Betrayed and Dumped: She Rose Stronger Than Ever novel Chapter 29

29 /90

That wasn’t exactly fair. Sonja probably didn’t even know Bruce had a girlfriend. Sonja was just another victim in all of this.

Bruce was the one causing pain to two women at once. He was the real problem here.

Rebecca pressed her lips together and finally looked away, heading for the sidewalk. Soon, none of this would matter to her anymore.

When Sonja and Bruce knocked on the door and walked into the private room, everyone inside was startled for a second. Sonja broke the silence first, offering a warm smile and a friendly hello.

A few moments later, a young lady stood up, her cheeks flushed pink, and walked over to Sonja. “You’re Sonja, right? Sorry, you just missed Dr. Palmer. He already left.”

Sonja’s distant cousin was friends with this girl from undergrad, and when she heard Sonja wanted to meet Dr. Palmer, she offered to set it up. The girl figured Sonja was just a fan hoping to meet Dr. Palmer, so she agreed to help. She never expected Dr. Palmer to show up for just a fleeting moment before leaving, so the two never even got to meet.

Sonja looked surprised for a split second, then smiled graciously. “It’s alright. I’m sure there will be another chance. I’m actually honored to meet all of you today.”

She had that way of speaking that made everyone feel instantly comfortable, like she belonged there, no matter the situation.

Caleb looked Sonja and Bruce up and down. They seemed oddly familiar, but he couldn’t put his finger on why.

Then someone piped up, a little unsure, “Excuse me, are you Dr. Sonja Campbell?”

Sonja nodded, “Yes, that’s me.”

The girl’s eyes widened. “Oh wow! I can’t believe this. I’ve read your master’s and doctoral papers. They’re incredible!”

The whole room suddenly came alive with excitement. They’d had no idea this elegant lady was actually Dr. Campbell. Her research had been published in top international journals when she was still a PhD student, and everyone in their field had read her work. Now, just standing in the same room with her felt surreal.

Bruce glanced down at Sonja with gentle eyes. She hadn’t changed at all since they were kids. She always stood out, no matter where she was. The only difference now was that, instead of watching her from the sidelines, he could stand right beside her.

Sonja chatted easily with everyone, and then turned to Caleb, her smile turning playful. “You must be Caleb, Professor Palmer’s star student.”

Caleb gave her a sheepish grin. “Yeah, that would be.”

Well, if the top pick hadn’t dropped out, he wouldn’t even be on anyone’s radar.

Sonja pulled out a business card and handed it to him. “I’m the Vice President at NovaStack Cloud. If you’re interested in an internship, just reach out anytime. With your skills, you could easily lead your own project.”