Chapter 62: Completely Misunderstood Him

Emerald’s POV

By Friday afternoon, I was finally done with my classes for the week.

I drove straight to an electronics store instead of returning to my dorm. There was something I needed first, and I didn’t want to postpone it until the weekend.

A portable printer.

I had brought my laptop, so after choosing one that suited my needs, I asked the attendant to help install the necessary software. It didn’t take long for everything to be set up.

My next stop was a restaurant. I bought enough food to serve as dinner and drove back to the dorm.

Once I got into my room, I freshened up before eating. I was hungry, but I was also eager to finish what I had started earlier in the week.

After dinner, I opened my laptop and connected the printer.

The document I had prepared contained everything I had gathered about Mercer Technologies so far. Shareholding information, board members, senior executives, company structure, financial details, potential allies, and the other information I had been able to verify.

I didn’t want to print any of it at a public facility. The information was too sensitive.

If even one page ended up in the wrong hands, Kelvin could find out that I was preparing to make a move against him. That was why I had gone through the trouble of buying my own printer.

One page after another came out.

I checked each sheet carefully before placing it on the desk. When I was satisfied that everything had printed correctly, I arranged the pages in order and placed them inside a file.

I looked at the completed file for a second. Finally! Next, I picked up my phone and dialled Professor King. He answered after a few rings.

"Emerald?"

"Good evening, Professor King. Everything is ready. I’ve completed the research you asked me to do."

"Good." A brief pause followed before he asked, "Are you free tomorrow morning between seven-thirty and eight?"

I frowned slightly. "Yes."

I wondered whether he wanted us to meet somewhere early in the morning. But his next words caught me completely off guard.

"Then come to my place around that time."

I went still. My mind immediately went in a direction I didn’t like. Why his place? Why couldn’t we meet somewhere else?

A strange sense of disappointment settled over me. I had trusted him enough to accept his help, but this suddenly felt wrong.

Was this some kind of low move?

If he thought he could take advantage of me because I needed his help, then he could forget the entire thing. I would find another way to deal with Mercer Technologies.

I opened my mouth, ready to tell him exactly what I thought. But he continued speaking before I could say anything.

"I won’t have time to leave my condo this weekend. My personal assistant brought some emergency work from my company down to Boston this afternoon, and I need to handle it tomorrow. If you can spare the time to come here, I will attend to your case first before I begin my own work."

I slowly relaxed, a small breath escaping my nostrils.

He continued, "Fortunately, my assistant is here to help me. If you can’t make it, you can simply hand the file over to me after my morning lecture on Monday."

My embarrassment arrived almost immediately. Oh. That was why. He wasn’t inviting me over for whatever ridiculous reason my mind had invented. He was simply busy with an emergency workload and didn’t have enough time to leave his condo.

I almost wanted to bury my face in my hands. Every ugly thought I had entertained seconds ago vanished.

"I can come tomorrow," I said quickly.

"Good. I will send a car for you," he offered.

I quickly shook my head, then remembering he couldn’t see me, I replied, "No, that’s not necessary. I have a car now, so I can drive myself."

There was a brief pause before his voice came up again. "All right. I will send you the address."

"Thank you."

"My assistant will be outside to lead you in when you arrive."

"Okay. Good night, Professor King."

"Good night, Emerald."

The call ended. I lowered the phone and placed a hand over my chest, releasing a long breath. "Thank God," I muttered.

I couldn’t even imagine what would have happened if I had actually spoken my mind before he explained himself.

I had almost accused the man of trying to take advantage of me when he was simply trying to find a way to fit my problem into his already busy schedule.

I shook my head. "Thank God I didn’t say anything."

Otherwise, I would have been so ashamed of myself that I probably wouldn’t have been able to look Professor King in the face again.

---

The next morning, I drove to the address Professor King had sent me, with the Mercer file secured beside me.

When I arrived, I found myself looking at a luxurious condominium building. But what caught my attention was the atmosphere.

The building was quiet and heavily secured, with very little unnecessary movement around it.

Even from the entrance, I could tell that privacy was taken seriously here. It gave me the impression that Professor King had deliberately created a life that remained separate from the public one everyone knew about.

A man was already waiting outside.

"Miss Hugo?"

"Yes."

He extended his hand. "I’m Xero. Mr. King’s assistant."

I shook his hand politely. "Nice to meet you."

"Likewise. Please come with me."

Xero. I couldn’t help thinking that it was an unusual name, but I kept the thought to myself.

He led me inside, and we took an elevator to the topmost floor. When we arrived, he stopped before a large door and entered a password.

I deliberately looked away. I wasn’t interested in knowing whatever private security code he had entered.

A moment later, I heard the lock click.

"Please." Xero stepped aside and allowed me to enter first.

The moment I stepped inside, I noticed how spotless everything was. Nothing appeared out of place. The décor was elegant without being unnecessarily flashy, and the entire space had a quiet, polished feel to it.

I looked around briefly. So... this is Professor King’s style. Before I could study the room any further, the aroma of food drifted towards me.

I turned slightly. Was he actually cooking?

Just then, Professor King stepped out from another part of the condo. He was dressed casually, with the sleeves of his shirt rolled up.

There was nothing about his appearance that reminded me of the stern professor who stood in front of our classroom, or the man I met at my cousin’s wedding.

I quickly recovered and greeted him. "Good morning, Professor King."

"Good morning." He met my gaze as he returned the greeting, then he continued, "When we are alone, call me Michael."

"Oh." I nodded. "All right."

I was still trying to adjust to that when he asked, "Have you had breakfast?"

I shook my head. "No."

"I’m making something. You can make yourself comfortable."

I stared at him for a second before blurting out my thought, "You’re cooking?" The question slipped out before I could stop myself.

A faint amusement appeared in his eyes. "Yes." ℴ

I nodded slowly and stepped further inside. Professor King cooks? I still couldn’t quite process it.

Before I could dwell on it any longer, I heard him turn towards Xero. "Take the file to my study."

I looked down at the thick file in my hand, then handed it over to Xero.

As he walked away with it, I glanced back at Michael.

For some reason, seeing him standing casually in his own home, preparing breakfast before discussing something as serious as Mercer Technologies, made him seem very different from the man I had known at Larnard.

And I wasn’t sure what to make of that.