Chapter 28
“Harvey?” Niamh called out.
She noticed Harvey’s ears turning red. His expression was something she’d never seen before.
“What did Elara yell at you about over the phone?”
His expression was hard to decipher. “She’s still picking a fight with me.”
Harvey found himself doubting whether the person who had just yelled at him was truly Elara.
“Elata might be going through menopause,” Niamh said with a laugh. “They say women do age faster after having kids.‘
Elara hung up after her outburst and handed the phone back to Frank. He simply stood frozen in place, utterly petrified.
With a small wave of her hand, Elara signaled him to take the phone. Frank then bolted as though lingering another second might earn him the same wrath.
Elara was eager to leave Azure Shores, and she turned to Bambi with a suggestion. “Want to go with Mommy to visit her mentor?”
“Yes!” Bambi replied enthusiastically.
Elara called Theodore before heading to the Snapp residence. She stopped by a florist to buy flowers and then visited a specialty shop, choosing the brand of calligraphy paper Tobias had once favored.
When she arrived at the Snapp residence, a housekeeper greeted her instead of Theodore. The housekeeper, Sam Jacobson, escorted her inside.
As they passed the side hall, Elara’s byes caught sight of a whiteboard with a complex math problem written on it.
Sam asked her to wait in the hallway, but soon returned, locking apologetic.
“Mr. Tobias just took his medication and is feeling a bit fatigued. Perhaps you could wait a little longer, Ms. Jones?
Elara’s heart sank. It was clear Tobias didn’twant to see her
“Of course,” she replied calmly.
Sam then led her to the side hall.
Elara sat with Bambi for what felt like an eternity. Her attention was eventually drawn back to the whiteboard and the intricate equation scrawled across it.
Ten minutes later, she picked up a marker and began writing; on the board.
It felt like being a student again. She was lost in thought, surrounded by the hum of summer, the rustle of sycamore leaves, and the distant footsteps of classmates.
As Elara was completely immersed, she didn’t notice anything around her until
“What do you think you’re doing?” A man’s sharp voice broke her concentration.
Startled, Elara turned to see a group of five young men standing behind her.
Chapter 28
+25 BONUS
One of them, who was wearing black–rimmed glasses, strode up to her. “Are you the new housekeeper? How dare you touch our things?”
He quickly snatched the marker from her hand.
Elara took a step back. “Sorry, I didn’t realize it was off–limits…”
“Figures you’re new. Let me be clear–don’t touch anything here. If a single sheet of calculation paper goes missing, you won’t be able to afford the consequences!”
The man with glasses glared, while the others muttered conciliatory remarks, “Let it go, let it go. Let’s just check if anything’s missing.”
They began gathering their papers and notes from the table in front of the whiteboard.
Elara quietly took Bambi’s hand and moved back to the hallway to wait for Tobias.
One of the students grabbed the eraser, ready to wipe the whiteboard clean, but froze mid–action. “Wait! Look at this!”
“What?” another asked while stepping closer.
The group crowded around the board, and their eyes were wide in disbelief.
“Whoa! Did the housekeeper just solve the equation? 5–She solved Dr. Snapp’s problem!”
The group then rushed to find Elara.
“Excuse me, how did you solve that equation?” one of them asked.
“Are you one of Dr. Snapp’s students?” another added.
Someone immediately dismissed the idea. “Dr. Snapp doesn’t take female students.”
Elara’s voice was steady as she said, “Why wouldn’t he? Dr. Snapp doesn’t discriminate by gender.”
A student countered, “Since the Class of 2020, Dr. Snapp hasn’t admitted a single woman. One of his former female students dropped out to marry a wealthy man, and he became a laughingstock in academia.”
“Keep your voice down!” another hissed.
The hallway fell silent as all eyes turned toward the doorway. Tobias was standing there, leaning against the frame as his gaze fixed on Elara.
