Chapter 32 On the weekend , Hector swung by Sullivan Mansion to pick up Teresa , and they attended a lecture at the medical school together . They showed up five minutes early , but the best seats were already taken , so they ended up sitting in the very front row . Teresa wasn't one of Cedric's students . She couldn't help feeling a little guilty and nervous . As soon as Hector walked in , folks near him waved and said hi to him . Some of them looked curious about Teresa , but Hector just gave a small smile , not bothering to explain . idn't like Cedric was old and didn't like noises , especially when class was about to start . Hector did want to reply , but he just didn't want to cause a stir . In Cedric's class , even Hector had to play by the rules . When the clock hit the hour , Cedric walked in - cup in hand , a stack of files tucked under his arm . He wore a jacket , with glasses perched on his nose . He had a very different teaching style - no slides or textbook reading . He set the attendance sheet down on the podium , pushed his glasses up , and slowly scanned the room . His eyes landed on Hector , and then on Teresa sitting next to him . Cedric was about to ask something when a soft voice came from the door . " Excused me , Professor Judd . " Every head in the room turned toward Naomi , standing at the door . She was late - Cedric's least favorite thing . Cedric stared at Naomi for a moment , clearly not planning to let her in , or trying to waste words scolding her . His rules had been laid out the very first day , and he wasn't about to repeat himself . But then , Charles appeared behind her , his hands shoved in his pockets , looking relaxed , except for that quiet , unspoken pressure in his gaze . Cedric could ignore Naomi , but he couldn't do the same to Charles . The medical school owed a lot to Cedric for teaching , but it was Charles's money that kept the labs running . Still , seeing Charles step in to cover for Naomi put Cedric in a mood . But for the school's sake , Cedric swallowed it and said , " Come in . " Naomi gave a polite nod , smiling , " Thanks , Professor Judd . " Then she reached back , grabbed Charles's hand , and walked in with him . The back row was full - only the front seats were left . Naomi spotted Hector and headed straight over , but when she noticed Teresa sitting there , she froze for a beat , her eyes full of surprise and confusion . Charles saw Teresa too , and right next to Hector Jason's words popped into Charles's head . Could Teresa really be cheating ? Charles thought . But before he could stew on it . Naomi tugged on his sleeve and whispered , " Hey , sit down . " Charles glanced up at Cedric , noticed the sour look on his face , and finally took a seat . Cedric was still annoyed However , had no choice but to move on with the lecture . Finally . Nauji sat next to Heater , while Teresa and Chales ended up on either side . Teresa didn't care about Charles or acut She was focused on Cedric's lecture , jotting down notes from time to time P P. Chapter 32 She figured maybe she wouldn't need this stuff , but learning more never hurt . Hector and Naomi weren't exactly close , and ever since he found out Charles was Teresa's husband , Hector had grown some aversion to Naomi . So when Naomi sat down beside Hector , he didn't even bother with a smile . Under the desk , Charles was on his phone assigning work to his men . Naomi , however , was paying attention to class . Teresa's gaze followed Cedric as he moved around the room . When Cedric stopped by Charles's side , Teresa accidentally caught sight of Charles . She scoffed inwardly , ' See ? He's not actually so busy as he always said . He even got time to attend the lecture with Naomi . Work was just his excuse . She let out a bitter smile and went back to her notes . Near the end of the lecture , Cedric took a sip of water , then scanned the students below the podium . He said , " Next , I'm gonna call on someone to answer this . If a patient has both a surgical contraindication , like severe clotting issues , and a life - threatening acute abdomen , how should we build a risk stratification model ? Give me a decision process for different situations . You've got three minutes to talk it over . " As soon as he finished , the whole room lit up with chatter . Charles wasn't a medical student , so Naomi instantly turned to Hector . " Hector , let's work on it together ." Hector didn't even look at her . He just turned toward Teresa and started discussing with her instead . Naomi froze for a beat , her smile fading right from her face . Teresa caught the scene . Seeing Hector stick with her and refuse Naomi made Teresa feel genuinely grateful . When it came to relationships , it would take two to tango , but Naomi was far from innocent . She became a homewrecker even when she knew Charles had a wife and daughter . Thus , Teresa never saw Naomi as a good person . So during the whole three - minute discussion , Naomi was the only one without a partner . Picking up on her discomfort right away , Charles leaned closer and asked , " Wanna leave now ? " Naomi shook her head , her eyes already shimmering with tears . Under the table , Charles took Naomi's hand and gave it a small pat , like he was saying " It's no big deal " . Just then , Cedric tapped the table to signal time was up . The students stopped discussing , and the room instantly went quiet . Cedric's gaze scanned the room before finally landing on Teresa . He spoke up , " I don't remember seeing you before . Why don't you try this question ? " The second she saw Cedric point his finger toward her , Teresa felt her stomach drop . She hadn't even gone to grad school , and here she was in a PhD - level class . Of course she was nervous , But Cedric's commanding presence left no room for hesitation , so Teresa finally pushed herself to her feet " What's your name ? " Cedric asked Teresa was to nervous that her palins were sweating She slammered Tm . Intera Cedric frowned and tipped through the attendance . " No Teresa out the sheet lectus spoke up . " Professur Judd i brought Teresa here . Sla's a big fan of yours . She's been wanting to hear one of your textures forever " P P . Chapter 32 Cedric shut the sheet with a snap and shot Hector a look , his tone edged with annoyance . " I never said you could just bring whoever you want to my lectures . " He wasn't just talking to Hector - he was taking a dig at Naomi too . He hated to see outsiders show up at his lectures . Hector knew Cedric was angry , so he kept quiet . Teresa knew she broke the rules , but this was such a good learning opportunity for her . Thus , she took a breath and dove into her answer on Cedric's question . Her answer was detailed - covering almost every possibility , weighing different types of acute abdomen against various risk levels , and matching each to the right approach . Cedric's face was ice - cold , but as she went on , a smile crept back in . Hector caught the change on Cedric's face and flashed Teressa a thumbs - up under the desk . When she finished , the room broke out in applause . Naomi didn't clap . She just stared at Teresa , stunned . Some of the points Teresa brought up hadn't even crossed Naomi's mind , yet Teresa had nailed them . Charles was just as surprised to find that Teresa actually excelled in her professional field . For the first time , he thought she looked radiant . Charles wasn't a professional in medicine , but her reasoning was so clear that he could follow it . And the spark of approval in Cedric's eyes confirmed that she crushed it .. When the clapping died down , Cedric gave her an approving nod before motioning her back to her seat . 0