Padgett Novak knew Henry all too well-once he set his mind to something, there was no talking him out of it. There was no point in arguing, so Padgett let it go.
After the dinner party wrapped up, Henry said his goodbyes and made his way to Halley Joyner''s house.
Halley was in the thick of drafting questions for the uing National Computer Olympiad. When Henry arrived, she barely looked up, scribbling a problem on a notepad and sliding it over to him. "Try this one."
It took Henry fifteen minutes to finish.
Halley didn''t bother to hide her disappointment. "That''s all it took for you to get through such a simple question?"
Henry knew better than to protest at times like these. He epted her criticism in silence, head slightly bowed.
"Did you know," Halley continued, her voice tinged with regret, "someone solved this exact question in three minutes, years ago? She was only fourteen. Such a prodigy... It''s a real shame."
Henry spoke up, but quietly. "Are you talking about my senior? The one you never let anyone mention?"
As always, just bringing her up seemed to flip a switch in Halley. She reached for her wooden ruler and tapped Henry lightly on the head. "Did I give you permission to speak?"
That was answer enough. Henry''s suspicions were confirmed.
His brilliant senior had to be Bianca Lowell. No doubt about it.
He wondered when-if ever-they''d meet. He found himself hoping that day woulde soon.
...
After parting ways with Padgett Novak, Noreen took a detour to a famous dessert shop. She didn''t have much choice her blind date had flopped, and she knew Mrs. Rosalind Gilmore would be waiting at home, ready to lecture her about it.
So Noreen decided to pick up some pastries to sweeten her mother''s mood. After all, good food always helped soften a scolding.
The shop was wildly popr, with a line nearly out the door. Noreen grabbed a number and found a quiet seat in the corner to wait, pulling out her phone to catch up on work. She was so focused she didn''t notice When her name came up at the next table.
Yvonne Laurent had invited Mrs. Naylor out for afternoon tea at the same dessert shop, but hadn''t thought to make a reservation. So the two of them settled for a table in the main hall.
Mrs. Naylor didn''t seem to mind. In fact, she was rather pleased, iming the spot gave her a good vantage point to observe the ce''s business.
Yvonne asked about it, and Mrs. Naylor exined she''d invested in the shop.
Yvonne offered a gentlepliment. "You really have a great eye for business, Mrs. Naylor."
"Oh, it was just a lucky break," Mrs. Naylor said, smiling. "I''ve put money into beauty salons and gyms before, and lost out every time. This dessert ce is the only thing that''s actually done well-my husband even praised me for it."
She enjoyed dabbling in small investments, more as a hobby than anything else. Fortunately, the Naylor family''s wealth meant a few failed ventures didn''t matter, and her husband Chase Naylor was happy to indulge her interests.
Yvonne didn''t have much interest in business, so after a few sips of fruit tea, she moved on to the real reason for their meeting. "By the way, Mis Naylor heard Mr. Naylor''s been spending time with a new womantely. Have you or your husband heard anything about it?"
"Oh, him?" Mrs. Naylor waved a hand dismissively. "He changes girlfriends like
most people change shirts. I don''t even bother keeping track anymore."
"Then you probably haven''t heard who she is, have you?"
"No idea."
"Well, she doesn''t have the best reputation. I really think you should let Mr. Naylor
know he can have his fun, but he shouldn''t take her too seriously."
Mrs. Naylor just shrugged. "Honestly, I wish he would. He''s getting older I had him at his age already."
"Even so, you should care about what kind of person she is, right? With your family''s standing, you could easily find someone from the right background." Yvonne pressed on, lowering her voices the main issue is, this woman''s character is questionable." <fnc8f3> ???? ????s? ???????s ?? find{n}ovel</fnc8f3>