Chapter 99
Chapter 99
There weren’t many people at the dinner, just a small group.
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When Taylor arrived, he wondered if it was a bit of a waste to prepare so much food for just a few people. But as soon as he stepped into the dining room, he spotted two teenagers at the table.
Vic and Jeremy had assigned themselves the role of making sure the atmosphere stayed lively.
The moment Taylor walked in, they were all over him.
Both of them were good–looking and knew how to win over their elders with just the right amount of charm.
“Mr. Johnson, I’ve admired you ever since I saw that news piece about you. Can’t believe I finally get to meet you in person!”
“Since you’re Yvonne’s mentor now, that makes us practically family. Come on, take a seat!”
With them around, there was never a dull moment. Laughter echoed through the windows, filling the air with warmth.
Laura stood outside, having followed Taylor all the way there, but never managing to find the courage to speak.
It wasn’t until she overheard Vic mention that Taylor was actually Yvonne’s teacher that it finally hit her.
Just then, a servant walked by, carrying dishes. Swallowing her excitement, Laura turned around and made her way back to her yard.
On her way, she ran into her mother.
Unable to hold it in, she hurried over, eyes shining. “Mom! Uncle Kelvin invited Yvonne’s teacher over for dinner! It’s Mr. Taylor Johnson, the one I told you about!”
Carol’s expression shifted to shock the moment she heard Taylor’s name. But as soon as she realized he was here for Yvonne, her excitement dimmed.
She grabbed Laura’s hand, holding it tightly. “Your tutor is coming over for dinner in two days. We’re just as important as the fourth branch.”
“Mom, what are you even saying?” Laura tried to tamp down her excitement and reasoned with her. “Forget about comparing my mentor to Mr. Johnson, your whole way of thinking is off.
“You don’t understand how important Taylor is. Of course Uncle Kelvin would invite him over.”
Carol didn’t respond right away. She still felt a little bitter, but as Laura kept talking, that feeling slowly faded.
It wasn’t that she wanted to compete with the fourth branch, but there were only three girls in the Adler family, and Laura had always been the smartest and most capable.
But then Yvonne showed up, first charming a snake, then winning over Richard, and now, out of nowhere, landing a powerful mentor. It was too much of a coincidence.
Carol frowned, lost in thought.
There was no way a three–year–old could find such a master on her own. Kelvin had to be behind this. And knowing him, there had to be more to it.
At a time like this, she couldn’t help but overthink things.
She and Laura walked into the house, still caught up in their conversation, completely unaware that someone had been
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eavesdropping.
As soon as they disappeared, Widi stepped out from the shadows,
She wasn’t even sure how she felt Jealous? Yeah, a little. But mostly, she just felt bad for herself.
Laura had never needed to envy anyone.
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She had parents who did everything for her, sending gifts to her teachers from elementary school all the way to university to make sure she got special treatment. When she applied for grad school, they pulled every string they could to get her a well–known mentor.
Widi, on the other hand, had grown up surrounded by brothers. Her parents barely paid attention to her, always more focused on them. She was used to being overlooked.
She used to tell herself it didn’t matter. But seeing Yvonne now, she couldn’t lie to herself anymore,
Frustrated, she made her way to the main hall and stopped a passing servant to ask a few questions.
When she found out Ian was here, she rushed back to her place.
The moment she stepped inside, she spotted her mother lounging on the couch, casually applying a face mask.
Widi hurried over and grabbed her arm. “Mom, you have to help me!”
“Enough with the drama. Go to bed,” Teresa said, not even bothering to look up.
But Widi didn’t back down. She sat beside her and, in a low voice, told her everything she had just overheard.
After hearing Widi out, Teresa was definitely intrigued, but she had the same thoughts as Carol.
“There’s no way this is just some random coincidence. Kelvin probably planned the whole thing for the family inheritance,” she explained.
“I don’t care about that,” Widi said, holding onto her mother’s arm. “Now that Mr. Johnson and Mr. Holmes are here, help me find a powerful mentor too!”
Teresa shot her down without hesitation. “Absolutely not. Do you even hear yourself? How old are you?”
Widi paused for a moment, then said with a hint of frustration, “I’m seventeen. I have college entrance exams next year. Yvonne is only three, and she already has a master. Why can’t I?”
Teresa didn’t want to embarrass herself by going to Kelvin, especially when there was no guarantee it would work.
Instead, she found another excuse. “Didn’t you just say Mr. Johnson’s field of study is super niche? Even if you became his student, what’s the point? Other than bragging rights, what would you actually gain?”
Widi’s eyes lit up, this wasn’t a firm rejection.
She quickly shook her head. “Not Mr. Johnson, then! What about Kenny Holmes? He’s a professor in the Archaeology Department at Peral University. Our families are close, right?”
Ian wasn’t the youngest in the Holmes family, Kenny was.
A well–respected professor with the qualifications to take students, he had a solid reputation, and his family name made him even more desirable.
Widi had heard girls talking about him before. They called him the “prince of archaeology.”
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She still remembered meeting him when she was eight or nine. The details were fuzzy, but she clearly recalled how good- looking he was and how gentle his voice sounded.
Back then, she didn’t really understand what admiration was, but something about him had left a deep impression
Even now, she sometimes found herself zoning out in class, lost in daydreams about him.
She had always thought about studying archaeology in college, but it never felt like a real option. Kenny wasn’t like regular professors, he was in a league of his own. And with her grades being just okay, she figured there was no way she would ever catch Kenny’s attention.
But if a three–year–old could get Taylor as a mentor, then maybe it wasn’t so impossible after all.
She was determined to have Kenny as her mentor, there was no way she’d let herself fall behind the others.
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