COMMENT
Chapter 89
Jack’s cheeks flushed a hit as he saw her confusion “Hey, uh, thanks again for tutoring us these past few weeks. I was wondering if maybe I could get your number. Just in case anything comes up, you know? Fd be happy to help out any way I can, no strings attached”
He’ll just finished grading his test and was pretty happy with hire. He figured he should show his appreciation somehow. Jack was always one to repay a favor.
Aurora waved her hand, intending to refuse. She taught them without expecting anything in return, moved only by their innocent loyalty to her
But then a thought struck her. Jack, Erik, and Jimmy’s families were big players in Merrida Connections like that could come in handy someday,
“Sure, why not?” Aurora agreed, exchanging phone numbers with him
Sunrise Pharmaceuticals was still based in Mereida, after all. People always need medicine, she reasoned. If nothing else, she could offer them discounts when they needed medication.
Aurora caught herself before mentioning medicine out loud, not wanting to jinx anyone.
That is just how business works, she thought. It was all about give and take.
Plus, having former students as contacts could foster a level of trust that outsiders just couldn’t match.
That night, Aurora exchanged contact info with several people at the party.
As the evening wore on, someone got drunk and hogged the mic One moment, they were belting out love songs. The next, they were a heartbroken mess, rambling and letting it all out.
Aurora didn’t get back to Elmwood Apartments until the early hours of the morning. She tossed her bag on the couch and headed straight for the bathroom to clean up.
When she emerged wrapped in a towel, the apartment was dead quiet. Every room but hers was pitch black.
The party was over, the excitement gone. An overwhelming loneliness settled over her. Out of nowhere, she thought about that phone call from Jaxon. She wondered if he’d really thrown out her mom’s things because she didn’t show up today.
“No way.” Aurora reassured herself. “Jaxon wouldn’t do something so petty” She knew Jaxon’s personality. He wouldn’t make any rash moves until he got his hands on her mom’s assets.
Despite being certain that Jaxon wouldn’t do such a thing, given his character, a nagging worry persisted in her heart.
In both her past and present lives, “Mom” had been just a word to her. Apart from the medical text and recipe book, Aurora had nothing tangible to remember her by.
This thought led her to retrieve the two books from her drawer gently caressing their covers with reverence.
“These are the real treasures,” she mused. “As for the rest…
Aurora’s gaze lowered, her long lashes casting shadows that hid the complex emotions in her eyes. She sighed softly. “If Mom left those other things to Jaxon, they can’t be that important. It’s fine if they’re gone.”
There was no way she’d give up her SAT exam to go to Crawford Manor and retrieve her mother’s belongings. She hadn’t
must have understood her answer by now. shown up at Crawford Manor this morning.
The sky darkened to a deep blue as night fell, obscuring everything from view.
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Aurora switches off the lights and climbed into bed. She slept deamlessly through the night.
60%
The next morning, sunlight roused her from steep. Opening eyes, she realized she’d forgotten to close the curtains.
Sunbeams poured through the floor–to–ceiling windows, bathing the room in a dazzling golden light. Outside, birds flitted by their cheerful chirps filling the air.
Despite the vibrant scene, Aurora let out a groan “Seriously? Sun this early? Are you trying to roast me alive
Anyone who’d experienced a Mercida summer knew the score, was hot enough to melt one’s shoes on the pavement.
Not one for lounging in bed, Aurora ran her fingers through her hair, tossed off the covers, and headed to the bathroom to get ready
This had been her routine for the past two weeks–reading alone studying alone, eating alone.
When she wasn’t at home, she’d spend entire days cooped up in the lab at Sunrise Pharmaceuticals.
During this time, Jaxon hadn’t called once. It was as if he’d forgotten she existed, making good on his threat to erase Victoria from his life.
One morning, rain fell over Mereida. Droplets streaked down the floor–to–ceiling windows, blurring the world outside into a misty gray expanse.
Aurora was enjoying a rare day off at home, relaxing at her desk with a medical textbook.
Suddenly, her phone lit up. An unknown number flashed on the screen, showing: [Pacific University Admissions Officel
“A scam call, maybe? Aurora frowned. After a moment’s hesitation, she decided to answer.
“Hello, is this Aurora?” a voice asked.
“Yeah,” Aurora mumbled, ready to hang up at the first sign of anything fishy.
The voice on the other end of the line, apparently worried she might hang up, got straight to the point. “This is admissions office at Pacific University. Ms. Crawford, your SAT score of 1570 puts you at the top of your class in STEM subjects at Mercida.
“I was wondering if you’d be interested in applying to Pacific University? With your scores, you could choose any major you
like!
“What?” Aurora was momentarily stunned. She glanced at the date on her phone, suddenly remembering that today was when SAT scores were released.
Mistaking Aurora’s surprise for hesitation, the person’s tone grew more urgent. “Ms. Crawford, Pacific University is located in Jydratica and is consistently ranked as one of the top universities in the Valyria. We’re a leading research institution with numerous cutting–edge facilities, including
As she listed Pacific University’s accolades, she finally asked hopefully, “Ms. Crawford, won’t you consider applying?”
Aurora was deeply touched but had to decline. “Pacific University is an excellent school, but I’ve decided to pursue medicine. I’m planning to apply to Royal University.”
A loud bang echoed through the phone, followed by the distinct sound of a fist slamming on a desk. “Danin it! Royal University beat us to the punch!”
Still, they weren’t ready to give up, attempting to lure Aurora with a generous scholarship offer.
No sooner had she hung up than her phone started ringing again
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She answered, and an enthusiastic voice greeted her ‘Ms Crawford? This is the admissions office at Royal University Congratulations on achieving the top STEM score in Mereida Would you be interested in applying to Royal Univerary
“Yes,” Aurora replied.
The caller had been in the middle of extolling Royal University many accolades when Aurora’s swift response caught them off guard.
Quickly regaining composure, the voice on the other end rose an octave in excitement. “Ma Crawford, you’ve made an excellent choice!”
After hanging up, Aurora noticed five red icons in his call log. Tapping on them revealed they were all from Royal University’s admissions office,
Clearly, they’d been calling non–stop while she was on the phone with Pacific University
Pacific and Royal were the top universities in Valyria, fiercely competing each year for the best students.
Royal University had just snagged the top science student of Merrida. Their admissions team would be gloating over Pacife for quite a while.
At Crawford Group headquarters, Jaxon was working when his phone suddenly rang.
Mr. Woods? That’s odd. We don’t usually have any contact. Despite his confusion, Jaxon answered the phone.
On the other end was Calvin Woods, Erik’s father. He stood before the floor–to–ceiling windows of his office, watching the endless rain outside. His face split into a wide grin as he spoke. “Mr. Crawford, congratulations!”
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