The Man Who Waited vs. The Man Who Wasted novel Chapter 371

Walking across the campus, Professor Thorne practically radiated pride. Every time she crossed paths with another faculty member, she couldn't resist stopping to chat.

To be honest, she was showing off her star pupil.

Jocelyn felt her cheeks warm, the stroll stretching on longer than necessary. She only let out a sigh of relief when they finally reached the privacy of the professor's office.

Professor Thorne handed her a bottle of water. "So? How have the last few years been? Now that you've married into money, tell me you haven't let your computer science skills rust."

Jocelyn smiled. "You of all people should know I haven't. Every time I hit a roadblock in my coding, I still come knocking on your door."

Thorne beamed, clearly pleased. "You know, the university offered you a full ride to study abroad, and you turned it down. I still don't understand what was going through your head. Thousands of students would kill for that chance—free tuition, plus a generous living stipend. Tell me you don't regret it now."

Jocelyn laughed softly. "I don't. I learned just as much staying here. Plus..."

"It sounded entirely too good to be true. Free tuition and a stipend?"

Things like that didn't just fall into her lap.

Jocelyn's tone turned teasing. "I just figured with my luck, there was no way I was getting a free pass like that."

Thorne's expression softened into one of deep sympathy. She knew all too well how Diana Evans had treated Jocelyn.

With a heavy sigh, Thorne shook her head. "You're such a brilliant girl. Any other parent would wake up smiling every day just knowing you were their daughter. It's a tragedy you were stuck with an adoptive mother like her."

Bringing up the past no longer stung the way it used to. Jocelyn shrugged it off. "It's in the past. I'm doing great now."

The stress had nearly broken her. Thorne had noticed her spiraling depression and pulled her aside. Jocelyn had poured her heart out, expecting nothing more than a sympathetic ear.

But a few days later, Thorne delivered a miracle. She claimed the university was awarding Jocelyn a fifteen-thousand-dollar bonus for winning the national computing championship.

At the time, Jocelyn had been stunned by the sheer amount. She couldn't believe the school was that generous. But Thorne had insisted she had pleaded Jocelyn's case to the administration. That money had been a lifeline, giving Jocelyn the financial independence to finally stand up to Diana.

Whenever Jocelyn thought of it, her heart swelled with gratitude.

But now, an awkward tension settled over Professor Thorne's features.

"Jocelyn... there's something I never told you."