Chapter 161
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When Kyler walked in, he found Stephen bent over the table, magnifying glass in hand, poring over the painting Aurelia had given him, the one by Felix.
Stephen was grinning from ear to ear, sharing his excitement with the housekeeper.
“See this? Now that’s real painting! That girl’s not so bad after all. She actually remembered what I like,” Stephen said, practically glowing with pride.
All that icy aloofness was gone. Stephen was positively beaming.
“What’s got you so excited?” Kyler asked, coming over to take a look.
But when he saw what was on the table, his expression froze.
‘Wait, isn’t this the one Cassian spent 30 million dollars on at the auction?‘ Kyler thought, stunned.
He’d wanted it, too, but ended up backing off for Tessa’s sake.
‘How did it end up here?‘ Kyler wondered, completely baffled.
Stephen was too busy admiring the painting to answer Kyler.
The housekeeper chimed in, “Oh, this? It’s a gift from Stephen’s favorite student. He treats it like a priceless treasure!”
Kyler’s brow twitched.
‘Favorite student… Kyler thought, feeling a sudden pang of unease.
He’d only become Stephen’s student last year, all thanks to his father’s connections.
Kyler’d vaguely heard that Stephen used to have a student he was crazy about, but for some reason, that person just stopped showing up one day.
Stephen had straight–up banned anyone from mentioning that student around him and acted like that student never existed anymore.
After a while, everyone just forgot about it.
It wasn’t until last year, when Stephen took Kyler on as his student, that someone cracked a joke about it.
“Didn’t you already take on your final student seven years ago? Why are you taking on another one now?”
someone teased.
Stephen’s face darkened instantly, and he flat–out denied ever having a final student.
Kyler was curious, so he asked Gideon about it.
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Chapter 161
Gideon just said that Stephen did have a student he adored and thought the world of
But before Stephen could ever make it official, they went their separate ways.
So aside from Stephen, Gideon was the only one who knew who that student really was.
But Gideon never breathed a word about who the student was.
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So up until now, Kyler still had no idea who that student, the one Stephen always thought was the best, was,
But seeing that painting now, a bold suspicion started forming in Kyler’s mind.
‘Could it really be the person I’m thinking of? It has to be, right? It definitely is!‘ he thought to himself, heart pounding.
All the evidence was clear as day, pointing straight to the answer Kyler had in mind.
And right now, Kyler could barely contain his excitement. His heart was racing at his thought.
Tessa had gone abroad with Gideon seven years ago, so the timeline lined up perfectly. The pieces were all falling into place.
Kyler had witnessed Tessa’s talent for himself. He’d devoured every paper she published in top international journals, and each one was packed with substance.
Otherwise, she never would’ve made history as the youngest finance PhD Whitvale School of Management had ever seen.
The clearest, strongest proof was right there–the painting itself.
‘No doubt about it. This has to be from Tessa!‘ Kyler thought, his heart pounding.
After all, there were so few women this exceptional.
He’d never met anyone else like Tessa.
That was why he was dead sure she was the one Stephen cherished most, the one he’d wanted as his last student.
Kyler tried to tamp down his excitement and asked Stephen, “Prof. Horton, since you accepted her gift, does that mean you’re going to take her back as your student?”
Stephen huffed, “I never said that.”
At the same time, he carefully tucked the painting away and handed it to the housekeeper, telling her to be extra careful with it.
“Will she be at your birthday party tomorrow?” Kyler asked, unable to hide his curiosity,
“No,” Stephen replied, his tone leaving no room for doubt.
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‘If she chose to come see me a day early, that means she’s not planning to show up at the party, Stephen thought to himself.
Kyler felt pretty let down. He’d really been looking forward to seeing Tessa at such a big, public event.
He wanted to ask Stephen more about Tessa, but Stephen’s face said it all. He clearly didn’t want to talk, so Kyler just dropped it.
After sharing a couple of cups of coffee with Stephen and chatting about his studies, Kyler finally left Horton Residence.
The first thing he did after leaving was call Tessa.
The phone rang for a while before Tessa finally picked up, her voice bright and cheerful, with a playful lilt when she said his name.
Kyler felt a gentle flutter in his chest.
“Hey, Kyler, what made you think of calling me?” Tessa teased, her voice full of warmth.
Kyler tried to steady the flutter in his chest and said, “I was wondering if you’re free for dinner tonight.”
“You’re in Ashmont?” Tessa asked, a hint of surprise in her voice.
“Yeah, just got in,” Kyler replied.
“That’s a shame. I’m not in Ashmont right now. I’m actually overseas,” Tessa said.
Tessa sounded even more upbeat. “Yep, I’m here sorting out the engagement party details. I’ll be back in two days. If you’re still around when I get back, dinner’s on me.”
“Okay,” Kyler said, trying to steady himself, but he couldn’t shake off that quiet loneliness inside.
“Alright, I’ve got to run. Catch you later!” Tessa chirped.
She hung up, and Kyler just stood there, phone in hand, letting the silence stretch on.
Kyler thought, ‘Guess that’s why Prof. Horton said she wouldn’t be at the party. She’s overseas, planning her engagement.
‘Man, she really does sound happy.
‘Looks like I’m really out of the running, huh?‘
*****
Early the next morning, Gideon called Aurelia and asked if she was coming to Stephen’s birthday party.
“Not going. Just pass along my birthday wishes, okay?” Aurelia replied.
Gideon just shrugged, used to her style. “Alright, since you already saw him, bet he’s already thrilled you
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Aurelia just said. “I hope so.”
After all, she’d disappointed Stephen back then, so she wasn’t holding out hope he’d forgive her anytime soon.
“Stephen didn’t kick you out, so that means there’s still hope,” Gideon said.
Aurelia hoped so, too.
After hanging up, Aurelia grabbed her keys and headed straight to Nietzki Corp.
She’d just met up with Scott and Tyson in the lobby when Liam came out to greet them.
“Ms. Corin, I heard you were coming today, so I made sure to get here early and wait. Didn’t expect you’d be this early yourself,” Liam said, his eyes bright with genuine pleasure.
There was a clear delight in Liam’s gaze as he looked at Aurelia. It was the kind of look a man gives a woman he truly admired.
Tyson had seen Wade give Aurelia that exact look before, so he recognized it instantly.
His heart skipped a beat.
‘Why does it feel like I keep getting more and more competition for her?‘ Tyson thought, exasperated.
“Not that early,” Aurelia said with a polite smile to Liam. “Let’s head over now. Time’s tight.”
“Come on, I’ll show you,” Liam said, taking the lead and guiding Aurelia.
Everything at the facility was already set up. They were just waiting for Aurelia and her tech team to kick off the tests.
There were five cars set up for the test, and Aurelia was all set to ride with Tyson. She wanted to catch up and maybe talk business on the way.
But Liam had already arranged for one of Nietzki Corp’s engineers to join Tyson, so they could discuss technical details. Aurelia could only sigh inwardly. ‘Guess I’ll have to change my plans.
So she ended up in the second car instead. She was just about to wave Scott over, but Liam moved fast and jumped in first.
Scott, a seasoned pro in the corporate jungle, instantly picked up on the vibe and smartly headed for the third
car.
Liam was all enthusiasm as he showed off the new car’s performance to Aurelia, even leaning in to buckle her seatbelt himself and explaining the secret features built into it.
Just as Kyler arrived, he caught sight of Liam leaning in close to Aurelia inside the car, and his frown deepened.
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