Bianca''s lips were pressed into a thin, tight line, her face a mask of disbelief. All her earlier confidence had vanished.


    Seth nced down at her and murmured, "Winning isn''t what matters. Mr. Archer already agreed to y again."


    He was right; that had been their goal. Bianca gave a stiff,plicated nod. She finally took her turn, using Seth''s clubs, but her focus was shattered. On a par-five hole, she took five strokes and still missed. It was a humiliating performance, nothing like her usual game. Her mind was in turmoil, and her skill had abandoned her. Had she yed first, perhaps she too could have scored an eagle.


    When her disappointing round was over, no one was paying her any attention. Ron was enthusiastically chatting with Noreen, praising her technique. He even remarked that her style was simr to Seth''s and asked if they''d had the same coach.


    Noreen paused for a beat before replying, "No." It was Seth who had taught her.


    Standing nearby, Seth heard her answer, and the faintest trace of a smile touched his lips. Noreen, however, showed no emotion as she moved the conversation along.


    The game had sessfully broken the ice. Ron was even warmer toward Bianca now, though that wasrgely due to Seth''s influence. With Seth by her side, no one would dare disrespect her.


    Halley, however, remained cold. No matter how Bianca tried to engage him, he offered only terse, dismissive replies. The rejection stung, and her frustration grew.


    Sensing her dejection, Seth consoled her. "Professor Joyner is a proud man and slow to warm up. It''s not personal. Just give it time."


    "I know," Bianca nodded. She had been too impatient. The academic world was vast and insr; breaking in was never going to be easy. She had to be patient. Besides, her credentials spoke for themselves. Sooner orter, an opportunity


    would arise like some people,<fn1015> N?w ?ovel chapt?rs are published on fι?dnοvel</fn1015>


    She at least had a ticket to the game. The brief sting of humiliation quickly faded.


    That evening, when Bianca arrived home, she found her mother, Yvonne Laurent, in a rage, screaming at one of the maids.


    "What''s with all the shouting?"


    Yvonne, simmering with fury, finally had someone to vent to. "It''s that Mrs. Naylor! She''s deliberately targeting me! I don''t even know what I did to offend her!"


    "What happened?"


    Yvonne exined that today was the


    monthly gathering of her social


    circle, which she had hosted. She had assumed that with Seth, the new star of the tech world, as Ker soon-to-be son-inw, her status would have soared. Instead, only a handful of thedies had shown up. The core group, led by Mrs. Naylor, was conspicuously absent When she called, they all imed to have prior engagements. Butter, when Yvonne went to the spa with the few friends who did attend, she ran into Mrs. Naylor''s clique at the very same salon.


    It was obvious they had boycotted her party. When confronted, Mrs Naylor didn''t even bother with an


    excuse, stating bluntly that she was afraid of being implicated in their family''s troubles.


    Bianca knew exactly what "troubles" she meant: the fireworks incident. All the social capital Yvonne had spent years building had been destroyed in an instant.


    "Don''t worry, Mother," Bianca assured her. "I''ll make them look at us with respect again."