Free Web NovelChapter 233: Chapter 233 The Gap Between Them
At first, Oliver didn’t quite understand what Samantha meant.
“What do you mean? Did she really go in with you?”
Samantha suddenly became agitated, her voice trembling at the end.
“Rose is a professor! A professor at NYU!”
Oliver’s expression froze.
His carefree demeanor vanished instantly.
Ryan paused almost imperceptibly, his deep gaze falling on the building not far away.
“That joke isn’t funny at all. What kind of place is NYU? How old is Rose? Setting aside her age, what qualifications or remarkable achievements does she have to hold that position?”
Oliver felt as though the world had suddenly become surreal.
Samantha’s expression darkened. She couldn’t accept it either and found the whole situation utterly absurd.
But the reality was—
“What’s wrong?”
Behind them, James had finished his business and come to NYU to meet with a superior, stopping by on his way. Seeing the grim expressions on Samantha’s and Oliver’s faces, he asked.
He could only think of one possible reason for Samantha’s disappointment.
Oliver immediately asked, “Did you know that Rose is a professor at NYU?”
James stopped in his tracks and frowned.
“What?”
“You find it hard to believe too, don’t you?” Oliver said. “Sam said Rose is one of the professors conducting the interviews.”
Samantha rubbed her temples, her head throbbing.
“Yes. She is. She even targeted me several times during the interview. I feel completely helpless. I can’t be treated objectively at a critical moment like this.”
James felt his stomach tighten.
He was equally shocked by this turn of events.
Samantha suddenly looked at him.
“Mr. Taylor, do you know the inside story? Right now, I can only think of one possibility.”
Ryan also glanced over casually, waiting for her to continue.
Samantha clenched her fists. “Is it because Rose saved Dr. Grace in front of the NYU leadership some time ago? That was a major achievement, so perhaps they made an exception and gave her a special appointment?”
She simply didn’t believe Rose possessed any real ability.
Rose was only good at seizing opportunities.
In Samantha’s eyes, Rose had stolen that honor from her.
That day, Rose had pretended the situation was urgent and put on a performance in front of everyone.
She had gained recognition from the university officials and earned Dr. Grace’s gratitude for saving his life.
Someone as important as Dr. Grace was highly respected—a national treasure.
That was the only explanation Samantha could accept.
Hearing this, Oliver recalled some of the details they had discussed earlier.
“So Rose basically stole the position that was supposed to be yours? If she hadn’t deliberately pushed you aside that day, you would be the one holding this professorship?”
Samantha’s expression grew even colder.
If Rose hadn’t taken that opportunity, perhaps she wouldn’t even need to apply for a PhD now.
She pressed her lips together. “I wasn’t thinking that far ahead at the time. I only wanted Dr. Grace to recover. I didn’t have time to calculate what benefits I might gain.”
James remained silent.
He fell into deep thought.
Although his grandmother was indeed an influential figure, becoming a professor at NYU simply because Rose had saved her seemed somewhat far-fetched.
“If Rose were truly a professor, NYU would have made an official announcement, and everyone would know the reason.”
Ryan, who had remained detached from the conversation, finally spoke.
His tone remained calm and steady.
It was impossible to tell whether he was unsurprised by Rose’s appointment or simply indifferent to Rose herself.
His words brought the speculation to an end.
Seeing that Ryan remained completely unmoved—that he didn’t care in the slightest whether Rose had become successful or famous—Samantha finally relaxed.
After all, NYU would eventually issue an official announcement.
Even if Rose had somehow claimed credit, if she had been appointed merely out of gratitude for saving Dr. Grace, without any real authority or qualifications, then it wouldn’t carry much weight.
Ryan stood up. “Let’s go to the dining hall first.”
His attitude greatly reassured Samantha.
She said, “Maybe Rose just got lucky, but my scores won’t be low. I’m ninety percent confident.”
Over the past few years, NYU had always released its results quickly.
Any attempt by Rose to sabotage her would be useless.
Oliver finally recovered from his shock.
The idea of Rose becoming a professor still seemed absurd. Perhaps there were circumstances they didn’t know about, but it certainly couldn’t be legitimate.
There was no need to take it too seriously.
He said, “We’ll wait for NYU’s explanation regarding Rose. For now, let’s celebrate the fact that you finished the interview successfully.”
James, however, glanced back over his shoulder.
His grandmother had never mentioned anything.
Could it really be because of that?
He didn’t think so.
*****
Rose attended a meeting regarding the interview results.
The professors had agreed to discuss the final scores.
The results were released fairly quickly.
After glancing at the posted list, Rose couldn’t help looking over at Leo, who was reading a paper while wearing his glasses.
Leo met her gaze. “Why are you looking at me? Were the results a surprise?”
Of course, Rose wasn’t surprised.
Of the three positions Leo had secured, not a single one had gone to Samantha.
Samantha had been eliminated.
The results had already been announced.
She must have learned about them by now.
Just as Rose expected, she ran into them while heading toward the cafeteria.
Samantha looked terrible.
They had been celebrating earlier. Since Oliver had been demoted and had no work assignments, they had decided to hold a small gathering to celebrate Samantha’s interview.
When the results were released, Samantha had eagerly checked the list.
But her name wasn’t there.
She couldn’t believe it.
She had failed.
And she refused to accept it.
She needed an explanation.
She simply hadn’t expected to run into Rose again.
Ordinarily, it would have been difficult for them to enter NYU, but thanks to Ryan’s influence, they had been allowed inside.
Ryan glanced at Rose, who was standing beside Leo.
“Dean Byrne, may we speak with you?” Samantha took a deep breath to calm herself.
Leo stopped walking. “Of course. Go ahead.”
“Why... didn’t you choose me?”
Samantha glanced at Rose before continuing. “Was there a mistake in the scoring? I don’t believe my score should have fallen below the required standard.”
In other words—
“Or perhaps someone deliberately gave me an extremely low score?”
Rose’s eyebrows twitched slightly.
She understood exactly what Samantha meant.
Leo understood as well.
He adjusted his glasses. “Do you think there was foul play?”
Samantha pressed her lips together and lifted her chin. “I simply want to understand why I lost.”
“Then let me answer you.”
Leo smiled. “Because I never considered accepting you in the first place. From what position are you questioning this decision? Are you saying I’m blind for not choosing you? Or that every professor at NYU is unfair?”
Samantha froze.
Even Oliver, standing behind her, felt a chill run down his spine.
The words were simply too blunt.
Leo paid no attention to their reactions.
“I had three positions available. One was reserved from the beginning for my own student. The other two were selected entirely according to comprehensive scores.”
“You didn’t even make it past that stage. On what grounds are you questioning why you weren’t admitted?”
“Miss Hill, I hope you understand that there will always be people more talented than you. You should acknowledge your shortcomings instead of storming in and demanding an explanation.”
“NYU is filled with geniuses. Where exactly do you think you rank?”
“If you had been capable of entering NYU’s graduate program through recommendation or the national examinations back then, would you have needed to study abroad and return later to apply using your overseas credentials?”
Samantha’s face turned deathly pale.
Leo’s words were merciless.
He had exposed the truth—that she had gone abroad because she had failed to enter NYU’s graduate program.
He had also made it clear that he had never considered her.
And that she had not ranked first.
With so many people nearby, even passing students stopped to watch.
Whispers spread through the crowd.
Their gazes seemed filled with mockery.
The overwhelming sense of humiliation nearly crushed her.
Samantha clenched her fists tightly and suddenly turned toward Rose, who had remained silent the entire time.
“What about Rose? As a professor, is she really capable of convincing everyone?”
The attention suddenly shifted to Rose.
She blinked in surprise.
Now the spotlight had turned to her.
Ryan also looked at Rose.
Leo laughed. “You haven’t even managed to outperform a single applicant in your own group, yet you dare question Rose?”
He looked directly at Samantha. “She is the first person in more than a decade to receive a special appointment as a professor.”
“What makes you think you have the right to question her?”
