My Reborn Admirer Wins Over My Heart (Oriana) novel Chapter 47

**TITLE: He Returned to Break and Own Me and for His Queen**

**Chapter 47: James’ Rage**

James leaned back with a self-satisfied smirk, brandishing his student ID like a badge of honor. “Take a good, hard look,” he said, his voice dripping with condescension. “I’m part of Mr. Flint’s esteemed research team. I’ve already told you this, but you insisted on wasting our time and turning this into a spectacle—”

Before he could finish his rant, Oriana had already gathered her belongings with a deliberate calmness and breezed past him, her indifference as palpable as the tension in the air.

The men surrounding her shifted, their expressions hardening into masks of indignation. They swiftly moved to block her exit, forming an intimidating wall of hostility.

“You didn’t hand it over,” one of them growled, his voice low and threatening. “Where do you think you’re going?”

Oriana met his fierce gaze without flinching, a slight smirk dancing on her lips. “I told you, no.” Her voice was steady, unwavering. “Even if Mr. Flint himself were to come here, my answer would remain unchanged.”

With that, she turned her back on their outraged faces, striding away with a confidence that seemed to echo in the silence she left behind.

“Fine. Perfect. Oriana, right? Just you wait,” one of the men shouted after her, his voice laced with venom.

As she stepped out of the logistics office, Oriana let out a heavy breath, relief flooding through her. A faint, self-mocking smile tugged at her mouth as she processed the confrontation.

She had come to Jindiwood University Medical College, filled with hope for one last opportunity—to study under the renowned Cormac Flint. Yet, on her very first day, she had managed to offend his entourage.

Still, she felt no regret. The way James had acted was intolerable, and she refused to condone such behavior.

Quickening her pace, Oriana made her way to the Traditional Medicine Department. She knocked on the office door, only to find it eerily empty inside, the silence amplifying her unease.

After checking the time, she waited patiently for what felt like an eternity, finally rewarded when a young woman hurried in, her presence a welcome distraction.

Oriana recognized her immediately; it was the same student she had encountered in the logistics office.

“Oh, so you’re Mr. Harris’ TA?” the girl said brightly, her face lighting up with recognition. “I thought you worked for someone else.”

“I’m Lily Martinez. I’m also one of the TAs,” she introduced herself, her enthusiasm infectious.

Oriana extended her hand, a genuine smile breaking through her earlier tension. “I’m Oriana.”

“I remember your name,” Lily said, grasping Oriana’s hand eagerly. “You were incredible back there! If I had been in your shoes, I wouldn’t have known what to do.”

Her admiration was evident, but soon a shadow of worry crossed her features. “But Mr. Flint is notorious for protecting his own. You stood up to James like that. I’m afraid you might—”

“It’s fine,” Oriana interjected, her voice firm. “If Mr. Flint really wants to come after me for James’ sake, I won’t be afraid.”

Glancing around the office, she inquired, “Doesn’t Mr. Harris have a class today?”

Lily let out an awkward laugh, her demeanor shifting slightly. “He does, but he almost never shows up. The TAs handle the lectures and exams.”

“There used to be another senior TA who covered the classes, but she quit last week. It’s just been me since then. Thank God you showed up, Oriana. I finally have someone by my side,” Lily said, her relief palpable.

She looked at Oriana with the kind of gratitude one might reserve for a long-awaited oasis in the desert. “You have no idea—when I’m up there, I shake like crazy. Asking me to lecture is like asking me to jump off a cliff. I don’t think I can keep this up much longer.”

Leo Ridge’s calm gaze shifted from the chair to James’ face, his expression unreadable. “I heard your voice from halfway across the building,” he remarked, a hint of amusement in his tone.

“Leo, it wasn’t my fault,” James muttered, launching into a dramatic retelling of the incident in the logistics office, embellishing the details to paint himself as the victim.

“Tell me, Leo—don’t you think Oriana did it on purpose, just to humiliate me?” he asked, desperation creeping into his voice.

Leo paused, considering the question. “Probably,” he replied thoughtfully.

James’ spirits lifted momentarily, only for Leo’s next words to slice through his optimism. “But she was right. She had no obligation to hand anything over.”

The rebuke forced James to swallow the curse that nearly escaped his lips. Still, he bristled at the implication. “But I wasn’t wrong either. She’s just a TA in the Traditional Medicine Department. How could she possibly be more important than our lab? Applying takes two or three days at most. She could have waited.”

“And I promised our junior she’d be up to speed the moment she arrived this afternoon. Now I look like a fool,” he added, frustration lacing his voice.

Leo’s brow furrowed in disapproval. “Wait. You were planning to bring her into the lab today?”

James blinked, caught off guard by the sudden turn in the conversation. “Yeah, why not?”

“Ridiculous,” Leo snapped, his voice sharp. “There are sensitive instruments everywhere, not to mention the biological cultures we’re cultivating. And you wanted to bring in someone with zero lab experience? James, are you an idiot?”

Under Leo’s scolding, James felt the weight of his mentor’s disappointment pressing down on him, rendering him momentarily speechless.

Leo Ridge was no ordinary student; he was Cormac Flint’s most brilliant protégé—handpicked as a freshman and mentored all the way through to postdoc. Nearly every significant breakthrough and published paper from their team in recent years bore Leo’s name, a testament to his intellect and dedication.