Chapter 6: Because It’s You

Mia, despite being one of Professor Lauren’s students, didn’t leave the best impression on her during college. She had even failed a few classes, landing herself on the professor’s blacklist. Whether or not Professor Lauren even remembered her was questionable, but if she did, it wouldn’t be for any good reasons. Chloe had made plenty of unwise decisions in the past, and trying to visit Professor Lauren now seemed like a difficult endeavor. “You know I don’t have the best history with Professor Lauren. If she remembers anything, it’ll be all the bad things I did. Going with you now would just cause more trouble. You should go alone. Since we know the professor is fine, that’s enough for me,” Mia said, firmly refusing to accompany Chloe to visit Professor Lauren. She was genuinely terrified of seeing the professor again. Chloe felt lost and began to regret her past decisions. Over the years, she had often thought about apologizing to Professor Lauren, but she never found the right time. More than that, she regretted throwing away all the opportunities that the professor had paved for her with so much effort. Chloe wanted to apologize and seek forgiveness, even if she couldn’t turn back time. She just hoped Professor Lauren would be able to forgive her. “Well, I can’t go with you, but I can suggest someone else. Remember my cousin Wyatt?” Mia said, feeling bad for Chloe and coming up with a solution. Chloe, of course, knew Wyatt. He was a rising star in the field of physics and had been recognized as one of the top ten young scientists. He had studied applied biosciences during his undergraduate years and published several high-impact papers, being hailed as a future leader in the biological sciences. But then, he had switched to physics, which many had doubted. Yet, Wyatt had proven everyone wrong, achieving the same level of success in physics in less than two years as he had in biosciences. Now, he held considerable influence in the world of physics. Technically, Chloe had been one of Wyatt’s junior peers. When she entered university, his name was already well-known. She eventually met him through Mia. Chloe had recently heard that Wyatt had returned to work in their home country. “I spoke to him on the phone a few days ago. He knows about the professor’s condition and hasn’t visited yet because of work. You two could go together,” Mia suggested, thinking Wyatt would be the perfect companion. Without waiting for Chloe’s response, Mia quickly pulled out her phone and called Wyatt, acting so fast that Chloe didn’t even have a chance to stop her. Wyatt’s voice came through the speaker. Mia swiftly explained the situation, summarizing everything in under a minute before hanging up. She turned to Chloe with a wink. “My brother agreed. He wants to meet with you first, though. He’ll be at Arctic Restaurant tomorrow at 2 p.m., so make sure you show up.” Chloe still looked uneasy, her brow furrowed with concern. Mia grabbed her by the arm and pulled her to her feet. “Come on, stop worrying about it for tonight. You can deal with it tomorrow.” “Okay.” The next day, Chloe arrived at Arctic Restaurant exactly on time, with just two minutes to spare before their scheduled meeting. She quickly made her way inside. She had seen Wyatt before, so she immediately recognized him sitting by the window. As she approached the table, Chloe noticed that Wyatt was dressed in a suit and tie, likely having come straight from some important event. Compared to her own casual appearance, she suddenly felt underdressed and a bit embarrassed. Wyatt noticed her presence and put away his phone. “You’re Chloe, right? Please, have a seat.” Feeling a little anxious, Chloe sat down across from Wyatt. She couldn’t help but feel uneasy, knowing she had once had the potential to achieve similar heights as Wyatt but had given up that opportunity. Facing someone so successful made her even more nervous. “Sorry, am I late?” she asked, even though she had arrived exactly on time. She felt as though she must have kept him waiting. “No, I just arrived a few minutes early. I had a meeting earlier, but I’m headed to the lab afterward, so I only have about thirty minutes.” “Thirty minutes is more than enough. Thank you.” Chloe ordered a latte and then Wyatt got straight to the point. “Mia told me you want to visit Professor Lauren. How can I help you with that?” His directness took Chloe by surprise, but she appreciated it. Composing herself, Chloe explained, “I know the professor has been discharged from the hospital, but I don’t know her current address. I was hoping you could take me to see her. And… if she’s still upset with me, could you help calm her down? Her health isn’t fully recovered yet, and I wouldn’t want to cause her any stress.” As she spoke, Chloe’s voice grew softer, and her eyes wavered with uncertainty. She didn’t notice the slight smile that played on Wyatt’s lips or the gleam of amusement in his eyes. “Since I know you’re busy, I’ll let you decide when we should visit the professor,” Chloe added, leaving the timing up to Wyatt. “I am busy, but how about two days from now? We can exchange contact information, and I’ll call you before we go.” Chloe hadn’t expected Wyatt to agree so quickly. She had assumed she would have to do more convincing. Grateful, she smiled. “Thank you so much. But can I ask why you’re willing to help me?” Chloe assumed Wyatt was doing this as a favor to Mia. Wyatt appeared thoughtful for a moment before replying, “Probably because… it’s you.” Chloe blinked, caught off guard by his answer. She hadn’t expected that at all. “I… I don’t really understand what you mean,” she said, confused. There had to be a reason, right? Why would it be because of her? She couldn’t think of anything that would make her deserving of his help.