Chapter 36: One on One

Emerald’s POV

After placing my things on the empty chair beside me, I looked at Professor King apologetically before taking my seat.

"I’m sorry for disturbing your quiet time."

He simply nodded. "You wanted to tell me something."

His reminder immediately brought me back to why I had walked over in the first place.

"Yes." I wrapped both hands around my cup before speaking. "I honestly don’t know what’s wrong, but the transfer doesn’t seem to be going through."

He listened quietly without interrupting.

"I tried again this morning before leaving my dorm, but it failed again." The embarrassment I had tried so hard to suppress returned. "I’ve never had that happen before."

As soon as I finished speaking, another thought occurred to me. I looked up right away. "Professor... would you perhaps prefer cash instead?"

He gazed at me for a moment before asking calmly, "Do you have it with you now?"

My lips parted. "Um..."

I was suddenly at a loss for words. That wasn’t what I meant. I had only wanted to know if he preferred cash so that I could withdraw it and bring it to him tomorrow.

The way he asked the question, however, made it sound as though he was prepared to accept it immediately if I had it on me.

"I..."

Before I could awkwardly explain myself, he made a small dismissive gesture with his hand.

"Forget about the money for now."

I blinked.

He continued in the same calm tone. "I will let you know when and how you can repay me."

For a second, I wasn’t sure I had heard him correctly. "I..." I hesitated before nodding. "Okay."

Although I didn’t fully understand what he meant, one thing was clear. I no longer needed to keep worrying about the money. If he said he would let me know, then I would simply wait.

Without thinking, I picked up my mug and took a small sip of my hot chocolate. The warmth settled comfortably in my chest.

The silence between us lasted for merely ten seconds before he broke it. "Do you think it’s impossible to reclaim a company’s ownership within five or six months?"

I looked at him in surprise. The question caught me completely off guard. It took me several seconds to answer.

"Yes. I think it’s impossible."

He rested comfortably against the back of his chair. "It isn’t."

I frowned slightly. Before I could ask how, he continued. "If the current owner is killed and someone else takes control."

My eyes bulged out of their sockets. W-What???

"Or..." He took another sip of his coffee. "...if the current owner is forced to surrender those rights while standing at death’s door."

I just stared at this man. For one unsettling moment, my thoughts wandered in directions I wasn’t prepared for.

Why would he even—

He lowered his cup. "But those aren’t methods any decent person would consider." He paused briefly as his expression remained unchanged. "Based on what I’ve observed about you, you prefer doing things properly. You follow principles."

I didn’t interrupt him. I was more interested in knowing how he would land.

"With that in mind," he continued, "five months is impossible. So is six."

I found myself leaning forward slightly. The seriousness in his voice made me forget everything else.

"If that’s the case..." I looked at him hopefully. "How long do you think would be realistic?"

The question left my mouth naturally. Perhaps it was because I knew who was sitting across from me.

Professor Michael King had built one of the largest business empires in the world. If anyone could give an honest opinion... surely it was him.

He studied me for a few moments before answering. "I’m making an assumption."

I nodded. "I understand."

"Based on what I’ve been able to gather..." He folded one arm across the table. "...and based on the strategy I would personally adopt, while taking into account the fact that you’re currently pursuing an MBA..."

He paused briefly. "I would estimate less than two years."

I quietly absorbed his words. Then he added, "One year and six months is achievable."

I lowered my eyes to the table. One year... Six months. The number echoed repeatedly in my mind.

I had never imagined reclaiming Mercer Technologies would require that much time. Then again, Professor King had also taken my studies into consideration.

Trying to recover an entire company while completing an MBA programme at the same time was hardly a simple task.

A quiet sigh escaped me. His answer hadn’t comforted me. If anything, it had made my situation feel even more real.

Professor King watched me silently for a moment before asking, "Is the company you’re referring to Mercer Technologies?"

My head snapped up instantly. So, he had heard my conversation with Claire and Laura... Of course he had. He had been sitting directly behind me the entire time.

For some reason, I didn’t feel embarrassed. Instead, I found myself nodding. "Yes." I briefly lowered my gaze before looking back at him. "My grandfather gave me six months to reclaim Mercer Technologies."

I didn’t know what came over me. Maybe it was the way he listened without interrupting, or perhaps I had been carrying the burden alone for too long.

Before I realised it, I had begun explaining everything.

I told him about my grandfather’s condition, the deadline, coming to Boston, and trying to balance my studies with an objective that seemed impossible to achieve.

When I finally finished speaking, I wrapped both hands around my mug once again. "I honestly don’t know what to do."

The words came out more quietly than I intended.

I continued to hold his gaze. Then I asked the question that had been lingering in my heart since this conversation began.

"What do you think?"

"First things first, the timeline your grandfather gave you is not enough," he reminded.

My fingers tightened around my mug. "I’m aware."

He gave a slight nod. "Before you think about anything else, you need to go back and meet him and ask him to extend the timeline."

My heart skipped a beat as I gawked at him, wondering if I had heard him wrongly. Go back... to Grandfather?

To me, that sounded no different from willingly walking into a lion’s den.

Going back to him to ask for more time meant admitting that I couldn’t accomplish the task he had given me. And I knew exactly what that meant.

Grandfather did not tolerate excuses. He did not tolerate failure either.