Chapter 481

On the last day, just as everyone was about to say their goodbyes, Carver couldn’t hold back and had to stir things up. “I heard a lot of the math geniuses from Solenia dream about going overseas, getting a Cascadia green card, and settling down there. So why did you decide to stay home instead p>

Norris barely glanced at him. “I didn’t go work abroad because I love my own country.” He paused for a beat, then added, “Not like some people, who stay because nobody wants them p>

That hit Carver straight in the gut. Was it really just because no one wanted him? He hated to admit it, but he had tried to land a job at a university in Cascadia once. They turned him down flat. For Carver, it still felt humiliating. He never imagined Norris, this young guy, would dig up his old wounds and twist the knife.

The truth was, he’d applied again recently but hadn’t heard a thing back. The silence ate at him. After being rejected so many times, his confidence was shot. Leading the team at this competition was a chance he’d fought hard for. He wanted Aurelia to win something big so his own name would get out there too, maybe give him a boost for the future.

Seeing Carver’s face turn a shade paler than usual, Norris just kept going. “I guess you and I have the same idea. Doing what we can for our own country, right p>

Carver grunted. “Of course p>

Claire let out a little laugh she couldn’t quite hide. This teacher really was something else. Carver caught her laughing and shot her a glare.

Claire just blinked at him, totally unbothered. “Why are you looking at me like that, Carver? Did I offend you somehow p>

For a moment, Carver looked like he wanted to say something, but nothing came out. In the end, he just turned away, ignoring her. He knew he’d never win an argument against the Solenia team. They were just too sharp for him.

When Carver finally stopped talking, Claire got ready to leave with her teammates: Winning first place put everyone in high spirits, and knowing they could go home early made it even better. The truth was nobody had really gotten used to the food hére. A few days of local dishes and everyone felt tired and worn out.

Norris couldn’t just take everyone out for good meals every night. The school budget was tight. Even if he wanted to pay out of his own pocket, the students wouldn’t let him.e Besides he wasnt the only teacher with the team. They’d managed to go to a Solenia-style restaurant twice, but the rest of the time, it was all hotel buffet. Eating out at street stalls wasn’t allowed-nobody wanted to risk anyone getting sick, since no one could take the blame if something went wrong.

When they learned they could go home, people literally started talking about food from home and swallowing back their cravings. Even plain bread or something simple sounded so much better than eating here.

Claire and her group had already checked out and were waiting to head to the airport. Just then, a group showed up at the hotel entrance. At the front was Julia’s brother, Nolan.

Dane had already left-he wasn’t going to wait around for the competition to finish. Still, Nolan knew a bit about Dane’s connection to Claire, which made him take her a little more seriously.

He walked right up to her. “Claire,” he called out with a nod. “I’m Julia’s brother, Nolan. We met at the hospital, remember p>

“Hello, Nolan.” Claire was polite but not overly friendly. They really didn’t know each other.

Nolan seemed to get that Solenia

women could be a bit more

reserved, so he skipped the

handshake and got straight to the point. wanted to congratulate your team for winning, and for your individual gold medal too p>

“Thank you, Nolan,” Claire replied, her tone cool and modest. You’d almost think

winning first place was just another day for the Solenia team.