Skip to content
Novel Catalog
Chapter 9
Everyone stood frozen as Ivor approached Bonnie and held the umbrella over her head with practiced ease. His presence was commanding, yet calm.
“Ready to go?” he asked, his tone soft but certain.
Bonnie nodded, glancing up at the students who were still in shock.
What the hell?
The students couldn’t believe their eyes. A man like Ivor—impossibly handsome and obviously wealthy—was here to pick up Bonnie Shepard, the same girl they’d mocked earlier that day. They watched, their jaws dropping even further as Bonnie and Ivor got into the Maybach parked by the curb.
“That’s a limited-edition Maybach!” one student whispered, clearly in awe. “That car costs a bomb! You might not even be able to get your hands on one, even if you could afford it!”
Everyone’s gaze shifted to Dwayne’s flashy sports car. The contrast was striking. The Maybach was in an entirely different league.
Inside the car, Bonnie sat back and thanked Ivor politely. “Thanks for the ride.”
Ivor glanced at her, his expression impassive. “Don’t thank me. It was my grandpa’s idea to pick you up.”
Bonnie chuckled softly. “But Sigmund didn’t ask you to get out of the car and hold an umbrella for me, did he?”
Ivor’s lips twitched slightly as if fighting back a smile. “He’d be upset if I hadn’t done that. We’ll be engaged soon, so you’ll be part of the Knight family. We can’t let anyone disrespect you.”
Bonnie raised an eyebrow at him. “Well, I still need to thank you.”
Ivor glanced at her again, his tone suddenly serious. “If you want to thank me, just promise me one thing.”
“What?” Bonnie asked, curious.
“Don’t get any funny ideas after we get engaged,” he said, his voice taking on a slightly more guarded edge.
Bonnie couldn’t help but laugh. “I told you, you’re not my type. I wouldn’t even look at you if you slept naked on my bed.”
Ivor blinked in surprise, then frowned, his feelings momentarily caught off guard. Why did that upset me? he thought, but he quickly pushed it aside.
A few minutes later, the car pulled up at the entrance of the Knight family villa. Ivor gave a small nod. “Grandpa’s still asleep.”
“I’ll wait for him in the living room,” Bonnie replied as she exited the car.
Inside, she found Ged lounging on the sofa, watching TV as if he lived there. He glanced over at her but didn’t bother pausing the show.
“Hey,” he said casually.
Bonnie barely had time to respond when a small object flew straight toward the back of her head.
“Watch out!” Ivor shouted, leaping forward in an attempt to catch it.
But he was too far away and too slow. Bonnie, however, reacted with lightning speed. Her hand shot behind her, and she effortlessly caught the object mid-air without even flinching.
Everyone stared, dumbstruck. Ged jumped to his feet, eyes wide in disbelief. Ivor stood frozen, equally stunned that Bonnie had made the catch with such ease, as though it was second nature to her.
“Cleano II!” a boy, around eight or nine years old, hurried over, looking incredibly anxious.
Bonnie looked down at what she had caught. It was a small, vibrating, disc-shaped robot.
“Hey! Be careful with that!” the boy exclaimed. “That took me a month to assemble! I’ll make you pay if you break it!”
The boy’s cheeks flushed with embarrassment, and Bonnie couldn’t help but smile.
Ged, still processing what had just happened, added with a chuckle, “You better listen to him. No one messes with Ivor’s brother. He’s a robot genius. If you break his stuff, he’ll go nuts—and even Sigmund won’t be able to save you.”
Ivor, who had been staring at Bonnie in amazement, turned toward the boy, his expression turning serious. “That thing nearly hit her. You should apologize.”
The boy, Neville Knight, shrank back slightly at the sight of Ivor’s stern gaze. He quickly muttered, “Sorry,” not meeting Bonnie’s eyes.
Ged raised an eyebrow and grinned. “That little devil is scared of no one but you, Ivor.”
“Why do you care?” Neville rolled his eyes at Ged but then snatched the robot back from Bonnie’s hands. He examined it carefully. “What’s the problem? The interface and chip are fine. Why would it lose control?”
Neville furrowed his brow, mumbling to himself. Bonnie couldn’t help but be intrigued.
“Is that a cleaning robot?” she asked, taking a step closer.
Neville’s head shot up, surprised. “You can tell?”
Bonnie nodded confidently. “Yup.”
Her answer shocked both Ged and Ivor, but it was Neville’s reaction that caught their attention. “How did you know that?” he asked, still stunned.
Bonnie smiled, the pieces of the puzzle clicking together in her mind. “It’s not just an ordinary cleaning robot. This one’s designed specifically to clean ceilings and chandeliers, right?”
Neville’s eyes widened in surprise. “How did you… figure that out?”
Bonnie held out her hand. “Give it to me. I’ll help you fix it.”
Neville hesitated, holding the robot behind his back, clearly unsure. “You’ll fix it?”
Ged, having witnessed Bonnie’s earlier brilliance, was both impressed and skeptical. “Don’t underestimate that little devil, Bonnie. He might only be eight, but he won the national technology competition at the age of five, thanks to a robot he developed. His robots are next level.”
Bonnie nodded. She had heard about Neville’s achievements, but she was still curious to see if his latest creation was as impressive as they all claimed.
“I see…” Bonnie mused. “Does the robot make loud noises when you turn it on?”
Neville blinked. “How did you know that?”
“And when it flies, does it always slightly deviate from its path?”
Neville gasped. “You know that too?”
Bonnie nodded again. “When it runs for a long time, it overheats. The overheating leads to a loss of control, just like what happened here.”
The room fell silent as everyone processed what Bonnie had just said. Ivor watched her thoughtfully, his curiosity piqued.
“How on earth did you…” Neville started, but his voice trailed off as he shook his head in disbelief.
Bonnie continued, her eyes sharp with understanding. “Your robot has an issue with pulse output. The encoder cables and position feedback loops are off, and the servo gain settings are a bit miscalibrated. That’s all I could tell with a quick look. There could be more, but I’ll need to do further testing.”
Neville was stunned, his jaw hanging open as he tried to grasp what had just happened.
“You… you could tell all that just by looking?” he whispered.
Bonnie smirked, the confidence in her demeanor making her seem almost untouchable. “Yup.”
Ivor, who had been observing the exchange carefully, now regarded Bonnie with a thoughtful expression. She had blown away their expectations yet again.
“Will you let me try to fix it?” Bonnie asked, breaking the silence.
Neville hesitated, clearly reluctant to hand over his prized robot to someone he barely knew, but the look in Bonnie’s eyes made it clear that she wasn’t asking. She was offering a solution.
“Fine,” Neville muttered, finally handing the robot to Bonnie. “But you better not break it!”
Bonnie gave him a reassuring smile. “Don’t worry. I’ll get it working again.”
As she began to examine the robot in more detail, Ivor and Ged exchanged a glance. There was something undeniably remarkable about Bonnie—something beyond her beauty or her quick wit. And it was clear that whatever it was, it had the potential to change everything.
The Knight family villa had never been more interesting.