Chapter 61: Her Dream

Emerald’s POV

By the time I arrived at class, Elias was already in his usual seat.

The moment he saw me, he lifted his hand and waved, a broad smile spreading across his face. I walked over and settled into the seat beside him.

He studied my face for a few seconds before asking, "Why are your eyes puffy?"

I almost groaned. Of course he would notice. I had completely forgotten to use ice on my eyes before leaving the dorm. After staying up late working on Mercer, I should have known the lack of sleep would show.

I released a quiet sigh. "I stayed up late working on something important."

Elias watched me for another moment, then simply smiled. He didn’t ask what it was. In fact, he knew better than to ask since my response was clear enough. I appreciated that.

A moment later, he reached for his phone, tapped on the screen a few times and turned it towards me.

I stared at the picture. It was me at Vera’s wedding.

Someone had apparently taken a photograph while my friends and I were walking into the church, and it had already made its way onto the internet.

Elias looked at me and said, "You never told me you were a Hugo."

I returned my gaze to him. "There was no need for that. You could figure it out yourself."

He raised his eyebrows slightly. "Apparently, I did."

I looked back at the picture. I knew exactly why I had never given him my full name when we first met.

I hadn’t wanted people approaching me because of my family. I certainly hadn’t wanted questions about the Mercer Technologies scandal. The last thing I needed when I came to Larnard was another person trying to connect me to everything that had happened.

Now Elias knew. But I only hoped he wouldn’t start asking questions about my past.

He shrugged and put his phone away. "Well, now I know how you spent your weekend."

"Good, you know, because I don’t see how that information benefits you." The words came out sharper than I intended.

I immediately slowed down. Had I just been rude? I considered apologising, but instead I decided to change the subject.

I looked at him. "And how did you spend your weekend?"

His smile returned. "I had fun at a club. Then I hung out with a few acquaintances here in Boston."

I nodded. "Sounds interesting."

"It was," he acknowledged with a nod.

Before he could say anything else, the professor walked into the classroom. I turned my attention towards the front.

For the rest of the class, I tried to concentrate, although my mind occasionally drifted back to the research I had started on Mercer.

By the time my classes ended for the day, I was ready to get back to it.

I took a cab to the place where my father had arranged for me to collect the vehicle he had bought.

I was expecting a car. But what I saw when I arrived was definitely not the small car I had pictured in my mind.

I stopped when I saw it. It was a white Jeep. My gaze locked onto it for several minutes before I shook my head.

"So this is the car Dad was talking about?"

One of the staff members smiled. "Yes, Miss Hugo."

I walked around it slowly. At least it wasn’t some outrageous colour. The white looked clean and elegant, although it was definitely the kind of vehicle that could make me easy to spot.

I had grown accustomed to keeping a low profile in Boston. That might become slightly more difficult now. Still, I couldn’t complain.

My father could have just sent my car from Los Angeles, but instead, he took the effort to get me a different one here.

I was grateful.

After completing the remaining paperwork and signing where needed, the keys were handed to me.

Fortunately, I had brought my driver’s licence with me, so I got into the Jeep and adjusted the seat before starting the engine.

It felt strange driving a new vehicle, but I quickly settled into it.

I decided to pick up food before returning to the dorm, so I drove to a nearby restaurant and ordered enough takeaway for both lunch and dinner. Once everything was packed, I returned to campus.

Back in my room, I placed the food aside and took out my phone. I had taken a picture of the Jeep before leaving the dealership, so I sent it to my father.

Thank you again, Dad. I love it.

His response came a short while later. I’m glad you like it. Take care of yourself.

I smiled at the screen and replied. I will.

Then I put my phone down and looked towards the stack of notes waiting on my desk. My smile faded.

Mercer wasn’t going to reclaim itself, so I pulled out my chair and sat down.

There was still a lot of work to do.

I had barely opened my laptop when my phone rang. I glanced at the screen before answering. "Hello?"

The voice on the other end lowered immediately. "Miss Hugo, I have something you need to see. It’s about Mercer."

I sat up straighter. "What is it?"

"There are documents being prepared for the transfer of one per cent of Mercer Technologies’ shares to Maya Fox. Mr. Mercer is apparently presenting it as a wedding gift."

A scoff almost escaped my lips. "Are you certain?"

"I wouldn’t have called if I wasn’t."

Right then, a message came through while he was still speaking. I opened it and found several photographs of the documents. The names, percentages, and company details were clearly visible, leaving no doubt about what I was looking at.

My fingers tightened around my phone. One per cent. He was giving Maya one per cent of the company I had helped build.

After everything that had happened, he was still handing pieces of Mercer to her as though it belonged entirely to him.

I stared at the photographs until my anger settled into something colder. "Thank you," I said quietly. "Keep looking into it. Don’t let anyone know you’re investigating."

Then I ended the call and placed my phone on the desk.

I decided to stop thinking about what I had lost and immediately started thinking about everything I was going to take back.

Mercer Technologies had once been my dream. I had no intention of letting Kelvin and Maya keep destroying it while I stood outside, watching.