Tonight Her Love Ended novel Chapter 40

Professor Mathew looked at Nova, a deep mixture of paternal warmth and agonizing pity in his eyes that no one else could decipher.

This brilliant girl, who had relentlessly pursued science by his side since she was a teenager, enduring every hardship without a single complaint, was finally trying to pull herself out of the mud. There was absolutely no way his old bones wouldn't help her.

Besides, he didn't have much longer to live anyway.

"And what is Mr. Forrester's stance?" Professor Mathew asked, completely ignoring Nova's interjection.

When Tristan had flatly refused his direct request earlier, the professor knew that prying anything—even something unwanted—out of a capitalist's iron grip was practically impossible.

If that was the game, he was fully prepared to break his own rules for Nova!

Tristan stared intently at Nova, his eyes entirely devoid of warmth.

Using Nova, an insignificant pawn, as a stepping stone to elevate Yvette to the status of Professor Mathew's protégé would guarantee Yvette a limitless future.

It was a trade that brought nothing but immense benefits to the Forrester family!

Just as everyone at the table assumed Tristan would seize the perfect opportunity, he calmly stated, "My apologies. The answer is still no."

Relief washed over Nova; her professor wouldn't have to compromise his integrity.

But Tristan's refusal felt like a jagged pill lodged in her throat.

Why had Tristan refused?

Was it simply because she was 'pregnant with his child'?

The heavy tension suffocated the banquet until Samuel eventually escorted Professor Mathew out. The evening never recovered its earlier glamorous momentum.

As Abdul prepared to leave, he shot Nova a look of pure disgust.

"If a woman wants to keep a man's heart, she needs to rely on genuine excellence. Pulling cheap, humiliating stunts only makes you repulsive. Nova, you have profoundly disappointed me. Tristan, you need to keep her on a much tighter leash!"

Nova's face remained utterly blank. She was far past the point of letting a few venomous words affect her.

Even when Tristan looked her way, she offered zero reaction.

It finally clicked why Tristan refused to let her go.

He truly loved Yvette—loved her down to his very bones. He was so devoted that he refused to let Yvette suffer even the slightest indignity or whisper of gossip, calculating every move to ensure her path was flawless.

Nova lowered her eyes to her phone. Her secure messaging app, which had been heavily encrypted by the government years ago, showed a new contact request with a default profile picture.

The verification message contained only two words: "Tristan Forrester."

There was no need for anything else. His name alone carried more weight than a thousand words.

Nova's first instinct was to reject the request, but remembering that Samuel had orchestrated this setup, and her professor hadn't stopped it, she quietly accepted the request. She didn't send a message, though.

If Tristan firmly refused to let her leave, how was she supposed to resign smoothly?

Would she really be forced to settle things privately with Yasmin Forrester?

Absolutely not. Nova would never compromise on that!