Chapter 231 An Unexpected Ally

Chapter 231: Chapter 231 An Unexpected Ally

?The phone rang precisely at noon.

?Veyra was standing in the middle of her retail shop, surrounded by open boxes and construction gear. Her hands were completely covered in fine white dust, and her hair was pulled back tightly into a messy ponytail to keep it out of her face. She was right in the middle of helping the local workers move several heavy storage crates across the floor.

?She wiped her dusty hands against her blue jeans as best as she could and reached into her pocket to pull out her phone.

?The glowing screen displayed the name Professor Julian.

?She quickly answered the call. "Professor?"

?"Veyra," his voice sounded warm over the line, but she could instantly pick up on a subtle tone underneath it. Something serious was going on. "Can you come over to my house right now? There is someone here I want you to meet."

?She frowned slightly, shifting her weight. "Who is it?"

?"I will explain everything to you when you get here. Just come over as soon as you can."

?Before she could ask anything else, he hung up the line.

?She arrived at his residential house about forty minutes later after taking a quick taxi across town.

?She walked up the steps and knocked on the door. A moment later, the front door swung open.

?Professor Julian stood in the entrance. He was wearing a clean button-down shirt, his gray hair was neatly combed back, and he looked almost respectable compared to his usual casual self.

?"Come inside," he said, stepping back to give her room.

?She stepped through the doorway into the quiet front hallway.

?And then she looked into the main room and saw him.

?Professor Sterling.

?He was sitting right in the center of the living room, resting comfortably in the old armchair by the wall. His white hair was neatly styled, his suit was pressed without a single wrinkle, and his facial expression was calm and composed.

?He lifted his gaze to look at her, his eyes remaining completely unreadable.

?Veyra stopped dead in her tracks near the rug. She felt her blood run ice-cold in her veins.

?"What is he doing here?" she asked, her voice turning sharp.

?Professor Julian stepped around her and closed the front door with a quiet click. "I invited him over myself."

?"Why would you do that?"

?"Because he explicitly asked to meet with you today."

?Veyra turned her gaze back to the older man, staring at him in disbelief. "Meet with me? After everything that happened between us?"

?"I know this feels extremely strange to you," Professor Julian admitted, pausing as he looked between them. "I know you do not trust him for a second. But he came here today to help you."

?Professor Sterling finally broke his silence, speaking up from the armchair.

?"Ms. Solenne."

?His tone of voice was remarkably calm and respectful. It sounded nothing like the cold, angry man who had publicly confronted her back at the Bordeaux 101 event.

?Veyra kept her mouth shut, saying absolutely nothing as she waited for him to explain himself.

?"I owe you a sincere apology," he continued, holding her gaze. "I am apologizing for my previous behavior, for the harsh things I said to you, and for the overall way I treated you back then." He paused for a beat, letting out a small breath. "I was completely wrong."

?She stared back at him, still caught off guard by the sudden turn of events.

?"I was letting my own biases cloud my judgment. I was arrogant, and I believed Roberta simply because she was my star student, because she came from a prominent family, and because I did not want to admit to myself that I had been completely fooled by her actions."

?He looked directly into her eyes.

?"I was completely wrong about you. And I am truly sorry."

?Veyra stayed quiet for a long moment, letting the heavy words hang in the room.

?She had certainly not expected a full apology from him today. Not from a man of his standing, and definitely not after everything they had gone through during the competition.

?"I accept your apology," she said slowly, picking her words with care.

?He gave a solemn nod of his head. "Thank you for hearing me out."

?Professor Julian gestured toward an empty side chair near the window. "Please, sit down, Veyra."

?She walked over and sat down on the edge of the seat. She looked carefully at the two older men sitting before her. Her mentor and her great-grandmaster were both sitting in the quiet room, watching her closely.

?"What is this meeting really about?" she asked, cutting straight to the point.

?Professor Sterling leaned his upper body forward, resting his elbows on his knees.

?"It is about your recent admission to the Etland University of Medicine," he explained. "Professor Julian informed me of your success."

?She gave a small nod.

?"And about the university research institute," he added. "I understand you have been officially recommended for an interview there."

?"Yes, that is correct."

?He went completely silent for a moment, his brow furrowing deep with concern. Then he spoke again in a low, serious tone.

?"I need to give you a serious warning."

?"A warning about what?"

?"About the research institute itself," he said gravely. "It has deep, dark secrets."

?Veyra felt her heart thud heavily against her ribs.

?"What kind of secrets are you talking about?"

?Professor Sterling’s face turned completely solemn.

?"The dangerous kind of secrets that get real people killed."

?She stared across at him, her attention fully captured by his words.

?He continued speaking without breaking eye contact.

?"I was a young student at that exact institute a very long time ago. While I was there, I saw things with my own eyes. Dangerous things that I should never have seen." He paused, taking a slow breath. "The catastrophic explosion that occurred at the research institute fifty years ago was not an accidental disaster at all."

?Veyra felt her blood run cold once more.

?"What are you trying to say?"

?"I am saying that someone deliberately made that explosion happen," he revealed quietly. "Someone who desperately wanted the Star Core Meteorite to disappear from the official records forever."

?"Why are you telling all of this to me right now?"

?"Because you are about to become a student in that very building," he replied. "And because you are going to get dragged into all of it whether you want to be involved or not."

?He slowly turned his head to look over at Professor Julian sitting nearby.

?"And also because of him."

?Veyra turned her head to look at Professor Julian as well.

?He was sitting quietly in the far corner of the room. His face looked unusually pale, and his hands were tightly folded together in his lap.

?"What does he mean by that, Professor?" she asked.

?Professor Julian kept his head down and did not offer an answer.

?Professor Sterling decided to answer on his behalf instead.

?"Professor Julian’s personal past is not at all what it seems on the surface," Sterling explained. "He was publicly accused of leaking sensitive research data to outsiders years ago."

?She gave a slow nod. "I know about that. He told me the story himself."

?"No," Professor Sterling shook his head firmly. "He only told you a small part of the story. He did not tell you all of it."

?Veyra turned back to look at Professor Julian again. His eyes remained fixed strictly on the floorboards beneath his shoes.

?"What is he talking about?"