Blanche's POV
Aiden rarely uttered the word "please."
After I answered his question, he used exactly that word.
He didn't even care that I wasn't officially his student.
For Aiden, talent trumped everything else.
But while I basked in my brief moment of recognition, Joanna's emotions boiled over.
——
Joanna's feelings weren't just envy—pure jealousy consumed her.
She had busted her ass to secure a spot in Aiden's PhD program, yet Aiden had never once praised her work.
Criticism was all she ever received.
But Blanche earned a compliment on her very first day in the classroom.
The realization soured Joanna's mood completely.
Being upstaged by Blanche was the last thing Joanna could tolerate.
She reasoned with herself, 'Blanche never even attended grad school. She's nowhere near my level.
'That little compliment means nothing.
'Demetrius was collaborating with her, so those were probably all his ideas anyway.
