Chapter 285
They've supported each other their whole lives."
"That's impressive?" Sophia was surprised.
The couple seemed cultured.
She hadn't expected them to be MIT professors.
And studying astrophysics, no less.
"Why didn't they have children?"
Alexander took off his scarf and wrapped it around Sophia.
"Want to take a walk? Help the food settle?"
His movements were natural and fluid.
The light coffee-colored scarf felt soft.
It carried his body warmth and a faint woody scent.
Sophia had always wondered if he wore cologne.
But she never felt comfortable asking.
"Thank you, Professor. I forgot to bring my scarf…"
Actually, she had been lazy.
She thought she wouldn't need a scarf just to take out the trash.
Alexander saw through it but didn't comment.
"Professor Levi Grandelle had health issues and couldn't have children."
In that era, infertility was like a death sentence.
The Shaw Family pressured him to divorce.
Professor Grandelle, full of guilt, suggested breaking up.
Professor Zachary Rosedale firmly refused.
"I heard he published a notice in the newspaper cutting ties with his family. They didn't speak for twenty years. Later, his family gradually accepted it, and they reconnected."
But the relationship was already distant.
Professor Grandelle was an orphan.
Professor Rosedale became an orphan for her.
From then on, they only had each other.
Sophia was pensive. "Those were different times. Things moved slower. A lifetime was long enough to love just one person."
She looked into the distance.
Alexander looked at her.
You gaze at the scenery, yet you are the scenery.
Sophia exhaled a puff of white air. "Will it snow this year?"
Last year, there were only a few flurries.
The year before, when it snowed, she was busy arguing with Ethan Roscente.
She had missed the beautiful moment.
They walked for twenty minutes.
The walk definitely helped their digestion.
Alexander noticed her huffing warm air into her hands. "Let's head back."
"Okay."
Under the moonlight, they walked side by side back home.
…
Early the next morning.
A knocking sound woke Sophia.
"Sophia—"
It was Alexander's voice.
She sat up abruptly and opened the door.
"Professor? What's wrong?"
She thought something serious had happened.
Alexander paused. "Get dressed first. It's snowing."
Only then did Sophia realize she was still in her pajamas.
Even though they were long-sleeved and full-length, she felt slightly embarrassed.
"It's snowing? Really?"
"Look outside."
Sophia pulled back the curtains.
She pushed open the balcony door.
A cold wind hit her face.
A world of white greeted her eyes.
The eaves and tree branches were laden with pure white snow.
Snowflakes drifted down like feathers.
Like letters from heaven.
"It really is snowing—"
"It's so beautiful!"
Alexander chuckled from the doorway. "Go wash up. I'll wait for you downstairs."
"Okay—"
Sophia Sullivan hastily pulled on her down jacket.
Her scarf was tied haphazardly as she ran.
Children had already gathered downstairs to play in the snow.
This year's first snow arrived unexpectedly.
Everyone was thrilled.
Alexander Laurent stood beneath the snow-laden tree.
His gaze held an amused warmth as he watched her.
Sophia jogged closer.
Only then did she notice the round bucket at his feet.
It was filled with tools for playing in the snow.
There were seven or eight different types of snowball molds.
Small shovels and rakes were all there.
"These..." she blinked.
Alexander said softly, "I prepared them for you."
The tips of Sophia's ears turned pink. "Professor, I'm not a child anymore."
Five minutes later—
"Professor! Look at this little bear snowball!"
"This rabbit one is so realistic too!"
"The snow over there is whiter, help me shovel some over—"
She waved the snowball mold excitedly.
Passing neighbors glanced their way.
No one from the South could understand this obsession with snow.
Alexander let her boss him around.
A look of indulgent amusement never left his eyes.
...
In the lab, Professor Quincy Evans was frantic.
"Why isn't Alexander Laurent here yet?"
Dr. Simon Lowell whispered a reminder, "Professor Laurent took the day off."
"Off? Since when?"
"He sent an email last night... also said you're temporarily in charge of the lab."
Quincy stared at the erroneous data, his vision darkening.
Dr. Zoe Langley gazed out the window and sighed. "The snowscape at The Louvre must be stunning."
Simon chimed in, "The tickets are impossible to get."
"You want to take Lillian Lopez?"
"Yeah, I've been studying a bunch of photo tutorials."
Zoe looked at his earnest, grinning face and hesitated.
In the end, she just patted his shoulder.
...
Sophia was enjoying herself when a hand closed around her wrist.
Her gloves were soaked through.
Her fingertips were bright red from the cold.
Alexander confiscated all the tools.
"Time to go back."
Sophia trailed closely behind him.
"Can't I play a little longer, really?"
"Your boots are soaked."
She looked down and saw her boots were wet with melted snow.
She hadn't even noticed.
She obediently went home to change.
When she came out, Alexander was already waiting by the door.
"Shall we go see the snow at The Louvre?"
Sophia was stunned. "Now? But there are no tickets."
"Just follow me."
He led her through a side entrance.
The vision of red walls against white snow suddenly filled her view.
Sophia ran beneath the colonnade and turned back.
Snowflakes dusted his shoulders.
"Professor! Come over here—"
Alexander watched her joyful figure.
A line of poetry suddenly came to mind.
Standing together in the falling snow, sharing hair turned white.
He smiled and answered, "Okay."
...
They returned home in the evening.
Even after her shower, Sophia was still lost in the memory of the snowscape.
The image of his figure against the red wall was vivid in her mind.
...
All the paperwork was finalized.
Funding, site, and approvals were all in place.
The lab construction was officially on the agenda.
Sophia spent the entire day drawing up blueprints.
She listed detailed requirements.
Now, all that remained was selecting the right construction firm.
The three of them carefully deliberated over the list.
Since they were building it, it had to be the absolute best.