Chapter 44: The Lawsuit and the Arrival

Before Louis's arrival, Mary was taken to MIT in Boston by Evelyn, who had secured visitation rights.

Here, Mary laid eyes on the seven Millennium Prize Problems, alongside the display of the sole mathematician who had successfully proven one of them—Grigori Perelman.

"You know, your mother was just a hair's breadth away from solving one of them—a mathematical problem of profound significance to physics."

Even Mom couldn't solve it?

Looking blankly at the seven vertical display stands, Mary uttered words that brought a smile to Evelyn's face.

"Maybe I can have my work displayed here in the future, too."

"Of course, my child."

Especially now that I have acquired that peculiar resource that saves geniuses so much time. Trust me, Mary, Grandma will lead you to the pinnacle and leave your name etched in history.

A smile played at the corners of Evelyn's lips.

Soon enough, the two met their target for the trip: MIT doctoral candidate Seymour Shankland.

Indeed, this was actually a test orchestrated by Evelyn, who wished to enroll Mary in MIT.

And now, Mary had overachieved. Not only had she solved the problem, but she had even pointed out the error within it.

When Seymour asked why she hadn't pointed out his mistake beforehand, Mary replied:

"Frank said you shouldn't point out your elders' mistakes casually; nobody likes a smart-aleck."

Her remark drew chuckles from everyone present.

Mary remained clueless, completely failing to understand what they were laughing at.

"Well, Evelyn, Mary is truly a genius. I can vouch for her admission to MIT."

...

Five days passed in a flash.

In the courtroom, to everyone's utter astonishment, Evelyn had actually summoned Mary's biological father—a man named Pollard—who naturally deferred his custody nomination to Evelyn.

Both sides engaged in a fierce war of words.

It had to be said that although Frank lacked the funds to hire a high-priced attorney, the Black lawyer he found was quite capable. He struck precisely at the weak points, leaving the opposition speechless and even dishing out a heavy dose of sarcasm.

"Just look at this computer; you can find him simply by searching his name. Not to mention you live in the same city—have you genuinely made any effort to look for Mary over the past seven years?"

"Oh, America is so vast, it's impossible for me to search every corner of it~"

"Heh, what an absolute joke."

Meanwhile, Louis was on his way and had placed a call to Mary.

At that moment, Mary was with a representative from the Child Welfare Association, which needed to assess the child's wishes and living conditions.

Mary answered the phone, bubbling with excitement.

"Louis? You're arriving soon? That's wonderful!"

The welfare officer couldn't help smiling at Mary's exuberant expression.

Her smile, however, didn't last long.

"What? You only have one friend here, and she's not even your peer—she's a Black female neighbor in her thirties?"

"What? You were kidnapped in the past? The other three friends of yours you met right there, and the Louis you mentioned just now was one of them?"

"What? You also watch UFC fights with your uncle every Saturday and mimic the fighting?"

With every sentence she heard, the officer's face darkened a shade further.

Before long, the officer left with her paperwork, while Mary sneaked out of the room and glanced toward the courtroom, where the legal battle was growing increasingly intense.

One side denounced Evelyn for failing to care for her offspring, while the other accused Frank of acting out of jealousy.

Perhaps lawyers were master orators much of the time, seizing every opportunity to heavily manipulate emotions while steering the presiding judge's perspective in their favor.

Both sides were executing this strategy remarkably well.

Yet no one noticed a small head in the back, shedding tears as she watched Pollard.

Right then—

*Click.*

The courtroom doors swung open.

Louis walked in.

Everyone was stunned. How did a small child just wander in? Did he go to the wrong room? Where were the security guards?

Although Florida law permitted public spectators in courtrooms, Louis's young age immediately led everyone to assume he had strayed in by mistake.

"Hello everyone, I'm a friend of Mary's. I heard she was caught up in a bit of trouble, so I came to check on her. Please forgive the intrusion."

Right behind Louis, his driver and bodyguard made a timely appearance.

Without paying any further attention to the assembly, Louis walked straight toward the corner where a weeping Mary stood, gazing blankly as he approached.

"Hey, Mary, why are you crying again? Is someone bullying you?"

"Louis, I—I—if I were a father, I would definitely go see my daughter. But I never saw my dad; I thought he was gone. Yet he's here, he's even in the same city as me. He wouldn't even need to make a phone call—he could find me just by following Frank. But he didn't..."

Mary buried her face in Louis's arms, sobbing out her grievances.

Louis roughly pieced together what had happened and cast a sideways glance at Pollard.

Across the courtroom, seeing Mary in tears, Frank desperately tried to push forward, only to be blocked by the security guards.

He only began to calm down once he saw Louis comforting Mary and halting her tears, though he continued to glare with bitter resentment at Pollard—that deadbeat father!

At this moment, Louis's driver approached the judge and exchanged a few words. The judge's expression shifted, and he nodded. "Ahem, let us proceed."

At that juncture, Frank's attorney began attacking Evelyn for her inability to care for a child, arguing she was unfit to be a guardian. He pointed out that Mary had no childhood, no playtime, no friends, and a pitifully sparse social life, and that Evelyn had once run away with her first love, only to be accused of kidnapping...

Evelyn immediately retorted, "Diane is no ordinary person. We must acknowledge the difference between ordinary people and geniuses. Forcing a genius to live like an ordinary person will only lead them to depression and agony, and furthermore, it is a loss to human civilization!"

"I am guiding my child toward a magnificent future, not squandering her talent!"

"Mary is a genius as well. Are we expected to let her squander her talent and suppress herself just to be like an ordinary child?"

"No! Only by staying with me can Mary walk the correct path!"

Louis, standing in the distant corner, couldn't help frowning. It seemed that even in this so-called land of freedom, there was no shortage of people eager to dictate the lives of their own children!

How immensely tyrannical!

In America—or rather, within human society at large—the distinction between geniuses and ordinary people was practically a consensus, and America's Child Welfare Association placed immense emphasis on a child's immediate environment and conditions.

At that moment, the welfare officer approached the judge, handed over her documents, and stated her recommendation: "Your Honor, I believe neither party is suitable to act as Mary's guardian. Perhaps we should find a foster family for this child."

At last, the court session was temporarily adjourned.

Pollard hurried toward the exit, showing not the slightest intention of seeing Mary.

Frank rushed over to Mary, pulled her into an embrace, his eye rims burning red.

At this signal, Louis made a subtle gesture. The driver nodded and swiftly walked outside.

Since he had decided to meddle in this affair, he would see it through to the very end.