even the real heiress? Why could Kaia be engaged to Louis without lifting a finger? And why does she get to just chat so easily with those big shots from Dr. Bennett’s research institute?‘
‘Why?‘ she fumed inwardly.
At that moment, her fury erupted.
“Kaia, can you stop acting like you’re all that? So what if you know a few people from Dr. Bennett’s research institute? Does that make you some kind of big shot? Who do you think you are, anyway? I bet you used some dirty tricks to get in with them. I even heard you hired some guy to pretend to be your boyfriend and pick you up from school. And now, all of a sudden, you’re flush with cash and living on your own. Be honest–did you cozy up to someone from the research institute or what?” Andrea snapped, her voice laced with jealousy and spite.
