Badass in Disguise (Shadow) novel Chapter 28

Badass in Disguise

Chapter 28

Author’s POV:

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Emily Morgan paced outside Max’s bedroom, checking her watch again. Her timing needed to be perfect. Through the kitchen window, she’d watched Frank leave for his shift at the factory. Linda had announced she was heading to the supermarket for groceries, though Emily knew she’d spend at least an hour gossiping with the cashiers. And Jade had left twenty minutes ago for her morning run.

Only Max remained, but he was occupied in the backyard with his latest science experiment- something involving soil samples and a makeshift solar panel. Emily had watched him hobble outside with his equipment, which meant she had at least thirty minutes.

She took a deep breath and slipped into his room, closing the door silently behind her.

Max’s bedroom was meticulously organized despite being filled with scientific equipment. His desk supported a sophisticated laptop–the expensive one Jade had bought him. Emily rolled her eyes at the thought. She slid into his chair and pressed the power button.

The login screen appeared. Emily tried “physics 123” first, then “quantum,” then finally

“JadeMorgan“-and the screen unlocked.

“Seriously? Your password is your sister’s name?” Emily muttered, shaking her head. “Pathetic.”

She quickly navigated to the browser history and found the Princeton Physics Forum. Max was

already logged in. Emily scrolled through his messages, her eyes widening at the sheer volume- there were thousands of unread notifications and private messages.

“Holy shit,” she whispered, scanning the messages. Many contained phrases like “mathematical

genius” and “physics prodigy.” One username appeared repeatedly: Edward Sheldon, with his latest message practically begging for five minutes of video conversation.

Another message caught her eye–from Philip Thornton, Princeton’s president, offering immediate admission with a full scholarship.

Emily’s heart pounded as she dug deeper. Why would Princeton’s president be messaging her flunky brother? It made no sense.

She minimized the browser and began searching through Max’s files. Nothing unusual appeared until she noticed a folder labeled simply “J.”

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Chapter 28

Before she could open it, movement from the corner of her eye drew her attention to Max’s bed.

Underneath a stack of math worksheets was the corner of a notebook.

Emily grabbed it and flipped it open. Her breath caught. Six pages of dense, complex formulas and equations filled the paper, written in handwriting she didn’t recognize–definitely not Max’s messy

scrawl.

She compared the equations to screenshots saved on Max’s computer. They matched perfectly with

the solutions posted on the Princeton forum–the ones that had apparently stunned the academic

world.

“No fucking way,” Emily whispered, her fingers trembling slightly. “This is way beyond high school

level. There’s no way Jade wrote this.”

Suddenly, a warning box flashed on the laptop screen: “WARNING: DEVICE UNDER ATTACK FROM

UNKNOWN SOURCE.”

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The screen turned blood red, and a black skull icon appeared in the center. The laptop froze

completely, unresponsive to Emily’s frantic clicking.

“Shit, shit, shit!” She slammed the notebook closed and tried to arrange them exactly as she’d found

them.

The sound of the back door opening sent a jolt of panic through her. Either Max or Jade had

returned. Emily quickly darted toward the door, slipping out into the hallway just as footsteps approached from the kitchen.

Ethan Haxton rubbed his eyes as he entered his Manhattan penthouse shortly after 10 PM. He’d been

working since 5 AM, closing a major acquisition for Haxton Holdings. All he wanted was a shower

and sleep.

“Mr. Haxton, I apologize for the intrusion.”

Ethan froze, then relaxed when he recognized Philip sitting in his living room. The Princeton University president looked exhausted, his usually immaculate appearance disheveled.

“Philip,” Ethan nodded. “How long have you been waiting?”

“Since last evening,” Morrison admitted, looking embarrassed. “Your assistant said you’d be home

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Chapter 28

eventually.”

:

Ethan hung his coat and poured two glasses of scotch. “Must be important if you’re camping in my

apartment.”

“I need your help finding someone,” Morrison said, accepting the drink gratefully. “Someone

extraordinary.”

“I’m not a detective, Philip.”

“This person solved the quantum alignment paradox,” Morrison continued, ignoring Ethan’s comment. “The one Edward and our physics department have been working on for months.”

Ethan raised an eyebrow. “And?”

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“And they won’t respond to any of our messages,” Morrison said, frustration evident in his voice. “We’ve offered admission, scholarships, research positions–nothing. They just post the solution and

disappear.”

“Maybe they don’t want to be found,” Ethan suggested, sipping his scotch.

Morrison reached for his tablet. “Look at this yourself.”

Ethan took the device, examining the forum post displayed on the screen. Six images showed elegant mathematical proofs, accompanied by minimal text.

“This is pretty good,” Ethan admitted.

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