Third Person's POV,
The professor's office smells of old books and cheap disinfectant. Celene sits on the edge of the chair, scrunching up her nose, and Seraphina crosses her legs with her smile sharpened to something decorative and dangerous.
The professor clears his throat as he enters, and Seraphina turns slowly to acknowledge him. Celene doesn't. The professor frowns, wondering who these ladies are.
"You said this was…" He sits opposite them. "Urgent."
"It is," Celene replies smoothly, her voice clipped. She doesn't smile, and the Professor's spine shivers. "We are concerned about a particular student."
Seraphina leans forward, resting an elbow on her knee, chin propped on her fingers. "Very concerned," She adds sweetly. "She has a habit of…how do I put this? Taking things that do not belong to her."
The professor frowns. "If this is about academic misconduct, I'm the wrong person to meet."
Celene raises a hand. "You are exactly the person I want to meet."
She straightens her back, and the Professor swallows hard. "There's a certain kind of attention scandals bring when they involve powerful families."
Seraphina slides a slim folder across the desk. The professor picks it immediately and opens it. His eyes go wide when he recognises the printed drafts and highlighted sentences taken out of context. Just enough to accuse.
"You don't have to lie," Seraphina says softly. "But you will. You see, doubt is a marvellous thing. Once planted, it grows on its own."
He flips through the pages, sweat beading at his temples. He knows the student. The only single mother in his course. The intelligent, brilliant Elara Solis. "This…this isn't definitive."
Celene's eyes harden. "You just do as we say."
She opens her purse and pulls out another envelope. She tosses the heavy item onto the desk. He doesn't have to open it. His mouth just falls open a bit.
"You will request her drafts," Celene continues. "You will tell her there are inconsistencies. You will imply plagiarism. And you will make sure the review board takes it seriously."
The professor shakes his head. "She's in her final year. The stress alone would ruin her."
"And your daughter in the hospital is going to die in the next three days." Seraphina throws out casually, and he freezes. His only daughter in the hospital. He hasn't had the funds to treat her and now… this was a perfect opportunity.
"What if she proves otherwise?" He asks weakly, and Celene finally smiles. The pawn has been set in place.
"Either way, she learns her place."
Elara's POV,
"I'm telling you!" Noemi yells into the phone. "You can't come here. The board of directors have held a meeting. There are school photographers everywhere! You'd be tagged as a thief!"
I drum my fingers on my steering wheel as I look at the school gate. I'm angry. "I'm not a thief."
Noemi sighs. "I know Elara, but you have to lay low for now. The proof they have against you is too much."
I sit, glaring at the school gate. This cannot be happening to me. My life was finally snapping into place. It's my last year. Hell, my last month. But I've been ruined.
"Elara?" Noemi presses. "Are you listening? Do not do anything stupid. Stay home. Tell your husband what happened; he may come up with a solution."
I lean back on my chair and bite into my nails. Tell my husband? Pfft. "Okay."
Noemi goes off, and I drive back to the mansion. I don't acknowledge anyone. I just open my laptop and begin to work.
Celene and Seraphina.
I already knew they would try something. But this is low. If they thought they could make me lose focus and ground, they thought right. This is low as fuck.
My professor. Their pawn. They've paid him well to accuse me of plagiarism. To make me look like a fraud in the eyes of the university and everyone who might respect me. I fought for this. I bled and fought for this.
I wouldn't let some jealous bitches now take it from me. I can't flinch. Not now, not ever. I believe I have faced worse. I lean back, eyes scanning the screen, and I pull up my timestamped backups.
Every essay, every research note, every submission is saved in meticulous order. Every single one marked, logged and securely stored. I know the power of proof, of evidence that cannot be twisted or denied. That's why I always made sure to stamp every document I created.
If they try, they'll see exactly when I wrote it, when I saved it, every edit I made. They'll see how their accusations crumble under the weight of data. I take a slow and heavy breath, letting the panic dissolve. I need to be focused now.
At that thought, my phone rings. My jaw hardens when I see the caller. Lucien. I let it ring and ring and ring till it stopped totally. I continue working in silence and in excatly one hour, my door rumbles with force.
"Solis!" His voice is loud, and I roll my eyes to the back of my head. I click the last data in place before getting up.
"I thought I made it clear I didn't want to be disturbed," I said through the closed door. The door handle rattles, and I scoff. "It's futile. Unless you want to break the door down, you wouldn't get in."
"Then I would." His voice has dropped now. "I would break every door stopping me from getting to you."
"And what if I don't want to?" I whisper, and I can see the shadow under the door pacing about before stopping.
"Is it true?"
"Is what true?"
"You know what I'm talking about." The shadow comes closer. "Is it true that you cheated your way through school?"
I stay silent because I know whatever I say wouldn't change his perception of me. A bad mother. An exemplary mother. One not fit to raise his child. I shut my eyes tight.
"I believe you."
My eyes snap open. "W…what?" I whisper, going closer to the door.
"I believe you, Solis." He repeats. "I believe the mother of my son, and if anything, I believe my wife. I'll never forget that day in the office, I thought you were the most brilliant woman I've ever come across…"
"...you're just saying it," I say through gritted teeth.
"Maybe." He replies, almost softly. "But I know you wouldn't do it. I know it isn't you. I'm not asking to help you, I'm showing you that I'm here."
Those words.
All my life, all I've ever wanted was for someone to be there. To believe me. I had Lucy for a while, but she didn't stay. Of course, it wasn't her fault, but that made me believe that all humans are the same.
Uncertain.
Even me.
I unlock the door slowly, and am surprised at how dishevelled he looks. His hair is messy, his shirt unbuttoned, and his eyes look crazy. He walks in before I can say a word, then looks at my open laptop.
"I hired someone to recover my timestamped documents," I explain before he asks, and he hums. "That's going to be my proof."
Before I could stop it, a tear dropped to the ground.
I look at it in confusion. I don't cry. Ever since Lucy left the Virelli mansion and Miracle died, I haven't dropped a single tear. I've been tempted to, sure, but I never did. Because tears are useless, they can't fix a single thing.
Why did I suddenly feel like crying?
I quickly wipe my eyes, but I know Lucien had noticed. I clear my throat and walk towards my laptop, taking it from the side table.
"So that's it."
I say, dumping the laptop on the bed. I frown at it, secretly wondering what he was still doing there. Why isn't he leaving?
"Solis."
He says calmly. Too calmly. I inhale slowly and look at him.
"What?"
"Go on." I furrow my brows, and he takes a step closer, I take one back. "Tears are never a sign of weakness, you know."
He keeps coming closer, and I keep walking back. What was he talking about now? He stops walking when my legs hit the edge of the bed.
"From birth, it's been a sign that you're alive." He says, and my lips shake. "So, go on, Solis."
I fall on the bed, surprised and heart aching. I shake my head, squeezing my eyes shut. I can't… I can't.
"Cry."
Just like dam, I broke down. Not the loud scream or crash out, as I expected. The tears just flowed down. I stared at him through my blurry vision as they ran down my cheek.
Why? Why was I crying?
Was it so painful? Was I so lonely? How desperate did I need someone to believe me and ask to stay with me?
How long has it been since I held and asked myself to be human?
What a weird feeling…