BookToReadElodie had no idea what anyone else was thinking, so she simply followed Charlie to the front row.
On the way, Charlie said in a low, cold voice, "If Waldron gives you a hard tagain, cstraight to me." Elodie found it funny how seriously Charlie took the whole thing, but she nodded obediently.
Once they reached their seats, Elodie scanned the room and immediately spotted Sylvie chatting with a few of the heavyweights and editors on the other side.
She kept quiet and sat down.
Meanwhile, Sylvie was in conversation with an editor she'd just been introduced to by Grady.
The editor was polite. "We can talk in more detail after this session. Ms. Fielding, have you had a chance to read any of the recent papers published?" Sylvie hesitated. She'd been swamped lately, barely squeezing in a rushed trip to Hokkaido. After returning from New York, she'd meant to look into one of the example papers, but it kept getting pushed down her list.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇt"Not yet," she admitted.
The editor gave her a meaningful look. "You might want to check them out. There's been quite the battle of the titans lately." That piqued Sylvie's curiosity.
She went online to scan the academic networks, and sure enough, a paper in one of the top journals caught her eye. Sylvie was surprised-had one of the big names published something recently? This journal was as prestigious as they came; only a select few ever made it in. No wonder the editor had said what he did.
Still, Sylvie didn't dwell on it. She was just starting out, after all, and the authors who published in journals like these were practically legends. There was no point comparing herself to them.
Back at her seat, Sylvie was visibly in a good mood. Events like this were a chance to meet new people, get her nout there, and be seen on all the right academic platforms.
Today's gathering was especially lively: both Charlie and Waldron were in attendance, which sent a ripple of excitement through the crowd. It had been years since the two leading figures of the field had appeared together.
Sylvie was curious herself. She leaned over and whispered to Jarrod, "What brings Mr. Ferguson here today?" Jarrod glanced toward the stage. "I spoke to Mr. Ferguson a couple of days ago. He cleared his schedule for this." A faint smile tugged at Sylvie's lips. She understood exactly what Jarrod was doing.
Mr. Ferguson was already rumored to be considering her as his student, given his involvement as a consultant for Neural Intelligence Now, with Jarrod inviting him to the event, it was clear he wanted to raise her profile. If Mr. Ferguson introduced her paper, all the better for her.
Jarrod was definitely looking out for her.
The event officially began.
Charlie and Waldron, the star guests of the academic world, were naturally expected to speak. But Waldron, never one for ceremony, stayed rooted in his seat.
Charlie, as one of Verdant University's leading figures, wasn't about to let the atmosphere go cold. The major guests were introduced one by one. The university president took the stage, spoke a bit about Verdant, and then segued into recent groundbreaking papers that had made waves in the field.
Grady, seated up front, turned to Sylvie with a wide grin. "That certainly includes your paper, Ms. Fielding." Sylvie just smiled quietly.
At that moment, the president pulled up one of the papers and displayed it on the big screen.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏm"This particular work is of tremendous academic value. Its
innovation and forward-thinking are unmatched. I imagine many of you have already seenlit. For the benefit of our students, we've invited the author here today." Sylvie glanced at the screen.
It was the very paper she'd just looked up.
She instinctively glanced around, her gaze landing first on Charlie, then on the older scholars nearby: trying to guess who the author was. Anyone singled out by Verdant University had to be a heavyweight in the field.
Sylvie leaned over to Jarrod and whispered, "Jarrod, who do you think e itis? Could it be one of the fellows? Sof them do teach here." Jarrod kept his eyes on the screen, his lips barely moving. He didn't answer.
The president's eyes twinkled as he looked in their direction.
Sylvie froze.
Our direction? But there was no one here who fit.
Before she could process it, the voice from the stage rang out, "Please welcElodie Ms. Thorne!"
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