Chemistry Of Lust

BONUS CHAPTER

*CHARLOTTE'S POV**2 YEARS LATER*

Today's the day I have been dreading but also waiting for. The day I present the project I have been working for since the day I came to Milan. 2 years worth of work, sleepless nights, hundreds of Euros worth of coffee, and a billion gallons of tears of frustration later, I am finally here.

I don't know what made my professor choose me for this. He liked my work the very first time I spoke in his class. Since then, he has been helping me to get everything done. For the past year, we have been having breakfast, lunch and dinner together. I even asked him why he chose me and his reply was astonishing to me. He said I remind him of his college days and that I have a lot of potential. He never had enough help to conquer what he wanted, so he's helping me so that I don't become a 'wasted potential' as he called it. But I don't think I am anywhere near him. He just seems so perfect and ideal and so very smart. He is not very old, but actually very young, merely 7 years older than me.

There even was a time when I felt like we were getting closer and not like a student and a teacher usually do but just before one of us could take a step further, I was reminded of a certain blue eyed 6 foot 5 something, coffee brown haired boy who stole my heart two years ago and ran away with it. No Charlotte, not today. Today can't be ruined by someone who isn't yours anymore. Just before I can let my thoughts spiral me into nervousness, my name is being called up on by the host. I wipe my sweaty palms on my skirt for the last time as I turn around to find Mr. Moretti, the infamous professor. He flashes me his brilliant Italian smile, giving me two thumbs up. I nod my head before turning to the stage again. I take one deep breath before finally walking onto the stage as the host finishes, "Ms. Charlotte Jones". As soon as I walk out, people start applauding. I set the microphone properly near my mouth and check its volume for the thousandth time and it's still the level it should be at. There are about 2000 pairs of eyes staring back at me but I am not as intimidated as I thought I would be, all thanks to Mr. Moretti.

I start before I can chicken out. "Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. I know this isn't just any ordinary college fest. We have the country's greatest families attending today who flew hundreds of miles taking time out of their busy schedules but I still won't glorify and make fake promises or make up stories about how great or majestic our college is. The facts don't need explanation. So, I'm here to talk to you all about something we all are very much interested in; namely science for us, students and professors and business for our prestige guests. If we look closely at the stats," I turn around gesturing with my hand toward the projector which displays the graphs and stats before continuing, "In the past few years science and business individually have contributed majorly to the country's development be it economically, socially or educationally. We as college students don't try to look too deep into what we're studying. We just see our books as books that we need to study to pass a semester and well you business people don't have the time to look into the science of things. We are naively letting two of our best resources go to waste. And for Italians and people like me living in Italy, that is such a shame. I am not here to throw fancy words but just to make everyone aware of the power we could hold and do so much for the country as a whole. I have few plans on how we can make use of our resources."

I stop before looking at the beautiful women and handsome men sitting in the front row who look very intrigued. Good."If I have your permission should I enlighten you all with a few of them?" The people start chattering among themselves while I wait for them to come to a conclusion.

The grey haired intimidating man at the center gestures for me to continue. Content with myself, I start again with a smile on my face. "So, basically, I just wanted to let you people have personal sessions and discussions with any students of our college that you think have the potential to bring a change. There are no specifications at what you want them to be good at. It can be anything starting from arts and science to music and dance. All you need to do is invest in who you believe and let them bring light to your already thriving businesses. Our advertising committee could come up with creative ways to let the people know about our program, opening the investment schemes for them too." I open the button to my pant suit coat to seem more critical, one of the tricks Mr. Moretti taught me over the course of last two years.