Claimed By The Alpha Billionaire のすべてのチャプター: チャプター 121 - チャプター 130

CHAPTER 121 – KAIKai noticed the change before Lena said anything.She had become quieter.Not unhappy.Not distant.Simply occupied by a thought that seemed to keep returning no matter what else she was doing.She sat at the dining table that evening with her notebook open, but she wasn't writing.Her pen rested between her fingers.Kai watched her for a moment from across the room.“What are you thinking about?”Lena looked up.“My mentor.”“What about her?”“She wants to meet next week.”“You mentioned that.”“I know.”She looked back at the notebook.“She said the research could become a larger community-based study.”Kai waited.Lena tapped the pen against the page.“I don't know if I'm ready for that.”“Why?”“Because it's different when you're doing an assignment and when someone tells you the idea could actually become something.”Kai understood that distinction.An assignment could be completed.A possibility demanded a choice.“What would you want if you knew you couldn't f

CHAPTER 123 – KAIKai noticed Lena was quiet before she said anything.Not unhappy.Not distracted.Just thinking.She sat across from him at the dining table with her laptop open, one hand resting beside a page covered in handwritten notes. Her coffee had gone untouched long enough for him to know she had forgotten it was there.He glanced at the clock.“You’re going to let that get cold.”Lena looked at the cup.“It already did.”Kai almost smiled.“That wasn’t the point.”“I know.”She closed the laptop halfway.“Today is the meeting with my mentor.”“I remember.”“You remember everything.”“Occupational hazard.”She gave him a look.“You're not allowed to turn everything into work.”“I wasn't.”“You were about to.”Kai leaned back.“Fair.”For a moment, neither of them spoke.He had learned that Lena's silence did not always need filling. Months ago, he would have interpreted it as a problem that required solving. Now he simply waited.Eventually, she looked at him.“I think she's

CHAPTER 125 – LENALena spent most of the morning staring at a blank page.Not because she had nothing to write.Because she had too much.Her mentor had asked her to prepare a preliminary outline for the community-based study, and Lena had discovered that turning an idea into a research plan was much harder than having the idea itself.She had written three different versions of the research question.Crossed out two.Reworded another.Then deleted the entire paragraph.She leaned back in her chair and rubbed her forehead.The problem was not the subject.She knew what interested her.She wanted to understand why opportunities that were technically available could still feel impossible to the people who needed them most.But the more she thought about it, the more complicated it became.Transportation could be a barrier.Money could be a barrier.Information could be a barrier.Confidence could be a barrier.But sometimes none of those things existed alone.A person could have enough

CHAPTER 127 – LENALena arrived at the university with a folder tucked beneath her arm and a list of questions she had rewritten twice.She had learned something about research over the past few weeks.The hardest part wasn't finding questions.It was deciding which ones deserved to be asked first.She entered the department office and found her mentor already seated at the conference table.A few papers were arranged in front of her.“Good morning.”“Good morning.”Lena took the chair opposite her.Her mentor glanced at the folder.“You came prepared.”“I tried.”“That usually means you have too much.”Lena smiled.“Probably.”She opened the folder.“I narrowed the study.”Her mentor looked interested.“Tell me.”Lena took a breath.“I want to focus on young adults who have access to education or employment opportunities through community organizations, but don't always pursue them.”“Why that group?”“Because I don't want to study people who have no opportunities at all.”Her mentor

CHAPTER 129 – LENALena stood outside the community center with her notebook pressed against her chest.She had come early.Not because anyone had asked her to.Because she wanted to see the place differently.For months, she had walked through these doors knowing exactly what needed to be done. Applications needed reviewing. Volunteers needed direction. People needed information.Today, she was there with a different purpose.To observe.To listen.To notice what she had once been too busy to see.She entered quietly.The reception area was already active.A young man stood near the information board, staring at several printed notices.A volunteer approached him.“Can I help you find something?”“I don't know.”The volunteer smiled.“That's okay. What are you looking for?”The young man hesitated.“Work, I guess.”Lena stopped a few feet away.She didn't intervene.The volunteer asked a few questions and guided him toward the employment resources.Lena watched the exchange.Nothing