Divorced, But Queen - Chapter 176: Chapter 176
You are reading Divorced, But Queen, Chapter 176: Chapter 176. Read more chapters of Divorced, But Queen.
On the day of the exam, Derek was up at five. He got himself ready and went downstairs for breakfast.
Gloria barely looked at him, her expression unchanged as she turned and said, "Zoe, Lennox's exam venue is near the military hospital. I'll just drop him off on my way."
Zoe smiled, peeling an egg and placing it in her son's bowl. "Derek has an exam today too."
"He's just going for the experience. The driver will take him," Gloria replied coolly.
"Thanks, Mom." Lennox flashed a polite smile and, glancing at Derek, added, "Hey Derek, I heard Aria's going to be a lecturer at Mandino University. You're pretty close with her, aren't you? She'll probably look out for you, so try not to stress too much. Even if your scores aren't high enough, I bet they'll make an exception."
Derek smirked. "Oh, so there's a backdoor option. Thanks for the tip."
Gloria's tone turned frosty. "The Fletcher family does not tolerate favoritism or cheating. After your exam, you'll go straight to the company and start from the bottom. Why insist on pharmaceutical analysis? If you'd just study computer science like Lennox, you wouldn't be in this mess."
Derek had grown used to his mother's constant criticism.
Computer science was his first choice, but his score was right on the cutoff, so he'd been assigned to pharmaceutical analysis instead.
There were many disciplines involved, and honestly, he found it interesting, so he wasn't in a hurry to transfer; he figured he'd try the exams first.
Lennox chuckled. "Derek missed the computer science mark by more than ten points, so he had to settle for pharma analysis."
Four years ago, Mandino University's computer science program was ranked number one in the country, drawing in hordes of applicants and driving the entry bar sky-high.
Now, Kanit University had caught up, the two schools neck-and-neck.
Deangelo Reed, a legend in the software world, had retired at fifty and returned to Huthailia.
Kanit University immediately offered him a PhD advisory post.
That was why Lennox had chosen Kanit for computer science. Plus, Gloria knew Deangelo.
"Deangelo values skill above all else," Gloria said. "You've won plenty of awards in college, so you'll catch his eye for sure. Work hard—if there's a chance, I'll introduce you to him."
Lennox's eyes lit up. "Thank you, Gloria! I'll do my best—I won't let you down."
Derek was used to being overlooked, so he didn't feel a thing.
His phone buzzed; he smirked and answered.
"I'm here. Come out," came the terse voice on the other end, and the call ended.
But in that moment, Derek felt a warmth in his chest.
Gloria had recognized Aria's voice and looked surprised. "Aria's giving you a ride to the exam?"
Derek nodded. "Yeah."
Zoe frowned slightly, pretending not to care. "If she's at the door, why not come in and say hello?"
Derek, halfway to the door, stopped and gave a small, amused laugh. "Why should she? You're not family to her."
He ignored the flash of annoyance on the three faces behind him and strode out the door.
Gloria wasn't really offended by his words—she knew even she wasn't qualified to demand Aria's greetings; it was just his tone that irked her.
Zoe's expression stiffened. "Ever since Derek got close to Aria, he's become so much more rebellious."
"He's always been this way. He used to drive his grandpa crazy—it has nothing to do with Aria," Gloria said with a sigh.
Zoe was left speechless.
Lennox stood up. "I'm done eating too, Mom. You should stay home and rest. I'll ride with Gloria, then head to the military hospital after the exam."
Since Lennox spoke, Zoe didn't argue. "Alright."
Outside, seeing Aria by the car, Derek walked over, light on his feet. "Aria!"
Gloria barely looked at him, her expression unchanged as she turned and said, "Zoe, Lennox's exam venue is near the military hospital. I'll just drop him off on my way."
Zoe smiled, peeling an egg and placing it in her son's bowl. "Derek has an exam today too."
"He's just going for the experience. The driver will take him," Gloria replied coolly.
"Thanks, Mom." Lennox flashed a polite smile and, glancing at Derek, added, "Hey Derek, I heard Aria's going to be a lecturer at Mandino University. You're pretty close with her, aren't you? She'll probably look out for you, so try not to stress too much. Even if your scores aren't high enough, I bet they'll make an exception."
Derek smirked. "Oh, so there's a backdoor option. Thanks for the tip."
Gloria's tone turned frosty. "The Fletcher family does not tolerate favoritism or cheating. After your exam, you'll go straight to the company and start from the bottom. Why insist on pharmaceutical analysis? If you'd just study computer science like Lennox, you wouldn't be in this mess."
Derek had grown used to his mother's constant criticism.
Computer science was his first choice, but his score was right on the cutoff, so he'd been assigned to pharmaceutical analysis instead.
There were many disciplines involved, and honestly, he found it interesting, so he wasn't in a hurry to transfer; he figured he'd try the exams first.
Lennox chuckled. "Derek missed the computer science mark by more than ten points, so he had to settle for pharma analysis."
Four years ago, Mandino University's computer science program was ranked number one in the country, drawing in hordes of applicants and driving the entry bar sky-high.
Now, Kanit University had caught up, the two schools neck-and-neck.
Deangelo Reed, a legend in the software world, had retired at fifty and returned to Huthailia.
Kanit University immediately offered him a PhD advisory post.
That was why Lennox had chosen Kanit for computer science. Plus, Gloria knew Deangelo.
"Deangelo values skill above all else," Gloria said. "You've won plenty of awards in college, so you'll catch his eye for sure. Work hard—if there's a chance, I'll introduce you to him."
Lennox's eyes lit up. "Thank you, Gloria! I'll do my best—I won't let you down."
Derek was used to being overlooked, so he didn't feel a thing.
His phone buzzed; he smirked and answered.
"I'm here. Come out," came the terse voice on the other end, and the call ended.
But in that moment, Derek felt a warmth in his chest.
Gloria had recognized Aria's voice and looked surprised. "Aria's giving you a ride to the exam?"
Derek nodded. "Yeah."
Zoe frowned slightly, pretending not to care. "If she's at the door, why not come in and say hello?"
Derek, halfway to the door, stopped and gave a small, amused laugh. "Why should she? You're not family to her."
He ignored the flash of annoyance on the three faces behind him and strode out the door.
Gloria wasn't really offended by his words—she knew even she wasn't qualified to demand Aria's greetings; it was just his tone that irked her.
Zoe's expression stiffened. "Ever since Derek got close to Aria, he's become so much more rebellious."
"He's always been this way. He used to drive his grandpa crazy—it has nothing to do with Aria," Gloria said with a sigh.
Zoe was left speechless.
Lennox stood up. "I'm done eating too, Mom. You should stay home and rest. I'll ride with Gloria, then head to the military hospital after the exam."
Since Lennox spoke, Zoe didn't argue. "Alright."
Outside, seeing Aria by the car, Derek walked over, light on his feet. "Aria!"
End of Divorced, But Queen Chapter 176. Continue reading Chapter 177 or return to Divorced, But Queen book page.