Chapter 337: Clara's Hand Froze Midair

Clara's hand froze midair as she pushed open the door.

The crisp sound of chess pieces landing on the board echoed from the living room.

She blinked, wondering if she was hallucinating.

Elias's slender fingers held a red rook, placing it decisively on the chessboard.

"Checkmate." A faint smile played on his lips.

Daniel slapped his knee with a booming laugh. "Brilliant move!"

Clara's purse hit the floor with a thud.

Both men turned simultaneously.

"Clara's home?" Daniel's eyes lit up.

Elias stood, his white shirt sleeves rolled to the elbows, revealing well-defined forearms.

"Surprised?" Amusement danced in his eyes.

Clara mechanically bent to retrieve her purse.

"Professor, how did you—"

"Let me explain!" Daniel interrupted excitedly. "We met in the elevator this morning when I was grocery shopping!"

Turned out Elias had come to the neighborhood to collect experimental data.

Their conversation had flowed effortlessly from quantum mechanics to balcony potted plants.

"Elias even knows how to prune hydrangeas!" Daniel said admiringly.

Elias shook his head modestly. "Just basic knowledge."

The dynamic shifted completely when physics entered the discussion.

Daniel mentioned recent research findings not yet published in academic journals.

Elias's eyes flickered with interest. "You follow arXiv preprints?"

"Just bedtime reading." Daniel waved it off casually.

Suddenly remembering something, Elias pulled out the famous calendar notebook from his briefcase.

His finger paused on a particular page.

"This is..."

Daniel peered closer and chuckled. "That's my conjecture from twenty years ago!"

Beside the densely packed formulas, Daniel's signature stood out clearly.

Clara leaned in, eyes widening.

"Dad, you never told me about this!"

"Ancient history." Daniel dismissed it with a hand wave. "Professor Kent insisted I document it back then. Who knew it would survive this long?"

Elias studied the handwriting intently.

Those predictions, twenty years ahead of their time, were now coming true one by one.

He looked up at Clara and suddenly smiled.

"Now I know where your talent comes from."

Sunlight filtered through the sheer curtains, casting warm pools of light between the three figures.