Free Broken Prince: A New Adult Romance Novel by Aubrey Rose Page B

eyes. No more of this. It would die down soon, he hoped.
    "Dr. Herceg?" The director waved him in. "Let's hear about this paper you've got."
    Flustered, Eliot stumbled through his explanation of the algorithm they'd been working on. He could see the director frown in places that were incomplete, and he struggled to justify their process.
    "The initial results are very promising," Eliot finished lamely, his voice belying the content of his words.
    "Initial results." The director took his eyeglasses off and wiped them on his shirt. "How long have you been working on this?"
    "These results have all been finalized in the last year," Eliot said. "We've finally finished the basic framework for this algorithm."
    "My daughter Csilla showed me the paper you have her writing up with a few other students. It was impressive, no doubt."
    "Yes," Eliot said, sighing in relief. "They've all done a wonderful job."
    "But," the director continued, "I had hoped that your work would end up being a bit more...substantial."
    "We're set up very well with this work," Eliot insisted, although he knew that his findings were lackluster. They hadn't solved the major problem, he knew. "We have the framework set up to begin working on the general solution."
    "Coming from you, Dr. Herceg," the director said, "I have to say, this is disappointing."
    Eliot's right eye twitched, the one near the scar. "We have a strong foundation—"
    "I understand that you've been having some...personal trouble. With the media."
    "If the Academy can do anything to help with that," Eliot pleaded. "Perhaps issuing a statement—"
    "We can't," the director said flatly. The look on his face told Eliot that there was no chance in arguing.
    "This is unacceptable," the director continued. He rubbed his nose, pinching it between his long fingers. "I don't know what's happened in the past ten years, Eliot. You used to produce such fine mathematics. Paper after paper of brilliant theorems. This—" he waved at the paper in front of him—"this is work I would expect from any junior professor."
    Eliot flushed. "I can do more—"
    "We've been under a lot of scrutiny," the director said. "And if you can't deliver results, it's not worth the risk we take to keep you on."
    "Risk?"
    "The Herceg name is not known fondly anymore in Budapest. Your brother being in the Assembly makes your position here look like nothing more than nepotism. Like your brother has something to do with you staying on, especially if this is the work we get from you after a year."
    "Is that true?" Eliot asked. His throat was tight.
    "What?"
    "Is my brother the reason I'm still here?"
    The director sighed and leaned forward.
    "Eliot," he said. "I knew you before Clare died. Before you left Hungary. You were...you were a genius."
    "But I've lost it." He had lost everything—his wife, his country. And, yes, if he was being honest with himself, his mathematical genius. Or perhaps not the genius—he hadn't lost his mathematical ability, the perspective that made him see the path towards the right answer so clearly. He'd just lost the spark of motivation that he used to be able to call upon to push past the inevitable frustrations that cropped up during the course of any major proof.
    "I didn't say that," the director said, leaning back. "We just need more from you if we're going to have such an...unpopular name working in our department. The board wants to get rid of you."
    "I'll do what I can," Eliot said.
    "I'd like to keep you on," the director said. "And this paper is a good start. But it's insufficient if you want reinstatement in the department. I've asked the board to meet with you next week about your findings. They'll be the ones to decide whether you should stay or not."
    "Thank you," Eliot said blankly. His mind was already turning, trying to figure out what had gone wrong. He stood and shook the director's hand limply before heading out the door.
    "Eliot?" the director said.
    "Hmm?" Eliot turned back to see