CHAPTER 30: CHAPTER 30: NOT QUITE ENOUGH

Sienna Thornton detected a slight change in Simon Forrester’s tone but chose to ignore it, smiling and saying, "You’re not here to see me? That’s great!"

She smiled openly, with dimples deeply set in her fair cheeks, looking sweet and adorable.

Simon Forrester felt inexplicably annoyed.

Perhaps it was because Thomas Reed came to his place to drink and babble; or maybe... it was because Thomas Reed not only came to see Sienna Thornton but also shamelessly expressed his desire to be with Sienna Thornton.

He wanted to move past this awkward feeling, compose himself, and instead asked coolly, "Still painting your nails?"

"Yes, continue."

The two quickly returned to their seats, and Simon Forrester continued to paint the remaining nails for Sienna Thornton.

The skin on Sienna’s feet was delicate and translucent, with blue and purple veins clearly visible on the instep. Her ten toes were cute and round, and her nails were neatly trimmed without a speck of dirt.

This gave Simon Forrester, who had a severe obsession with cleanliness, a sense of comfort, and he surprisingly didn’t mind helping her apply nail polish at all...

Not accustomed to physical contact with strangers, he was very careful, making sure the brush in his hand didn’t touch Sienna Thornton’s skin even slightly.

Seeing his meticulous and earnest demeanor, Sienna Thornton suddenly felt a bit awkward and was about to find an excuse to make him stop when she heard him casually ask, "How did you meet Thomas Reed?"

"When I was doing my postgraduate studies at Braden University, he was a ’International Economic Law’ professor."

The nail polish brush in Simon Forrester’s hand skillfully applied another stroke, "So he stopped teaching afterward, to help you get into the industry?"

"Not possible," Sienna explained, "When I was doing my PhD in the United States, he had already switched to a law firm in Massachusetts."

"You did your PhD in Massachusetts?" Simon Forrester looked up, slightly surprised, "MIT?"

"No."

Simon Forrester suppressed his surprise and didn’t ask further. He subconsciously thought that perhaps Sienna Thornton was pursuing her PhD at some unknown university in Massachusetts, which was why she didn’t mention her doctorate school.

Perhaps to give Sienna an out, he changed the topic, "Did you do your undergrad at Braden University as well?"

Sienna smiled lightly, "HKU."

"University of Azure Harbor?"

"Yes."

"Why go all the way to Azure Harbor for university?"

"It’s free!" Seeing the five nails on her left foot were done, Sienna nudged Simon Forrester’s shoulder, "Alright, get up, I need to blow it dry."

Simon Forrester sat back properly, but his gaze remained interestedly on Sienna Thornton.

Sienna blew her left toenails half-dry, shifted her body inward, and then lifted her right foot.

"What are you daydreaming about? Continue!" She nudged Simon Forrester’s arm.

Simon Forrester lowered his head again to help paint the nails on her other foot. As he applied the first stroke, he asked, "Did the University of Azure Harbor give you a full scholarship?"

"Yes, tuition was free, and they gave over four thousand dollars a year for living expenses, averaging about four hundred a month."

"Is four hundred enough?"

"Not really."

Sienna Thornton didn’t elaborate.

Simon Forrester, still helping her carefully paint her nails, remained silent.

From what he knew, getting a full scholarship from HKU was incredibly difficult, and even top students from cities and provinces might not secure it. Sienna Thornton was likely a first prize winner in a national engineering competition.

Simon Forrester assumed that her family was well-off; if not wealthy, at least middle-class, giving her the means to pursue a PhD in the United States.

But then, Sienna Thornton’s words completely overturned his assumptions.

"I exchanged shares of the guesthouse for your design not because I’m stingy, but because I’m really poor. During all these years of study, I’ve lived very frugally, especially during the two years of my PhD in the U.S., because Harvard only gave me a partial scholarship, so I had to cover the living expenses myself."

Harvard...

Simon Forrester chuckled at himself.

How could he have been so prejudiced to exclude Sienna Thornton from attending Harvard, just because she wasn’t from MIT in Massachusetts?

As he closed the nail polish bottle, he looked up at Sienna Thornton, his gaze focused and sharp, as if trying to see through all the secrets she concealed: "Because Harvard didn’t give you a full scholarship, Thomas Reed sent you money every month?"