Billionaire Romance Boxed Set 1(111)

“Quentin is an overconfident asshole, of course he said that.” Mark leaned back in his chair. “There’s no way he got half of those right. Are you serious? That’s why you left?”

“That’s not the only reason,” I said.

“What else?” Mark waited patiently, but there was no way I was going to tell him about the piano, or about the way Eliot’s hand brushed against mine, igniting a fire inside of me.

“Trust me,” I said. “You deserve it more than me.”

“Nuh-uh.” Mark crossed his arms. “Not going to happen. I’m abdicating.”

“Mark—”

“And then Quentin will get it. You want Quentin to get it?” Mark looked serious.

I sighed, bending my head over the coffee.

“No,” I admitted.

“Then you’re going to the math department right now to tell them that you’re the mysterious disappearing girl.”

“I—” I looked into Mark’s face, but he looked like he was ready to handcuff me and haul me down to campus himself.

“Okay,” I said. My skin flushed red at the thought of admitting to Eliot that I wasn’t the girl he thought I was. But another part of me thrilled to know that Eliot wanted me for his internship, and hoped even more that I might be able to go to Hungary, as I had been hoping for the past thirteen years.

Mark and I walked to campus from the coffeeshop, the sun warming the day quickly. We made our way through the math department to Patterson’s office, and as we turned the corner, my steps faltered. Eliot stood in front of the door next to Patterson, gesturing angrily towards a sheet of paper. Mark coughed and he turned to see us, his frown melting into a blank expression that I could not read. Eliot straightened himself up to his full height as Mark and I approached, his clear eyes giving away no hint as to the thoughts hidden in his mind.

“Hello,” he said to me as we walked up, and extended his hand. “You must be Brynn.”





CHAPTER SIX



“If people do not believe that mathematics is simple, it is only because they do not realize how complicated life is.” - Von Neumann



“Congratulations, Mark,” the department chair said.

“Yes, congratulations,” Eliot echoed. My heart sank. So Mark had won the Prize. I had thrown it all away for nothing, and Eliot knew who I was. A lump rose in my throat. Eliot turned to me.

“And congratulations as well to you, Ms. Tomlin.” Eliot’s voice sounded formal, distant. “Dr. Patterson assures me that despite your disappearance for the interview portion, you are generally a reliable person, and I can speak to your mathematical ability myself.”

I couldn’t speak. I didn’t know if he was saying what I thought he was saying.

“I’m sure the department will be happy to have two students named to the internship this year,” he continued. “Isn’t that right, Dr. Patterson?”

The department chair raised his eyebrows but shook his head in agreement.

“An excellent selection of students,” Patterson said. “Both very qualified.”

“So we’re both going?” Mark asked. “No way! Awesome!” He turned and swept me up into a tight hug. My heart soared as I hugged him back. I turned to Eliot in amazement.

“Thank you,” I said. His jaw tightened in a tense smile.

“I’m late for physics,” Mark said, his arm still holding me close. “We can talk later. Thank you, Dr. Herceg, thank you so much. You’re such an inspiration.” He shook Eliot’s hand. “And congrats, Brynn!”

“You too,” I said, waving goodbye. For some reason, I was scared to look Eliot in the eye. “I should get to class.”

“One moment, Ms. Tomlin,” Eliot said. “I’d like to talk with you first about the internship. We didn’t quite get a chance to finish the interview portion of the test, after all, did we?”

“In my office?” Patterson offered.

Eliot waved him away. “It’s such a beautiful day,” he said. “And I only have a few questions. Let’s walk outside, shall we?”

I nodded. He led the way through the hall and opened the door for me. The sunlight made my eyes squint as I exited the building. Although Eliot had said he wanted to talk with me, he didn’t speak at all as we walked slowly on the sidewalk. We crossed the lawn and came to the library. He sat down on the bench outside. I stayed standing, uncertain.

“Please.” He motioned for me to sit, and scooted to one side so that a large gap separated us. I settled down onto the bench beside him, my skin growing hot.

“Brynn,” he began.