Chapter 196
Alvin's mouth dropped open slightly. He stood stunned for several seconds before recovering, his voice tinged with something almost like awe. "You… you even knew about our personnel changes? Last fall, one of our core researchers transferred out. The new colleague wasn't familiar with that algorithm, so we switched to a more conservative fitting method. You spotted it just from a glance?"
"The fluctuation pattern in the third data set looked different. It was noticeable." Lucinda slipped the card into her pocket.
Alvin nodded repeatedly, his eyes bright with undisguised excitement. He was about to say more when someone pushed him aside.
Liam had been standing at the edge of the crowd, unhurried. He watched Lucinda handle the room and waited until she'd made her way through everyone before stepping forward.
He stood in front of her and was silent for two seconds.
"Teacher."
The word landed, and the noise in the living room cut off.
Everyone turned to look at him.
Liam—the fastest-rising name in the research world in recent years, the prodigy that institutes across the country had fought to recruit—was standing in front of Lucinda, addressing her with genuine deference.
The room went quiet for two full seconds.
Valencia's fingers tightened slightly. Her gaze jumped back and forth between Liam and Lucinda.
Wesley stood beside the sofa, his brow shifting almost imperceptibly.
Dahlia stood in the corner. Her expression froze as if something had locked it in place. The light in her eyes dimmed, bit by bit.
Teacher?
Liam… was Lucinda's student?
Something in her mind snapped taut, humming like a plucked string.
Just moments ago, she'd thought 109 points would be enough to make everyone look at her differently.
But now she realized: the circle she'd spent every ounce of effort trying to break into—Lucinda had already been standing at its very center.
Liam didn't acknowledge the stares around him.
He looked at Lucinda, his tone respectful. "Teacher, why did you go and take that exam? With your level, you'd be more than qualified to sit on the judging panel. If you took the test, doesn't that mean—"
He didn't finish. Someone pushed through from behind him.
It was an elderly man, perhaps in his early sixties, lean in build, with an unremarkable silver pin on his lapel. At first glance, he looked like a retired schoolteacher.
But the moment he spoke, the air in the entire living room went still.
"Cindy." He said her name with easy familiarity, his gaze settling on her face with a hint of gentle reproach. "You haven't come back to see this old man in two years. I've mentioned it to your master more than a few times—said you must've forgotten all about us. Now that I've finally caught you, the least you can do is have dinner with us."
Lucinda looked at that familiar face, and the corner of her mouth curved. "Mr. Adams, you came in person?"
The old man let out a short huff, his voice barely concealing his amusement. "If I hadn't, would you ever show your face again? Your master was muttering about you just the other day. Said he sent you a message at the start of the year and you replied with one word—'okay'—and then nothing. Kept him up for several nights."
Lucinda laughed despite herself. "I really was swamped at the start of the year."
Before she could say anything more, someone else pressed in.
A middle-aged man with round-framed glasses, smiling. "Ms. Wipere, do you remember me? Two years ago, you came to our institute to supervise students in the lab. A student from the next class made an error that caused a small explosion. Everyone ran out. You were the only one who ran in and pulled those students out of the fire. I was right there. My legs nearly gave out. But you—you walked out without so much as a furrowed brow. We looked into it afterward and found out you'd been a full professor at our institute for years. Never even collected your salary."
He shook his head, a note of admiration in his voice. "Since we've run into each other today, we absolutely must take you to dinner."
Lucinda opened her mouth to respond, but another voice cut in. "Ms. Wipere, and me—"
"Ms. Wipere, about that point in your last paper—"
"Ms. Wipere, we have a new project this year—"
Voices surged from every direction. These were people who, in their own domains, commanded rooms without effort. Yet right now they were jostling like students rushing to turn in their homework, each one trying to get a word in front of Lucinda.
The living room had turned into something resembling a small gala. The Douglas family servants lined the corridor at the far end, eyes wide, barely believing what they were seeing.
Valencia stood beside the sofa, her right hand pressed over her mouth, eyes reddening, her breath coming in unsteady waves.
She glanced at Wesley. He was holding a teacup at his lips, and he hadn't taken a sip.
He was listening to the names. Haven from the National Academy of Sciences of Astoria. Alvin from the National Institute of Technology of Astoria. And the old man surnamed Adams—a lifetime professor at the country's most prestigious research institute.
Last year, Wesley had called in three layers of favors to try to bring that man on as a technical advisor for the Douglas Group. The man hadn't even agreed to meet.
And now, all of these people—names that existed only in legend—were standing in his living room, crowding around his daughter.
Dahlia stood in the corner, watching titans her own father had to treat with careful politeness orbiting Lucinda, words of deference tumbling from their mouths one after another. Her chest went so numb she could barely breathe.
Twenty years. She had spent twenty years trying to prove she was worth something in this family.
And Lucinda had done nothing. She'd simply stood there. And already, she was the center of the entire room.
The people Dahlia had to calculate every word to even approach—they were all fighting each other for the chance to take Lucinda to dinner.
Lucinda, hemmed in on all sides with no room to respond, finally raised one hand slightly.
The room went silent instantly.
She looked at them and spoke unhurriedly. "Alright. Go on back, all of you. I need to rest tonight. When I have time, I'll come find you."
She said it casually. And yet every one of those luminaries who'd been competing to take her to dinner quietly settled down.
The old man surnamed Adams was the first to step back, waving his hand with an air of fond exasperation. "Fine, fine. You win. But don't forget—I'm first on your list."
Someone beside him immediately cut in. "Why should you be first? Ms. Wipere should come to us first!"
"Your project isn't even urgent. Ours, on the other hand—"
"Alright, enough." Lucinda cut them off, a helpless smile breaking through. "If you keep arguing, I won't get any rest tonight at all. Head back. I'll reach out once I've sorted things on my end."