Chapter 79

Ethan Sullivan stood at the podium, a faint smile playing on his lips. His slender fingers tapped lightly against the edge as his gaze swept across the lecture hall.

The room fell silent instantly.

Evelyn Laurent sat in the front row, twirling a pen between her fingers. She noticed his eyes lingered on her longer than anyone else.

"The girl in the white blouse, third row."

His voice rang clear as jade.

Evelyn looked up, meeting his amused eyes.

"Would you answer the question I just posed?"

Every head turned toward her.

She set down her pen and stood. Her cool, precise response cut through the air.

A flicker of surprise crossed Ethan's eyes before he countered with a more complex question.

Evelyn answered without hesitation.

After several rounds, whispers rippled through the classroom.

"She actually knows the answer to such difficult questions..."

"No wonder she's a scholarship student..."

Sophia Lowell's grip on her pen turned her knuckles white. She glared at Evelyn's back, disbelief burning in her eyes.

Ethan suddenly smiled. "Your name?"

"Evelyn Laurent."

"Excellent." He nodded. "Starting today, you'll be my teaching assistant."

The room erupted.

Evelyn's brow furrowed. "I decline."

Silence crashed over the murmurs.

Ethan regarded her with interest. "Reason?"

"Waste of time." Her reply was razor-sharp.

Sophia rose gracefully. "Professor Sullivan, Evelyn is rather introverted. Perhaps she's not suited—"

Ethan raised a hand, cutting her off.

"Miss Laurent," he drawled, "this position grants early access to research materials."

Evelyn's eyes flickered.

"Including..." He paused meaningfully. "Internal documents for next month's international symposium."

A collective gasp filled the room.

After a beat, Evelyn met his gaze squarely. "Deal."

Ethan's smile deepened.