"You?!"
Meghan and Uriel stood frozen, their hands pointing accusingly at each other. Beside them, Hugo and Zack quickly rose to their feet, baffled by the sudden, intense recognition.
Uriel's finger jabbed the air. "You're the psycho who attacked me days ago!"
"And you," she retorted, aggressively poking his chest, "are that egoistic, narcissistic fool who thinks everything can be solved with money!" She ignored the sudden silence and the eyes of the café customers now fixed on them.
Uriel's forehead creased into a tight, furious frown. "We've got to talk," he growled, clamping his hand around her wrist and yanking her toward the glass door.
"Hey! Let go of me!" she protested, pulling futilely against his iron grip.
He dragged her through the door and across the asphalt until they reached the garage, where rows of parked cars offered a measure of privacy. The moment he stopped, Meghan ripped her wrist free and delivered a stinging slap across his face. The sound cracked through the quiet garage.
The pain spread instantly. "How dare you!" he fired, but she shoved him back, her eyes blazing as she sized him up.
"How dare you show your face here after what you did? Didn't I warn you not to parade that arrogant behavior, or you'd regret it?"
Enraged, Uriel turned away, inhaling deeply to control himself. "Do you know you made me lose face in front of my friends?"
Meghan rolled her eyes, clearly disinterested.
"Your five fingers were on my cheek!" He pointed to the still-red mark, though the immediate sting was fading. He wouldn't let the insult go.
Hugo and Zack burst into the garage, having quickly paid the bill and tried to contain the small scene. "Do you know her?" Zack asked Uriel, attempting a flirty smile toward Meghan. He was instantly shut down by a triple glare—from Hugo, Uriel, and Meghan—causing his signature grin to falter.
"She's the one who hit me! Why wouldn't I know her?" Uriel argued, his voice rising. "You will apologize to me, or else..."
Meghan smirked. "Else what? Look, I don't have time for bullies like you. I'm leaving. Don't let me see your face again." She pivoted and started to storm off. Uriel lunged to pursue her, but Hugo caught his arm, pulling him aside and allowing her to escape.
Once she was safely out of sight and around the corner, Meghan leaned against a pillar, letting out a heavy, exhausted sigh. "Phew! That was a close call," she muttered. "The nerve of that fucker to pull me out of my workplace! He's audacious! Who does he think he is just because he has a lot of greens?"
She straightened up, a dangerous glint in her eyes. "He better not be the arrogant piece of work Uriel Oman Jefferson I've been hearing about, or he's going to get it."
As she walked toward the bus stop, her eyes caught a complex mathematical problem scrawled on a large public whiteboard. Instantly engrossed, she stopped and began solving it. People on the street stared, thinking she was eccentric. With astonishing speed and precision, she corrected the deliberately flawed equation. A rare smile touched her lips when she finished, and she quickly boarded the next bus.
Moments later, a group of men emerged from a nearby café, sipping tea. They were the ones who had placed the problem. Their teacups nearly dropped. Their eyes were wide with shock. This was a top-tier challenge—a scholarship qualifier—that no ordinary professor had been able to solve accurately. Only two people in the country were known to possess this level of expertise: one was dead, and the other was nearly retired.
They frantically searched the street for the person who had done it, but she was nowhere to be found. After a quick decision, they went to the bus station security office and reviewed the footage, finally getting a clear image of her boarding the bus.
They immediately phoned the Principal. He answered on the first ring.
"Good day, sir," one of the men said, struggling to keep the excitement out of his voice. "We've been able to see someone who solved the math."
"What do you mean?" he asked, bewildered.
The men moved aside, their voices lowering in confidence. "We placed the problem as you requested, making it look impossible for a common candidate to qualify. But she did it. She solved it and won the scholarship."
"Are you serious?" The Principal's interest was instantly piqued. "Find her ASAP. I want her name, her school, and her family background. Find her before anyone else does."
"Yes, sir," they conceded.