Chapter 166:
As he settled in behind the wheel, Brad threw a sideways look her way. “Nervous?”
A light laugh escaped her. “It’s just an academic write-up, hardly enough to make me break a sweat.”
By the time they reached the medical college, the conference hall was bustling. Rows of seats were filled, and a massive LED screen kept cycling through the list of featured research — Rylie’s entry, “Novel Discoveries and Clinical Applications of Neuroregenerative Factors,” flashed boldly across the display. Inside, she felt the weight of attention settle over her — eyes tracked her movements, some openly curious, others edged with skepticism, and a few looked downright unfriendly.
A whisper, heavy with mockery, floated from a cluster of students. “Isn’t that…”
“Rylie Kirk?”
Someone else murmured, “Didn’t you hear? She’s involved with the Owen family now. Gossip travels fast, doesn’t it?”
All around her, conversations erupted, voices rising and overlapping in a sudden clamor.
A familiar voice called out, “Rylie, I didn’t think I’d see you at this event.”
She pivoted to face the speaker and found Stacey standing amid a group of Timothy’s old lab colleagues, their company elevated by the presence of a distinguished professor. Stacey wore her usual fragile charm, the sort that seemed to draw sympathy wherever she went.
Skipping over Stacey entirely, Rylie let her gaze land on the man beside her — Stetson Ahmed, the medical school’s associate dean. “Mr. Ahmed,” she called out, her tone even.
A small nod acknowledged her. “Rumor has it you wrote this paper alone,” Stetson said. “You managed to outshine entire teams with faculty mentors backing them. Quite the feat.”
Her reply was reserved. “I appreciate the kind words.”
Stetson offered a few more words of encouragement. “Best of luck with the results.”
In his mind, this was surely the high point of a recent graduate’s career. Getting her name on the shortlist had to be sheer fortune, no matter the effort or talent. As for taking home a real award, especially for a topic so ambitious? He doubted it. The judges probably just liked her boldness enough to give her a mention.
Trailing carefully behind Stetson, Stacey made sure not to do anything that might set Rylie off. She knew full well she wasn’t a match for her. All she could muster was a weak smile. “Mom and Dad really miss you. It’d mean a lot if you came home to visit.”
Rylie acted as though Stacey wasn’t even there, heading straight for her seat without sparing her a glance.
All around them, whispers stirred like wind through leaves. Some people murmured that ever since Rylie went from being the Kirk family’s fake daughter to a real high-society figure, she’d grown too full of herself. Others said she was smart to ignore someone like Stacey — who knew how easily a simple conversation could turn into a trap?
If not for making it to the finals, Rylie wouldn’t have even bothered showing up. Leaning back lazily, she stifled a yawn, waiting for the award ceremony to finally kick off.
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