Noah walked us toward our seats without even acknowledging them.
But Adrian stood up suddenly.
“Noah.”
My son stopped politely.
Adrian forced a smile.
“You look… good.”
Noah nodded once.
“Thank you.”
“That’s quite an achievement,” Adrian added awkwardly.
“Princeton’s impressive.”
Noah smiled faintly.
“So I’ve heard.”
The silence became painful immediately.
Then Tyler snorted loudly from his chair.
“All this for some nerd school.”
Brianna laughed nervously.
Adrian joined in automatically.
And just like that—
The moment shattered.
Noah simply looked at them calmly.
Then turned away.
But before we could continue walking, a university administrator hurried toward us.
“Excuse me,” she said brightly.
“You must be Noah Cole.”
Noah nodded.
The woman beamed.
“The board chair and keynote donor requested you sit in the front row with the honorees and their families.”
I blinked.
“The donor?”
“Yes,” she smiled.
“He specifically asked to meet Noah and his mother personally after the ceremony.”
Adrian’s posture changed instantly.
Money.
Influence.
Status.
