Chapter 162 *
Scarlett’s POV
My baseball cap fell off in the process.
My face was completely exposed.
Dr. Patterson's eyes locked onto mine.
His pupils dilated. His face went white. His mouth opened slightly.
He looked exactly like someone who'd just seen a ghost.
"You're—" he started to say.
I bowed. Deep. A full ninety-degree bow that put my face back out of his direct line of sight.
"I'm Scarlett Romano, sir." I spoke quickly. Loudly. "Thank you so much for taking the time to look at my work. I'm really grateful for the feedback."
I straightened up but kept my eyes down. "Actually, I think Zelda's results are much more impressive than mine. She did this extraction for the first time today and achieved excellent purity. That shows real natural talent."
I gestured toward Zelda's station. "You should focus your attention on her, Professor. She's the one with genuine pharmaceutical potential."
Dr. Patterson didn't look at Zelda. Didn't even glance in her direction.
His eyes stayed locked on my face. Something was clicking into place behind his eyes.
"Miss Romano." Dr. Patterson's voice changed. Got more intense. "I would like to offer you a research position in my lab."
The entire room erupted.
Students started talking over each other. The TA dropped her clipboard.
Brett actually said "What the fuck?" out loud.
"I'm sorry?" I stared at Dr. Patterson. "What?"
"I'm looking for a student to mentor." Dr. Patterson ignored everyone else in the room. "Someone with real potential. Someone who could contribute to cutting-edge pharmaceutical research."
He gestured at my flask. "You clearly have the skills. The precision. The understanding of chemical processes that most students don't develop until graduate school."
"I'm just a freshman." I tried to back away. "I don't have time for—"
"I'll work around your schedule." Dr. Patterson pulled out a business card. "I'd like you to come to my office this week. We can discuss the details."
He pressed the card into my hand.
"This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, Miss Romano." His voice was firm. "I don't make offers like this lightly."
I could feel Zelda's eyes burning into the side of my head.
This was supposed to be her moment. Her chance to shine in front of Dr. Patterson.
And I'd just completely stolen it.
The funny thing was, I hadn't even wanted to.
I stared at the business card in my hand like it might explode.
Dr. Richard Patterson, PhD Director of Pharmaceutical Research Wolfe Memorial Hospital
There was a phone number. An email address.
This was bad. This was so incredibly bad.
"I really appreciate the offer, Professor." I tried to hand the card back. "But I don't think I'm the right fit for your lab."
Dr. Patterson didn't take it. "Why not?"
"Because I'm just a freshman." I gestured around the lab. "There are probably dozens of students more qualified than me."
"I disagree." Dr. Patterson crossed his arms. "You have advanced technical skills. You clearly understand pharmaceutical processes at a level that suggests years of experience."
"That's because I worked in a rural clinic." I spoke quickly. "Basic stuff. Nothing fancy."
"A rural clinic that taught you pharmaceutical-grade extraction techniques?" Dr. Patterson's eyebrow went up. "That's quite remarkable."
I could feel everyone in the lab listening. This conversation was getting more attention than I wanted.
"Look, Professor." I lowered my voice. "I'm really not interested in research positions right now. I just want to focus on my classes."
"What's your career plan then?"
"I don't have one yet." I said. "I'm still figuring things out."
"If you're interested in medicine, research experience would strengthen your application significantly." Dr. Patterson's tone was matter-of-fact. "A recommendation letter from me would guarantee admission to any MD-PhD program in the country."
Brett made a choking sound from across the room.
I ignored him. "I'm not applying to MD-PhD programs."
"Why not?"
"Because I don't want to spend eight years in school?" I tried to sound casual. "I'd rather just do the MD and get out."
Dr. Patterson didn't look convinced. "What about graduate school? A PhD in pharmacology?"
"Not interested."
"You could be making groundbreaking contributions to drug development." His voice got more intense. "You have the talent for it. The instincts."
I shook my head. "I appreciate that you think so. But research isn't for me."
"Then what is for you?"
"I want a normal job." I spoke carefully. "Something stable. Good benefits. Reasonable hours. Close to home."
Dr. Patterson blinked. "A normal job."
"Yes."
"You want to take pharmaceutical-grade technical skills and use them for a normal job."
"That's the plan."
"That seems like a waste of your abilities."
"Maybe." I shrugged. "But it's what I want."
Dr. Patterson was quiet for a moment. Then his expression shifted. Like he was recalculating his approach.
"What if I could guarantee you that kind of position after graduation?"
Oh no.
"What do you mean?"
"I have connections throughout the pharmaceutical industry." Dr. Patterson pulled out his phone. Started scrolling through something. "I could arrange for you to work as a pharmacy supervisor at one of the major hospital systems in New York."
I stared at him. "You would do that?"
"If you work in my lab for the next four years, yes." He looked up from his phone. "Full benefits. Excellent salary. Standard forty-hour work week. You'd be managing a team but the work itself would be straightforward."
This was insane.
He was offering me exactly what I'd said I wanted. Like he was trying to call my bluff.
"That's very generous." I tried to sound grateful instead of panicked. "But I still don't think I'm the right person for your lab."
"Why not?"
"Because there are better students." I gestured toward Zelda. "My sister, for example. She did amazing work today. First time doing this extraction and she got excellent results."
Dr. Patterson didn't even glance at Zelda. "Your sister's results were adequate for a beginner. Yours were exceptional by any standard."
Zelda's face went white.
Brett looked like he wanted to argue but couldn't figure out how.
The way he said it made my skin crawl. Like he'd already decided and nothing I said would change his mind.
"Professor, I really can't accept this offer." I tried one more time. "I'm not qualified to be your student."
"Let me be the judge of that."
"But I'm telling you I'm not interested in research."
"And I'm telling you that you should reconsider." Dr. Patterson's voice got firmer. "This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity."
"I understand that, but—"
"Think about it this week. Come to my office on Friday afternoon. We can discuss the details then."
"Professor, I don't think—"
"Two o'clock on Friday." He was already walking toward the door. "Don't be late."
And then he was gone.
The lab exploded.
"WHAT THE FUCK JUST HAPPENED?" Brett's voice was so loud it echoed off the walls.
Lily grabbed my arm. "Did Dr. Patterson just offer you a research position?"
"I think so?" My brain was still trying to process.
"That's insane!" Emma appeared on my other side. "He never takes undergraduate students!"
Jessica joined the huddle. "My roommate applied to work in his lab last year. She had a 4.0 GPA and two years of prior research experience. He rejected her in thirty seconds."
"Seriously?" I looked at her.
"Seriously." Jessica's eyes were huge. "And he just offered you a position after watching you do one lab exercise?"
"This doesn't make sense." I stared at the business card still in my hand. "Why would he want me?"
"Because you're a genius, obviously." Lily squeezed my arm. "Did you see his face when he looked at your crystals? He looked like he'd seen the second coming of Marie Curie."
"I'm not a genius." I shoved the card in my pocket. "I just have experience with this stuff."
Zelda hadn't said anything yet. She was still standing at her station. Her hands were clenched around the edge of the lab bench.
Our eyes met across the room.
The hatred in her expression was so intense it was almost physical.
Everything was getting more complicated. I couldn't shake the feeling that Dr. Patterson's interest in me had nothing to do with chemistry skills.
There was something else going on.