Victoria forced down the excitement rising in her chest, allowing only a faint, grateful smile to show.
She shook her head.
“We’re friends. And besides, Adrian was clearly the better choice for this project. Replacing him without any explanation isn’t reasonable, whether you look at it from the team’s perspective or his.”
“Thank you. Really.”
Adrian thanked her sincerely, but he had already made up his mind.
Whether this worked out or not, he had to hold on tightly to his connection with Victoria.
This wasn’t just about a competition slot.
It was about his future—better opportunities, better resources, and eventually, a higher position in society.
His own family had some money, but compared with a true financial dynasty, it meant very little.
……
After they parted ways, Victoria took out her phone and called her assistant.
A capable, steady male voice answered.
“Miss Sterling.”
“Michael, I need you to take care of something for me.”
Victoria spoke naturally as she gave him the instructions.
“One of my classmates, Adrian Cole from the mathematics department, was originally selected for the university team representing Westbridge in the National College Mathematical Modeling Competition. He was just informed that he’s been replaced by another student.”
She paused briefly.
“Contact the organizing committee and find out exactly why. See if there’s any way to have the decision reconsidered.”
“Adrian is exceptionally talented. He’s one of the strongest candidates for the championship. Replacing him like this isn’t fair to him or to the university.”
“Understood, Miss Sterling.”
Michael agreed without hesitation.
Victoria was confident the matter would be resolved quickly.
Her father had assigned Michael to her a few years earlier to help with academic and social matters. He was highly capable and had always handled things efficiently.
Victoria had grown accustomed to having him take care of matters for her. Over the years, she had also made sure he understood exactly where his loyalty belonged.
Michael handled most of Victoria’s investment affairs.
Recently, several of the companies she had invested in had performed exceptionally well. Two Series B funding rounds had nearly doubled their valuations.
“Miss Sterling,” Michael continued, “there’s one more thing. You asked me to keep an eye on the Series B financing rounds of those technology startups. Two of them have officially begun fundraising. Their valuations have nearly doubled since we first approached them.”
He paused.
“There’s also another opportunity,” Michael said. “Would you like to participate in the company’s next funding round, or would you rather shift some of the capital into an overseas renewable energy fund”
Victoria thought for a moment.
“Are you sure the growth is real? Or is the valuation being pushed up by capital?”
“We’re still conducting due diligence.”
“Then keep looking into it. I want to know what’s actually driving the growth before we put in more money.”
Michael nodded.
“Understood.”
A moment later, his phone rang.
He listened for a while before speaking again.
“Miss Sterling, there’s been some difficulty with the competition matter.”
Victoria looked up.
“What kind of difficulty?”
“The competition is supposed to be academically independent. Direct interference from outside parties could be considered inappropriate.”
Victoria frowned slightly.
“I only asked you to investigate and coordinate. I didn’t ask you to interfere with the competition.”
“I understand.”
Michael paused.
“I’ve already made it clear that the Sterling family is interested in the matter. But there’s a complication.”
“What?”
“The final review is being overseen by a very influential academic. His surname is Caldwell.”
Victoria’s expression changed.
“Caldwell?”
“Yes. Professor Alexander Caldwell.”
Victoria frowned slightly.
“What does he have to do with Adrian’s removal?”
Michael hesitated briefly.
“It appears the matter started with something that happened in Professor Thomas Caldwell’s class this morning.”
Victoria’s eyes narrowed.
“Thomas Caldwell?”
“Yes. He’s a relative of Alexander Caldwell.”
Michael continued, “According to what I found out, Adrian went to Thomas Caldwell’s class looking for Elena Hayes and caused a disturbance. Professor Caldwell reprimanded him in front of the class.”
Victoria paused.
“Elena Hayes?”
“Yes.”
“So Professor Thomas is using Adrian to make a point.”
Michael remained silent for a moment before saying, “Miss Sterling, I don’t think it’s quite that simple.”
“What do you mean?”
“The Caldwell family places a great deal of importance on academic independence. They have their own foundations and influence within academic circles. They don’t rely on commercial capital.”
Victoria’s expression darkened.
“So, you’re saying they won’t show the Sterling family any respect?”
“I’m saying that they’ve rejected corporate funding before specifically to avoid commercial influence over their academic work.”
There was a brief silence.
Victoria finally said, “…How presumptuous.”
The call ended.
Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
At the same time, Michael removed the Bluetooth earpiece from his ear and made another call.
“Assistant Robert.”
Robert answered from the other end.
“Everything handled?”
“Miss Sterling’s request has been taken care of.”
“Good.”
Robert paused before continuing.
“The Chairman has a very low opinion of that Adrian Cole. And for now, no one in the Sterling family is in a position to use the family’s influence to help him.”
He gave a quiet chuckle.
“You handled this well, Michael.”
“This is just part of my job.”
“Mmm… Keep a close eye on things from now on. And don’t let Miss Sterling start using the Sterling family name to interfere in matters like this. We don’t need her doing things that end up getting the Chairman irritated.”
“Understood.”
Robert ended the call without another word.
The line went dead.
Michael placed the receiver back on the desk, then picked up the coffee sitting on the warming plate and took a slow sip. His gaze drifted toward the floor-to-ceiling windows.
Miss Sterling…
She really was still too young.
All that talk about “never bowing to power” and the Caldwell family refusing to let academia be “tainted”?
That was nothing more than a convenient excuse he had come up with to shut Victoria down.
The reality was far more complicated.
With the Sterling family’s current power, influence, and deeply rooted connections, if Richard Sterling truly wanted something done—
There was no one who would openly refuse him.
The Caldwell family might be proud. They might genuinely value academic independence, and they certainly had the confidence to stand on their principles.
But they would still give the Sterling family the respect it was due.
This wasn’t really about fear.
In a world built around power, money, and reputation, there was no such thing as someone being completely untouchable. In the end, it always came down to the weight of the cards each side held.
If two sides had something the other could use, then there was always room for a deal.
Besides, if the Sterling family genuinely wanted to help Adrian, they would have to make him apologize first. They would have to smooth things over, offer something as a gesture, and give the other side a way to step back with dignity.
Only then could someone step in and mediate.
It was never as simple as making one phone call and expecting the other side to immediately comply.
Unfortunately, Victoria couldn’t even see this most basic logic of power.
She wanted to help Adrian, yet she hadn’t even thought to have him apologize or prepare a proper gesture to make amends.
Michael shook his head.
The faint mockery in his eyes deepened.
The reason Victoria had been so easily fooled by his explanation was simple.
She had never truly touched the core of the Sterling family’s power.
She might carry the title of the Sterling family’s little princess, but she was still young. More importantly, she had never received the Chairman’s approval to exercise that kind of authority.
Without Richard Sterling’s permission, Victoria had no real power to mobilize the family’s core resources.
And without his approval, she had no right to claim that she represented the Sterling family.
Elena stayed in the rehearsal room until evening.
By the time she finally stopped and turned off the music, her legs felt as heavy as lead, and her stomach was loudly reminding her that she hadn’t eaten enough.
The intense recovery training had taken far more out of her than she had expected.
She wiped the sweat from her neck and headed to the shower room in the hallway.
After showering, she changed back into the clothes she had worn that morning and headed out to find something to eat in the dining hall.
She had barely stepped through the rehearsal building’s doors when she ran into another student from her department.
“Elena!”
The girl’s eyes lit up as if she had just spotted a celebrity. She grabbed Elena by the arm, practically bouncing with excitement.
“You’re famous! Do you know that? Someone posted a video of you dancing in Professor Thomas Caldwell’s class on the campus forum and several short-video platforms. It’s already gotten more than a million views!”
“Huh?”
Elena blinked, completely caught off guard.
“Look!”
The girl immediately shoved her phone in front of Elena.
The video had clearly been secretly recorded by a student sitting somewhere in the middle rows.
The angle was slightly off, but the image itself was surprisingly clear.
On the screen, Elena moved gracefully to the pipa music, her waist twisting as she performed the classic curved posture.
The comment section was already packed with thousands of replies.
Holy crap, who is this goddess? Is that waist even human?
I’m dying. How can someone look this soft and delicate? She’s dressed so modestly, yet somehow every move is ridiculously captivating.
She’s insanely beautiful… but is that face even real?
Has AI gotten this advanced already?
It has to be AI. There’s no way a real person can actually look like this.
Either AI or some insane beauty filter. But that figure is definitely real. And her technique is incredible.
Isn’t she the girl from Westbridge who went viral after dancing at the university celebration?
There were a few people trying to be contrarian, but for the most part, no one could find anything to criticize about her face or figure.
In fact, she looked so unreal that quite a few people suspected the entire video had been generated or heavily altered.
Elena stared at the comments and sighed helplessly.
With the original Elena’s looks, becoming famous had never been particularly difficult. She had even received offers to appear in films before.
But Adrian hadn’t liked the idea. He had also made several dismissive comments about the entertainment industry, so the original Elena had eventually abandoned the idea.
Besides, Westbridge was one of the country’s most prestigious universities. It was hardly a place where students could afford to coast.
Every course had strict academic requirements, and even a little carelessness could mean having to retake a class.
The original Elena had already spent far too much time on her relationship with Adrian. Whatever time she had left had to go toward her studies.
Otherwise, she might not even graduate.
“…Thanks,” Elena said to the girl. “Although, honestly, I don’t think I performed that well that day.”
The girl looked surprised.
She clearly hadn’t expected Elena to be so approachable.
Then she laughed.
“Oh, come on. Don’t be so modest!”
……
Night had fallen over the city.
At the VIP terminal of the international airport, Richard Sterling strode out through the private passage.
Tall and imposing, he moved through the terminal with a cold, commanding presence. His entourage followed behind him with the luggage, while Robert stayed half a step behind, calmly reporting his schedule.
“Chairman, the executives and in-house designers from the European jewelry houses you arranged to meet arrived at the Westwood residence an hour ago. They’re waiting for you there.”
Richard gave a slight nod.
He didn’t slow down.
Pulling out his phone, he unlocked the screen and casually glanced through his messages.
An entire day had passed.
Other than the proper little message Elena had sent that morning to let him know she had arrived safely on campus, she hadn’t sent him anything else.
Not even a punctuation mark.
Richard expressionlessly skimmed through several greetings from other executives before locking the screen and slipping the phone back into his coat pocket.
“What about her?”
His voice was low, carrying a faint edge of coldness.
Robert immediately knew who he meant.
He thought for a moment before answering.
“This morning, Miss Hayes’s ex-boyfriend, Adrian Cole, went to her classroom looking for her. His behavior was extremely inappropriate, and he ended up offending Professor Thomas Caldwell, who was teaching the class.”
Robert paused.
“After Adrian was publicly reprimanded, his place on the university’s mathematical modeling competition team was also revoked. One of the project’s most influential special advisors happens to be Professor Caldwell’s cousin.”
Richard kept walking.
Only his eyebrow lifted slightly.
“There’s something else.”
Robert lowered his voice.
“Miss Sterling heard about the situation and wanted to use some connections to help Adrian. We didn’t go along with it. Michael stopped her.”
Robert was a smart man.
He knew that Elena already occupied a very unusual position in the Chairman’s mind.
And after everything that had happened since yesterday, it was obvious that Richard had no particular liking for Adrian.
As a subordinate, there were many things a superior never needed to say out loud.
You simply had to understand.
And then make sure the matter was handled properly.
Richard glanced at him.
Robert lowered his head slightly.
Richard said nothing.
He merely gave a faint nod.
But the slight satisfaction in his expression was unmistakable.
Robert quietly breathed a sigh of relief.
He had made the right call.
Ten minutes later, two understated black armored sedans left the airport and headed toward Westwood residence, near the city’s central business district.
The area was close to the Sterling Consortium headquarters and contained a sprawling private residence.
It was Richard’s primary residence in the city.
Compared with the secluded hillside villa with its swimming pool, this estate was far more imposing and dignified.
Inside the car, the cabin was dim.
The city’s neon lights occasionally swept across Richard’s profile through the windows.
Robert sat in the passenger seat. After a moment, he turned around and handed a tablet to Richard with both hands.
“Chairman, a video suddenly went viral this afternoon on the Westbridge campus forum and several major platforms.”
He paused.
“It’s about Miss Hayes.”
Richard took the tablet.
His eyes lowered to the screen as he tapped the video.
A piece of pipa music with a distinctly exotic melody immediately filled the quiet cabin.
Richard’s gaze settled on the girl in the center of the screen.
She was still wearing the same outfit from that morning, the slightly androgynous casual clothes giving her a clean, scholarly look.
Yet the moment the music began, everything about her seemed to change.
On the screen, Elena moved through the opening posture with fluid grace before lowering her waist and pushing her hips into an elegant curve that demanded exceptional flexibility and control.
Richard’s eyes darkened.
The loose blue-striped shirt shifted with the movement, pulling taut across her figure and revealing curves that seemed at odds with her slender frame.
Her fitted washed-blue jeans followed the lines of her body, emphasizing the graceful curve of her hips.
Innocence and softness.
Shyness and allure.
She wasn’t deliberately trying to be seductive.
But that delicate, slightly bewildered expression on her face, combined with those fluid movements, created a striking contrast that was almost impossible to ignore.
Richard stared at the screen.
The video was less than a minute long.
Yet when it ended, he dragged the progress bar back to the beginning.
He watched it a second time.
Then a third.
The atmosphere inside the car seemed to grow heavier and warmer.
Robert sat in the front, keeping his eyes fixed ahead and barely daring to breathe.
Finally, Richard turned off the screen and casually set the tablet down on the leather seat beside him.
His long fingers loosened his tie.
He leaned back and closed his eyes for a moment.
That little cat who should have been safely within his reach was now wearing the clothes he had given her, appearing on a screen watched by countless people.
And now everyone was seeing something he had thought belonged only to him.
“Old Cheng.”
Richard’s voice sounded deeper and rougher than usual in the enclosed cabin.
The driver immediately straightened.
“Yes, Chairman.”
Richard opened his eyes.
“…Go to Westbridge.”