"Dr. Wynter, how are you settling in at the university these past couple of days? Are the students behaving themselves?"

Wren Wynter fell into a thoughtful silence.

Other than running into Silas Fawcett and his group on her first day, the students she’d met recently had been quite nice.

"It’s been fine."

Hearing Wren Wynter’s assessment, the dean let out a long sigh of relief.

"That’s good to hear. There’s one more thing. The school’s annual medical department competition is about to begin. Dr. Wynter, I need you to select two outstanding students from your class as soon as possible to represent the university at the medical exchange competition in The Capital."

Wren Wynter was taken aback.

This wasn’t originally her class; she was only here as a substitute at another professor’s invitation.

"Me? I don’t think that’s appropriate. Shouldn’t I discuss this with their advisor?"

"No need. Your class has been designated as a special class, so you don’t need to report to the advisor."

Wren Wynter suddenly felt immense pressure.

As a student of Julian Hawthorne, she knew that if her picks failed to secure a spot in the competition, it could very well damage her mentor’s reputation.

She gave a wry smile inwardly.

’The dean is really putting the screws on me.’

"Alright, I understand. I’ll submit the list of names tonight."

"Excellent. I look forward to seeing how your students perform."

Wren Wynter left the dean’s office and headed toward her classroom.

The campus was quiet in the evening. Only a few students hurried past, clutching their books. The sweet osmanthus trees by the path were in bloom, filling the air with a faint, sweet fragrance.

She was a full twenty minutes late because of her conversation with the dean.

She put down her teaching materials and began the lecture.

The two-hour class ended quickly.

After the bell rang, the students began to leave one by one. As Wren Wynter organized her lesson plans, Zane Langley walked up to her.

"Professor, something’s on your mind."

"How did you know?" Wren Wynter asked, surprised.

Zane Langley smiled confidently, leaning one hand on the lectern with a cheeky grin.

"You spaced out three times today when you called on students, and you misspoke three times. Who’d believe nothing’s wrong? Professor, don’t tell me your soon-to-be ex-husband is harassing you again?"

Wren Wynter looked at Zane Langley’s gossipy expression and gently patted his shoulder.

A distinctly feminine fragrance drifted to his nose with the movement, and his expression grew dazed. His face instantly flushed red.

But Wren Wynter didn’t notice. She just continued, "Stop gossiping. Hurry up and get to the cafeteria, or there won’t be a single crumb left for you."

"So what if there’s nothing left? The food in that cafeteria is so bad, not even a dog would eat it. It’s disgusting, the rice is undercooked, and you might even find a hair or a bug in your dish."

"It’s not that exaggerated. The food at A University’s cafeteria is actually pretty good," Wren Wynter disagreed.

To her surprise, Zane Langley stared at her as if she were some kind of freak.

"Professor, are you serious? The A University cafeteria is good? UGH!" Zane Langley mimed gagging.

Wren Wynter could only laugh and shoo him away.

「The next morning.」

Wren Wynter received a call from Kaden Xavier.

"Wren, where are you?"

"Almost there."

"Okay, no rush. Do you need me to come pick you up?"

"No, that’s alright," Wren Wynter said.

"Alright. Be careful on your way," Kaden Xavier said, his tone heavy. "I’ve already contacted the Yates Family. We’ll go directly to their estate when you get here."

"Okay."

They still hadn’t fulfilled the promise they made to his grandmother.

Wren Wynter soon arrived at the Xavier Group headquarters.

Kaden Xavier was already waiting for her at the entrance.

Wren Wynter quickly got into the car, and it headed toward the old Yates Family estate.

The car stopped in front of an ornate iron gate, where a butler, who had clearly been waiting, came forward to greet them. "Mr. Xavier, Miss Wynter, the Elder and the Young Master are waiting for you in the study."

’Elder Yates knew we were coming?’

Kaden Xavier and Wren Wynter glanced at each other, both seeing the surprise in the other’s eyes.

The two of them followed the butler through a winding corridor to a study in the rear courtyard.

Inside the study, Maximus Yates sat behind a mahogany desk. Though over seventy, he was full of vigor, his gaze sharp.

Isaac Yates stood by his side. A flash of surprise crossed his eyes when he saw Kaden Xavier and Wren Wynter enter together.

"Elder Yates, Uncle Yates," Kaden Xavier greeted them respectfully.

Wren Wynter followed suit. "Elder Yates, Mr. Yates."

"Kaden, you’re here. Have a seat." Maximus Yates gestured to the two huanghuali wood chairs opposite his desk, his gaze lingering on Wren Wynter’s face for a moment.

Maximus Yates heaved a deep sigh. "I heard about your grandmother. I never expected her to pass so suddenly, and in such a way... Kaden, my girl, my condolences."

When they were young, Old Madam Xavier and Maximus Yates had been old acquaintances, and their two families had maintained a friendship for generations.

There was sincere grief in Maximus Yates’s tone; he was clearly deeply pained by Old Madam Xavier’s passing.

"Thank you for your concern, Elder Yates," Kaden Xavier said in a low voice. "We came today because my grandmother told us to come to you for something. She said we both had to come together."

"Yes, I know." Maximus Yates shot a look at Isaac Yates.

Isaac Yates understood. He walked over to a bookshelf, opened a hidden compartment, and took out an antique zitan wood box.

He brought the box over, and then Maximus Yates began to speak.

"She left this with me for safekeeping half a month ago." Maximus Yates pushed the wooden box toward Kaden Xavier. "She said that if anything happened to her, I was to give this to you and Wren."

Kaden Xavier and Wren Wynter were stunned.

’Why would Grandmother store this with the Yates Family ahead of time? Could it be that she already knew her time was short?’

Kaden Xavier opened the wooden box. Inside were two items: a document and a letter.

He picked up the document first. As he opened it and looked, his pupils contracted sharply.

"This is..." His voice trembled.

Wren Wynter leaned in for a look. The document’s title was written in bold characters: "Share Transfer Agreement."

The contents showed that Old Madam Xavier had transferred all of her shares in the Xavier Group to Kaden Xavier, free of charge.

The transfer date was a month ago, and it had already been notarized and filed.

"Grandmother..." Kaden Xavier’s throat bobbed, and his eyes reddened slightly.

He knew his grandmother had always supported him, but he never expected she would do this.

These shares, added to the ones he already held...

Meant that he now had complete control of the Xavier Group. No one could challenge his position anymore. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

Maximus Yates said slowly, "Your grandmother said that things were not peaceful within the Xavier Family. Certain people had their eyes on the shares she held. She was afraid that if something happened to her, those shares would fall into the wrong hands and cause trouble for you, so she made arrangements well in advance."