Chapter 279
Zaylee paused for a moment. “Why?”
Rylie answered without hesitation, “I can’t teach you.”
Zaylee’s eyes flashed with a hint of sarcasm, but she feigned innocence. “How could that be? Brad said your grades are excellent, Rylie. I only want you as my tutor; I don’t like anyone else.”
“You’re not asking for help in good faith,” said Rylie, her tone ice-cold. “It’s not worth jeopardizing your future just to test me.”
Though her words hit the mark, Zaylee kept up her act. She had already dug into Rylie’s background online — she was sure that Rylie wanted to quit because this woman didn’t even understand the knowledge.
Zaylee smiled faintly. “I trust you, Rylie. I even told my classmates you’re tutoring me. They’re all hoping to sit in on your lessons. You have to stay.”
Zaylee pushed ahead. “I’m a good student, really. I was at the top of my class in the village. I’ll do well here too — eventually.”
Her meaning was clear — she would still succeed, with or without Rylie’s help.
Rylie observed her for a moment, then gave a small nod. “Fine. I’ll stick around until your first midterms.”
As soon as Rylie walked out, Zaylee hurried to the kitchen, carrying the empty plates.
Perla was cleaning up and noticed right away that her daughter had cleared her dish. “Looks like you had a big appetite tonight. You finished it all?”
Zaylee gave a playful smile. “It doesn’t matter where I am. Your cooking always tastes best, Mom.”
Perla laughed softly, pleased by the compliment, then asked, “About Rylie — why was she asleep when I came in? Was she really teaching you?”
Zaylee pretended to scratch her nose awkwardly. “Y-yeah, she was.”
Perla narrowed her eyes. “Don’t lie to me, Zaylee. You always fidget when you’re fibbing.”
Zaylee clung to her mother’s arm and laughed. “It’s not like that. Rylie was just tired tonight, that’s all. She didn’t get to teach me yet. But she will. Tomorrow, for sure.”
Perla let out a slow breath. “Alright. But if it happens again, you better tell me. If you can’t bring it up to Mr. Morgan yourself, I’ll talk to him for you.”
Zaylee gave a quick nod. Her mouth curled into a quiet smile that she didn’t bother to hide.
Brad received Rylie’s medical report and reviewed it right away. His eyes darkened as he thought it over. At 5 a.m., he sent her a message.
“There’s a full medical check-up at the naval base today. No one knows my body like you do, Dr. Owen. Come along — you can take apart and study the medical machine. If you create a new patent, it’ll be exclusive to naval ships. That could be very profitable.”
Rylie received the message while lying in bed, just as dawn broke outside her window. She glanced at the text and then at the time, realizing that something significant was bound to happen on the day of the check-up.
Brad hadn’t wanted to wake her. He’d stayed up all night, thinking. In the end, he decided she needed to know.
He had other ways to deal with Jaxon. His position as admiral was unshakable. But that wasn’t the real concern. What weighed on him was the poor condition of the medical equipment on the ships. He couldn’t stand watching public funds go to waste.
.
.
.