Chapter 9 · Dumped by Dad, Picked Up by Physics

Chapter 9

Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, it was already the end of August. Norvail University's opening day was around the corner.One evening, as Charlotte was working through an advanced electromagnetism problem with Nolan, his phone buzzed against the desk.He glanced at the caller ID, and his brows instantly furrowed.He almost pressed ignore without thinking."Go ahead and answer it," Charlotte said calmly."It's personal," Nolan replied, his tone a little awkward."Five-minute break." Charlotte kept her head down, quietly organizing her notes, not sparing Nolan a glance. She knew he needed some space.He hesitated for a moment, then took his phone and stepped out onto the balcony.He kept his voice low, but the study was so quiet that Charlotte could still make out fragments of his conversation.Tyler snapped through the line, "I told you, I don't have time."What do you mean, you forgot again? Obviously, a company meeting matters more than your birthday. Isn't that how it is?"Can you stop being so childish?"That's it. I'm hanging up."The call barely lasted a minute, thick with raw irritation.When Nolan walked back in, his expression was dark. He slammed his phone down on the table."Let's continue," he said, his voice low and heavy.Charlotte looked up at him. "You're not in the right headspace to solve this problem right now.""I said, let's continue." He suddenly raised his voice, sounding like a young lion on the verge of roaring. "Even if my father forgot my birthday and thinks a contract matters more to him than I do, I'm still going to crack this problem."As soon as he finished shouting, he realized what he'd just said. He couldn't believe he'd let Charlotte see him at his most pathetic. Embarrassment and regret flashed across his face.The air in the study turned thick and heavy, like time itself had frozen.Charlotte watched him quietly. There was no sympathy, no pity, and not even a trace of any other emotion on her face.She simply waited for him to finish venting.Then, she quietly picked up her pen and sketched a small cake in the corner of her notes.Beside it, she jotted down three names with dates: Galileo Galilei, Feb 15, 1564; Isaac Newton, Jan 4, 1643; Albert Einstein, Mar 14, 1879."You know these three, right?" she asked.Nolan nodded, still a bit lost, not sure what she was getting at."Each of them changed the world," Charlotte said calmly. "Does the date on their birth certificates define them? What defines them is the legacy they built."She looked up, her gaze clear and piercing. "Nolan, your worth doesn't hinge on someone else's attention or approval. It depends entirely on who you build yourself into."Do you want to be someone begging for scraps of validation, or someone so formidable that people consider it a privilege to cross your path? That's your call."Her words struck like a cold blade straight through the noise in his head, far more grounding than any sweet platitude.Nolan stared at her, completely stunned.Ever since he was little, whenever he felt wronged, Monica would only hug him tight and cry, blaming Tyler for everything.

Chapter 9