The Scorned Heiress's Hidden Empire (by Jade Quinn) novel Chapter 174

Meanwhile, Emma had no clue what was coming her way. She was seething as she stared at a photo sent from an anonymous number.

The photo was snapped secretly, showing Lucas handing Natalie a bottle of water.

Emma was so jealous she could burst. ‘She really got in fair and square!‘ Emma fumed, her mind spinning.

‘Alright, I didn’t bring her down this time, but there’ll be another chance. I refuse to believe she’ll always get away with it!” Emma thought, her eyes blazing with determination.

After the opening ceremony, Natalie followed the crowd out of the hall.

She’d already changed out of the white shirt and black pants she’d worn on stage, now sporting a fresh white short–sleeve top and light pink quick–dry shorts. Her long, straight hair was casually pinned up with a claw clip.

September in Harbor City was still blazing hot, and Natalie felt so overheated she wished she could just dive into the ocean and stay there for a few days.

Inside, the air conditioning was running, but the closer she got to the door, the more the heat from outside rushed in, threatening to melt her.

Just as she was about to reach the door, a few voices called out from behind the crowd.

“Natalie!

“Natalie, could you stay for a moment?”

Natalie turned around and saw two old guys with glasses waving at her.

She raised an eyebrow. One of them was the math professor who’d given her the problem earlier. Honestly, she wasn’t in the mood to step out into the heat anyway, so she doubled back through the crowd.

When Professor Greyson and Professor Nevaeh saw her come back, their faces instantly lit up with excitement.

“What is it?” Natalie asked.

“Hello Natalie, I’m Nevaeh Baker from the Math Department.”

Nevaeh grinned, his face all scrunched up with wrinkles as he reached out to shake her hand.

“I watched the whole way you solved the problem on stage just now. It was absolutely brilliant, absolutely brilliant!” Nevaeh exclaimed.

Natalie shook his hand. “Professor Nevaeh.”

Greyson, the other professor, stepped forward, adjusting his glasses, his tone calmer than Nevaeh’s.

“Natalie, I’m Greyson Shepherd from the Math Department. The transformation you used for the third question, that was a variation of the Chebyshev inequality, right?

“That’s not in the high school math curriculum. Where did you learn that?” Greyson asked.

Natalie thought for a moment. “I picked it up from some books.”

Greyson and Nevaeh exchanged a glance, their eyes lighting up with delight.

‘She actually learned it just by reading on her own?‘ they both marveled, clearly impressed.

That meant her ability to teach herself was miles ahead of her peers, and she genuinely loved math, not just some bookworm who crammed for tests and ended up all scores and no substance.

“Natalie,” Nevaeh said, his smile growing even wider as he spoke.

“Have you ever considered transferring to the Math Department? We have the best teaching resources in the country, and our faculty is top–notch.

“Genius students like you are incredibly precious to us. If you decide to join our Math Department, we’ll do everything we can to support and nurture your talent!” Nevaeh added.

“Nevaeh!” Professor Greyson cut him off, sounding a bit annoyed.

“Do you have to be so direct? It’s her first day, and you’re already pushing her to transfer. What if you freak her out?” Greyson said.

Nevaeh protested, “Blunt? Come on, I’m just talking it over with her.”

“That’s not a discussion, that’s practically twisting her arm!” Greyson shot back.

Waiting For You

“How is that twisting her arm?…” Nevaeh protested.

Natalie stood off to the side, watching the two professors banter like an old married couple, a faint smile quirking at her lips. Before she could say anything, a rush of hurried footsteps came up berrind her.

“You two, I knew it!” a voice salled out.

An old professor with a head of white hair but full of energy strode over, his sharp gaze locked onto Greyson and Nevaeh, giving them a look like he’d just busted a couple of thieves.

“Dean Gray?” Nevaeh blurted out, his smile freezing on his face as if he’d just been caught red–handed.

He looked like a kid who’d just been busted by the principal.

Leonardo Gray strode over to Natalie and planted himself right in front of her, like a human shield blocking Nevaeh’s view. “Natalie is a student of our Physics Department. It’s clearly stated in her admission letter. So what are you two from the Math Department doing here, trying to poach her?” Leonardo said, his tone firm and no–nonsense.

His voice wasn’t loud, but every word rang out with authority, making it clear he wasn’t backing down.

Nevaeh shrank back for a second, but quickly squared his shoulders. “Dean Gray, that’s not how it works. Sure, she got into the Physics Department, but she should be free to follow what she’s really passionate about, right?

“You saw Natalie’s math skills for yourself, even our grad students in the Math Department would have struggled with that problem.”

“So what?” Leonardo shot back, standing his ground.

“Physics and math go hand in hand. They’re inseparable. She can study math right here in Physics, and our math classes are just as solid as anything your department offers.”

“Dean Gray, that’s not very objective…” Nevaeh started, but Leonardo cut him off.

“Objective? I’m just telling it like it is!” Leonardo shot back, his tone firm.

Greyson adjusted his glasses and spoke up in a slow, measured tone. “Dean Gray, we’re really not here to poach anyone. “It’s just that Natalie has an exceptional gift for math. If she’s given the right support, she could achieve great things in the field.

“We just really value.talented students like her.”

Leonardo gave Greyson a look and let out a dismissive snort/

His tone softened a bit, but he stayed firm. “I get that you guys value talent, and so do we!”

This year’s physics exam was brutal, even the professors in our department could only score up to 94 points, but Natalie got a perfect score!

No way was he letting these two steal her away.

“End of discussion,” Leonardo said, not backing down. “Natalie signed up for the Physics Department, so it’s obvious she’s

into physics.

“You can’t just try to steal her away because she’s a math whiz. That’s just not fair.”

‘Can’t we at least ask her to think it over?” Nevaeh muttered under his breath.

Leonardo shot him a glare. “Major changes can’t happen until next year! Shoo, shop, don’t bug Natalie!”

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