Chapter 142

142 Stand Up for Emma
142 Stand Up for Emma
Byron was startled when he saw Alice–first with surprise, then with a hint of respect.
“You…” he started.
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“Let’s deal with Emma’s situation first,” Alice cut in, her tone tinged with impatience. Clearly, she wasn’t in the mood for small talk.
Byron gave a small nod and turned to Nelson.
“Professor Clem, the young lady’s guardian is here. I think it’s time we settled this matter.”
Nelson shot Alice a cold glance.
“Barging in and kicking the door open–where are your manners? With that kind of upbringing, how could you possibly raise a decent child?”
Nelson had always been a man buried in research. He rarely paid attention to anything online, so he had no clue who Alice was.
But Pandora, being a university student, was well aware of all the online buzz.
“Y–You’re Mrs. Nolan?” she asked in disbelief, her voice almost trembling.
Still not convinced, she took out her phone, pulled up the photos on the internet, and compared them.
It was unmistakable–it was her.
Alice’s expression was unreadable. “So, you’re Pandora?”
Pandora felt her blood run cold. She never imagined Emma had someone from the Nolans backing her.
Her face turned pale as she instinctively stepped behind Nelson for cover.
Seeing his student cowering behind him, Nelson’s expression darkened.
“I don’t care who you are. If you think you can come here and cause trouble, I’ll make sure you regret stepping foot in this place.”
Only then did Alice finally look him in the eye.
“I figured you were blind, so I didn’t bother greeting you. My bad.”
Nelson flushed with anger. “Are you insulting me?!”
Alice didn’t even blink. “I was complimenting you.“.
Her voice carried a sharp edge now. You could tell she was truly angry.
“Calling you blind was me being polite. The truth? You’re not blind; you’re just a fool.”
Nelson had always been seen as a highly respected academic.
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142 Stand Up for Emma
Everywhere he went, people treated him with courtesy and deference.
No one had ever dared to insult him to his face.
His blood pressure spiked from rage.
“Security! Someone call security! Call the police now!”
Alice let out a cold laugh.
“Yes, do call the police. But let’s see who they end up taking away.”
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Tension filled the room. Byron, sensing the confrontation getting out of hand, stepped forward to defuse the situation.
“Ms. Spencer, do you have any evidence that could help clear Emma’s name?”
Panicked, Pandora jumped in.
“I have witnesses! Evidence! I even have the original drafts. You’re not seriously going to use your influence to pressure me, are you?”
Her voice trembled, as though she were terrified.
Nelson shouted again.
“I don’t care who you are–get out of here, now!”
Alice raised her hand and pushed away the finger pointed at her.
“I hate it when people point their fingers at me.”
Her tone dropped even lower.
Every word was like ice sliding under one’s skin, sending shivers down everyone’s spine.
“Mr. Reese, would you mind if I used the equipment in your office?”
Byron didn’t dare object. He quickly handed over his laptop.
“Please, go ahead.”
Alice was Mrs. Nolan. And while Nolan Group wasn’t what it once was, in a city like Mapleford, it was still untouchable.
No one questioned Byron’s deference toward her.
Alice plugged in her USB drive.
A projection appeared on the wall, displaying a folder she quickly opened.
Inside were all of Emma’s academic records.
Emma had shown a strong interest in bioengineering since starting university, often spending hours
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142 Stand Up for Emma
university library studying on her own.
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Because of her hard work and part–time jobs, she was invited to observe at a lab–an opportunity she earned through merit.
When she returned, she wrote her very first academic
paper.
It was nearly flawless and was quickly published in a national science journal.
Since then, she had been focused on the same research field and had published five or six more papers over time.
Her crowning achievement was her senior thesis–a paper so influential that it helped her advisor earn a promotion to full professor.
Alice then opened a second folder–Pandora’s undergraduate work.
Back in university, Pandora was more interested in partying than studying. Her grades barely scraped by. She hadn’t even written proper essays, much less a research paper.
Her thesis was a patchwork of copied material.
Honestly, no one knew how she got into grad school in the first place.
Nelson, now reviewing Pandora’s university record, looked visibly embarrassed.
“Different students develop at different times. Some bloom late. This doesn’t prove anything.
“That only proves they were different in undergrad. It doesn’t prove anything conclusive.”
Alice smirked coldly.
He’s still trying to protect his reputation ?
Fine . I’ll let him watch how he’ll destroy it with his own hands .
She opened another folder–this one filled with short videos taken from a café’s TikTok account.
The café regularly posted videos, mostly for marketing.
Alice skimmed through the upload dates and selected a few key posts to play.
Back then, the café had been encouraging high school and grad students to study hard. Emma, diligent and focused, had unknowingly become their favorite example.