The Thorne Heiress Unveiling Shadow novel Chapter 43

The frustration of being completely stonewalled was a new and unwelcome experience for Kaelen Blackwood. He was used to being the hunter, the one who dictated the terms of every engagement. Now, for the first time, he was the one being played with, a lion being toyed with by a creature he couldn't see. He realized his conventional methods—brute force, surveillance, data mining—were utterly useless. They were the weapons of a physical king in a digital world where she was the god.

If he was going to get close to her, he had to change his strategy. He couldn't force his way into her world. He had to create a reason for her to willingly step into his.

He sat at his desk for a long time, the city lights twinkling below him, a slow, cold smile spreading across his face. He wouldn't use his spies or his hackers. He wouldn't use brute force. He would use his power, his influence, and his brain. He would create a stage so perfectly tailored to her talents that she would have no choice but to take her place in the spotlight.

The next morning, he made a call. Not to his head of security, but to his head of philanthropy.

An hour later, a second call was placed to the office of the president of Sterling University.

That afternoon, Professor Albright was summoned to an urgent meeting with the university president. He entered the grand, wood-paneled office to find the president, a man usually known for his stoic demeanor, looking flustered and ecstatic.

"Albright," the president began, barely able to contain his excitement. "I've just gotten off the phone with Kaelen Blackwood."

Albright's eyebrows shot up. "The Kaelen Blackwood?"

Professor Albright leaned back in his chair, a slow, knowing smile spreading across his face. He knew exactly what this was. After Evelyn's stunning performance in his classroom, he had indeed met with her, and had been so blown away by her intellect that he had offered her a position as his personal research assistant, an offer she had politely declined.

A multi-million dollar grant. A prestigious new fellowship. A mandate to select the single most brilliant student based on pure merit.

Both Kaelen and Albright knew there was only one possible choice. It was a checkmate move, a strategic masterpiece designed to force a meeting. Kaelen Blackwood wasn't just a shark; he was a grandmaster, and he had just placed a very elegant, very expensive piece on the board.