Chapter 4

At the beginning of the semester last month, Sophie messaged me to say that her second-year PhD tuition had gone up by $20,000 from the previous year, leaving her $38,000 short.

I transferred $40,000 to her that afternoon.

Now I knew where that money had gone.

It hadn’t gone toward her tuition.

She’d used it to rent a luxury apartment for $8,000 a month.

I set my phone aside and went into the kitchen to pour myself a glass of water.

Three days later, the payment deadline arrived.

Dr. James Carter, the director of Bellmont General Hospital, called me and asked when the PhD student would be starting. He wanted to arrange her department and assign a specialist to supervise her in advance.

I told him she wasn’t coming.

There were a few seconds of silence on his end before he asked why.

I told him she thought Bellmont was too small and beneath her.

Dr. Carter was silent again.

“That’s a shame. Dr. Natalie Brooks has asked about her several times. She was looking forward to mentoring her.

“Please thank Dr. Brooks for me. She doesn’t need to wait anymore.”

After hanging up, I drove to the city.

Sophie’s university was in the university district there, about an hour and a half away by car.

I was going to terminate her financial support formally.

The money I’d been providing came through a designated university scholarship fund. Every year before the start of the academic year, I signed an authorization, and the university would deduct her tuition directly from the account.

Now that I was ending my support, I needed to go to the university and sign a termination agreement.

When I arrived, I found the office of the Student Financial Aid Center.

A middle-aged woman wearing glasses greeted me. Her name was Ms. Margaret Wilson. She was warm and welcoming, pouring me a glass of water before asking me to sit down and explain what had happened.

I briefly explained the situation.

Her expression shifted from warmth to surprise, then from surprise to concern.

“Ms. Caldwell, are you sure you want to terminate the support? Sophie’s $100,000 clinical residency training fee for next semester is due soon. If you end the funding, she’ll have to cover that cost herself.”

I nodded.

“I’m sure.”

Ms. Wilson flipped through Sophie’s file. After hesitating for a moment, she asked, “Ms. Caldwell, may I ask why?”

I said, “She posted an open letter online accusing me of holding her entire life hostage over a few hundred dollars.”

Ms. Wilson froze, clearly unaware of the situation.

She opened her computer and searched for the post.

She found it almost immediately.

I sat across from her and watched her expression change little by little as she read.

About three minutes later, she removed her glasses and wiped the lenses with the edge of her sleeve.

“Ms. Caldwell, the total amount of your financial support over the past ten years…”

She checked the records in the system, then lowered her voice.

“$477,600.”

The office fell silent.

She put her glasses back on and looked at me.

“Ms. Caldwell, I can process the termination agreement for you. But before I do, there’s something I’d like to say.

“You’ve already done more than enough.

“Sometimes, the more you do for someone, the more they come to believe that you’re the one who owes them.”

I signed the agreement.

Just then, the conference room door opened from the outside.

Sophie stood in the doorway.

She was wearing a white dress, her hair styled in loose waves, with a carefully done face of makeup.

When she saw me, she froze for a moment before smiling.

“Eliana? What are you doing at my university?”

She walked into the conference room and placed the books in her hand on the table, carrying herself like she owned the place.

“What, did you finally come to your senses? Did you realize that getting on my bad side wasn’t worth it, so you came all the way here to make things right?”

She pulled out a chair, crossed her legs, and casually swung the tip of her shoe back and forth.

“Let me tell you, it’s useless.

“Once I make a decision, I never change my mind.

“I’ll pay you back tenfold for every dollar you’ve given me.

“And you don’t need to keep coming to the university to check on me. Our financial arrangement is already over.

“If you keep harassing me, I’ll call the police.”

The pen in Ms. Wilson’s hand stopped.

She looked up at Sophie, her brows knitting together.

“Sophie, Ms. Caldwell is here to formally terminate your financial support.”

Sophie’s smile froze for half a second.

Ms. Wilson continued.

“She has already signed the agreement. Starting next semester, you’ll be responsible for all your own tuition and living expenses.

“And there’s one more thing. Today is the payment deadline for your $100,000 clinical residency training fee.

“Ms. Caldwell has withdrawn his offer to cover that expense. You’ll have to find the money yourself.”