Boss, Your Ex-Wife is Unreachable Now! novel Chapter 10

Willow climbed the stairs to the second floor, a carefully wrapped gift in her hands. She rapped lightly on the study door and called out gently, "Mr. Redmond? It's Willow."

She knew Mr. Redmond wasn't alone in there—two other academic heavyweights were keeping him company.

One of them was Sandra Whitmore, a leading figure in bioengineering and, once upon a time, her mother's PhD advisor. Willow had met Mr. Redmond through Ms. Whitmore. As it happened, Ms. Whitmore was also Mr. Redmond's aunt, now seventy-three but as sharp as ever.

The other scholar was a bit younger—just two years older than Mr. Redmond himself. Like Mr. Redmond, he was a professor at Kingston University and—

"Willow, is that you? Come on in!" Mr. Redmond's booming voice called out from inside.

Willow pushed open the door. Sure enough, Sandra Whitmore and Professor Easton Payne were sitting with Mr. Redmond, chatting over tea.

She stepped forward with a warm smile. "Good afternoon, Ms. Whitmore. Hello, Professor Payne."

Then, turning to Mr. Redmond, she offered her gift. "Mr. Redmond, I brought a little something for you. I hope you'll like it."

Inside the box was a set of elegant white porcelain teacups, classic and refined.

Everyone in this room appreciated a good cup of tea—especially her mentor, who not only loved drinking tea but also took delight in collecting unique tea sets from around the world.

It was no wonder that, while the house was bustling with guests out in the garden, Mr. Redmond had retreated here with his like-minded friends, leaving his children and their spouses to play host downstairs.

Easton had to admit defeat, laughing despite himself.

He'd mentored plenty of talented students in his career. Beasley, now the renowned CEO of Windsor & Co.—the biggest name in Kingston City's business world—had been one of his brightest, hailed as a once-in-a-century business genius. But even Beasley's achievements might one day be rivaled by Willow, who had been the city's top-scoring student in her year and seemed to have a knack for mastering anything she set her mind to. The thought was almost enough to make him jealous.

Sandra, unfazed by the Kingston University rivalry as an "outsider," set her cup down and took Willow's hand during a lull in the banter between the two men. She looked Willow over with gentle affection and said, "You just keep getting more and more lovely, Willow. You're looking more like your mother every day."

Sylvia—her mother. At the mention of her name, Willow's smile faded just a little.

Sandra noticed and gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. "You're a good girl," she said softly. "Your mother would be so proud of all you've accomplished."