Chapter 230

Back when his youngest daughter competed for the national team, he learned just how important the Math Olympiad was. So when Padgett realized Claire had inherited his daughter’s gift for math, he couldn’t help but feel both proud and

excited.

The next seven days were intense for Claire and the rest of the winter camp students. The pressure was nonstop. Their days were packed, with four grueling exams squeezed into a single week, ending with one final selection test. Carr managed to keep his head down and didn’t cause any more trouble, but his reputation as “the crybaby” had already spread. He became the go-to topic whenever students managed to steal a few minutes to relax.

Whenever anyone talked about Claire, it was always with admiration. She had taken the top spot in every exam. Sammie found himself respecting her more and more.

After the last exam, Claire spotted Sammie in the cafeteria. She had been looking for a chance to talk to him. She’d heard that Melissa, Sammie’s former star student, was connected to her somehow, and she wanted to know more. Her grandmother had told her not to worry about digging up the past, but Claire could see how much Pandora missed her son and daughter-in-law. Pandora was getting old, and Claire knew she was afraid she might never see them again. Claire wanted to help her grandmother find some closure, and maybe answer her own questions about her birth parents too.

Taking a deep breath, Claire grabbed her tray and sat down across from Sammie. “Professor Sammie p>

Sammie had always liked her. She was smart but never arrogant, quick-thinking but knew when to rest, and never pushed herself too hard. Still, whenever Sammie looked at Claire, he always saw a shadow of someone else.

Maybe it was just the mood, but Sammie said without thinking, “You remind me so much of a student I once taught p>

Claire recognized her chance. “Do you mean I look like this student, Professor p>

Sammie studied her for a moment. “You do look a bit like her. But it’s more about your talent, your gift for math p>

“Who was she?” Claire asked, letting a little curiosity show.

of

Sammie drifted into memory. When he first met Melissa, he’d had the same biases as everyone else. Melissa was beautiful, the kind. girl people assumed would never really focus on math. He’d tried to gently suggest she might want to study something else if her heart wasn’t really in it. But Melissa wouldn’t hear it. She said she loved mathematics, and nothing would get in the way of her studies.

He’d met her first at a camp just like this one. Later, she was recommended straight to The Cabinda University, where she

became his pride and joy. At net

first,

Sammie had been wary, but her stubborn determination and natural talent soon changed his mind He truly believed that if Melissa had stayed in the field, she would have made discoveries that would shake up the world.

But then she disappeared.

He’d even reached out to the Churchill family. Publicly, they told everyone Melissa had met someone from another city and gotten married. But Sammie had looked into it himself. He knew the Churchills didn’t approve of the marriage, and Melissa didn’t seem like the kind of girl who’d just run off

on a whim. Sammie always felt there was a hidden story, maybe even danger involved. But there was nothing he could do.

“Her name was Melissa,” Sammie said at last, his voice soft and full of regret.