Love Burned, She Rose Unscathed novel Chapter 811

Carlson gave her a slight nod.

Mamie quickly chimed in, “Welcome.”

“I have one more thing…” Carlson began.

Roseanne cut in, “It’s about Arkle, isn’t it?”

He jerked his head up, startled. “How did you know?!”

Roseanne offered a faint smile. “I also know that if Sybil hadn’t dropped his name from the project roster, you probably would have kept swallowing your anger for a bit longer—and maybe wouldn’t have blown up and reported Edna so suddenly.”

Carlson’s gaze dropped. “It’s not easy for Arkle… For kids like us, coming from the middle of nowhere, it’s never easy. I’ve already let myself become Edna’s pawn; I just don’t want Arkle to follow in my footsteps.”

“Even though he hasn’t found a new advisor yet and no one’s agreed to take him, he’s been worrying about whether I’ll graduate, running around, sending dozens of emails to those professors on my behalf.”

“I know I’m asking a lot, but… could you talk to Ms. Payne about taking Arkle as well?”

Roseanne reassured him, “Don’t worry. Before I came, Ms. Payne already said Arkle could transfer too. Isn’t she his role model? Now he’ll get to be her student for real.”

Carlson’s relief was so genuine it outshone even his joy at being accepted by Ms. Payne himself. “That’s incredible! That blockhead will be grinning in his sleep for weeks!”

“But there’s one thing I need to make clear—and please pass this along to Arkle. Right now, he’s not quite ready to join the Boundless Lab. But if he works hard and meets the requirements in the future, the door will always be open.”

Carlson nodded earnestly. “I understand. He will too. Neither of us will hold any grudges.”

“Glad to hear it.”

Roseanne offered her hand. “Well then, here’s to working together. For science, for discovery, for our dreams—let’s give it everything we’ve got!”

Carlson’s spirits soared. “Absolutely.”

***

The next day at noon, Madeleine landed in Lumina City. She didn’t even stop by her place—she went straight to campus.

Mamie’s eyes widened. “Wait—are you saying Murray Sherwood pulled strings for her?”

“What else? Whether it’s a mark or just a warning isn’t the point. What really matters is whether it goes on your permanent record.”

“So Slater’s mistake is on file, but Grace’s isn’t?”

“If it wasn’t in the official statement, it’s not on her record.”

Mamie let out a low whistle. “Wow, Grace really knows how to play her cards! And what’s with Murray, anyway? He broke up with Roseanne, then immediately started dating someone from her circle. That’s not exactly the move of someone hoping to patch things up—if anything, he’s pushing Roseanne even further away!”

Scales spread his hands. “Who knows what’s going on in his head? Maybe he thinks hanging around Roseanne will wear down her defenses, and she’ll forgive him. Maybe he thinks she’ll agree to get back together.”

Caley couldn’t help but chuckle. “You know, that might actually be it.”

Mamie gave them both a look. “Do all guys think this way, or is it just you two?”