Chapter 87
Caroline lowered her eyes. "Mr. Barnes, I know where I went wrong."
She shouldn't have abandoned herself and her dreams for Arthur.
Gabriel's expression softened slightly as he pulled out an embossed invitation he'd prepared in advance.
"This is for my lecture in a couple of days. Come early and study with Alton." He pushed an aged book across the desk. "And this ancient text—you should read it thoroughly."
Caroline frowned at the yellowed 19th-century pharmacology manuscript. "But these old-school herbal theories... they're completely different from my research direction."
She excelled in modern laboratory molecular pharmacology. These ancient formulas and hand-extracted herbal techniques felt like a foreign language to her—practically a blank slate.
Gabriel shook his head, disagreeing. "You're seeing only one side. Traditional herbal medicine is the foundation of our discipline and the cornerstone of my life's work. Many conditions that modern medicine and technology can't solve sometimes find solutions in these ancient formulations."
Caroline's thesis, for instance, was theoretically perfect but difficult to implement practically. Without implementation, it couldn't be put to use.
Caroline didn't have time to waste—everyone wanted to save her.
Shifting topics, Gabriel asked, "How did your first chemotherapy session go?"
Before Caroline could respond, there was an urgent knock at the door. Gabriel, seemingly unsurprised, looked at Alton. "Go get the door."
Caroline, who had started to rise, sat back down and studied Gabriel's notes on her thesis. The door opened to reveal an unexpected visitor: Arthur.
His gaze was heavy, his breathtaking face clouded with darkness that was difficult to look at directly. When he spotted Caroline, the suffocating pressure intensified.
Caroline kept her eyes forward, pretending not to notice him.
After a few seconds, Arthur finally shifted his attention. "Mr. Barnes."
Gabriel's demeanor remained cold. "To what do I owe the pleasure, Mr. Windor?"
Arthur set down a gift. "I was quite rude during my last visit and wanted to apologize."
Gabriel remained unmoved. "No need for formalities. What can I do for you?"
Arthur had come to persuade Gabriel to accept Heidi as a student, but with others present, he couldn't be direct.
Instead, he produced a paper Heidi had recently written. "Mr. Barnes, a friend of mine wrote this thesis. I was hoping you might offer some feedback."
Gabriel glanced at it dismissively before picking up Caroline's paper and handing it over. "Mr. Windsor, if you're genuinely interested in your friend's academic potential, perhaps review this first."
"If your friend's abilities don't match even this level, how could I justify personally mentoring them?"
Arthur's expression cooled, clearly not expecting such a blunt refusal. He quickly scanned the thesis, his face darkening further. The paper had effectively silenced him.
Alton deliberately provoked him. "Well? Do you think your friend compares to our junior colleague? If you ask me, your friend doesn't even reach a tenth of her level. Don't let yourself be deceived, Mr. Windsor."
Arthur's eyes registered surprise, his brows furrowing as he fixated on the term "junior colleague."
"Junior colleague? Professor Brooks, besides yourself, Mr. Barnes doesn't seem to have other students. Who might this be?"
Gabriel gave him a sidelong glance. "Actually, you've met this student of mine. Unfortunately, she's been diagnosed with cancer. She's devoted herself to research, hoping to find her own path to survival."
Caroline tensed, visibly uncomfortable. She didn't want Arthur knowing about her relationship with Gabriel, much less her cancer diagnosis.
Arthur's cold gaze instinctively swept over Caroline, pausing briefly with suspicion before moving on.
For a moment, he did consider that Caroline might be Gabriel's student. But he dismissed the thought instantly. It was impossible.
His attention settled on Alton instead.
"I hear your experiments focus on cancer treatment. It's hardly surprising he could produce such a thesis." His tone was arrogant, dismissive, not sparing Caroline another glance.
Caroline bit her lip until it nearly bled. Arthur's implication was clear—he believed the thesis came from Alton, and that she was plagiarizing someone else's work to deliberately undermine Heidi. Yet she had done nothing wrong.
Caroline opened her mouth, but the explanation died on her lips. She knew that for Arthur, even with facts laid bare before him, he would only believe what he wanted to believe.
Realizing this, she gave a faint, bitter smile.
"Since you have business to discuss, I'll take my leave." She had only come to deliver her thesis, not to encounter Arthur.
As she turned to go, a hand suddenly blocked her path. "Mr. Barnes and Professor Brooks have matters to discuss. I can escort you home, Ms. Hamilton."
Without waiting for a response, Arthur grasped Caroline's wrist and led her away.
Inside the room, Alton moved to follow them but was stopped by Gabriel. "They're legally married. What right do you have to interfere?"
Alton choked with frustration. "Caroline's already decided to divorce him. What if Arthur mistreats her?"
Gabriel replied calmly, "He wouldn't dare. Besides, you know Caroline's condition. She needs to make some decisions. Constant hesitation will only hurt her in the end."
Alton could only watch helplessly as they disappeared from view.
Downstairs, Caroline struggled against Arthur's grip. "Mr. Windsor, let go."
But Arthur only walked faster, showing no intention of releasing her.
Just before reaching the car, Caroline's suppressed anger finally erupted. She planted her feet firmly and wrenched her wrist free.
Having broken free, she faced Arthur's thunderous expression.
"Was deceiving me amusing?" he demanded, his eyes fixed intently on her. "Or did you think that by deliberately hiding this, I would feel guilty toward you?"
Caroline's heart tightened, momentarily afraid Arthur had discovered her cancer diagnosis.
But his next cold words shattered that illusion. "Caroline, are you enjoying this charade?"
"What?" She looked up at him, genuinely confused by his meaning.
Arthur's lips curled into a mocking smile. "Isn't all this just part of your calculated scheme?"
Caroline stared at him and suddenly laughed. "Mr. Windsor, you can't possibly think I'm powerful enough to manipulate Mr. Barnes and Professor Brooks into deliberately disparaging Heidi's paper?"
She had feared Arthur had discovered her cancer. This was merely... this.