Chapter 85
Barely ten minutes later, an anonymous account posted a theory under the thread:
“This so–called stay–at–home mom, Selene, is only getting all this attention because Theodore is pulling the strings behind the scenes! He’s trying to manufacture a miracle so he can keep his position as Dean of Mathematics at Capital University.”
Once this idea was floated, suspicion that Theodore had helped Selene cheat grew even stronger.
“Four years ago, Professor Shaw accused Professor Quentin James of plagiarizing a research paper, but he never produced any evidence. Still, the accusation cost Professor James his eligibility for the faculty awards. It wasn’t until two years later, after James published three SCI–indexed papers, that he truly secured his place at Capital University. Now, Professor James is the most popular candidate for dean–he’s Theodore’s biggest rival!”
“Professor Shaw is such a stick–in–the–mud. His classes have terrible reviews; sitting through his lectures is torture! No one understands him, and he’s always belittling students. Unless something unexpected happens, he’ll be stepping down from the dean’s position this year.”
“Theodore wants to make headlines with some jaw–dropping achievement to prove his teaching abilities. That’s why he chose to help Selene cheat in the math competition!”
“Selene took the competition at Theodore’s house–her results should be
invalidated!”
As the rumor mill churned, the tag “Selene, cheating” shot to the top of the trending list.
With public opinion turning, the parents who had previously posted apologies to Selene on various platforms began deleting their posts. One even posted a screenshot of the ALI Math Competition logo on their account, stamping bold red letters across it:
“Is this competition fair?”
Media outlets that had interviewed Selene quickly pulled their segments, shelving the footage to avoid a backlash against their channels.
Soon after, dozens of math competition contestants submitted a joint petition demanding Selene’s results be revoked.
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“In the history of this competition, participants have always been top students from elite universities or accomplished professionals–not unemployed housewives. She should have been screened out at registration!”
“Homemakers have no business competing in mathematics!”
The phones at the ALI Competition Organizing Committee had been ringing off the hook ever since the preliminary results were posted.
This was the biggest crisis of confidence the ALI Group’s math contest had ever faced.
As online scrutiny mounted, the competition committee called an emergency meeting.
“We’ve been running online competitions for years,” someone said, exasperated. “Every contestant is monitored from five different camera angles. Do they really think our proctoring team sits around twiddling their thumbs?”
“A bunch of rabble–calling it a joint petition, but not a single contestant dares to put their real name on it. It’s just school names. Do they really represent their schools? They’re bringing shame to their institutions!”
“We reviewed Selene’s exam footage three times. There’s absolutely no evidence of cheating. These people picking a fight with us are barking up the wrong tree.”
“Mr. Sable, would you say something? If the tiger keeps silent, everyone thinks he’s
a kitten!”
The so–called kitten, seventy–year–old Chairman Xavier Sable, slapped the table and
barked out his orders:
“We owe the public an explanation. Contact all the major platforms. Tomorrow, we’ll release the full surveillance footage of Selene’s competition. Let everyone see for themselves whether she cheated or not!”
*
Late that night, Selene’s phone buzzed with a call from a National Broadcast Network reporter.
“Miss Thompson, have you seen the trending topics? There’s a tidal wave of people questioning your preliminary results.”
Selene’s voice was calm. “Yes, I’ve seen it.”
The reporter pressed on, “Did you really complete the preliminary exam at
Professor Theodore Shaw’s house?”
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Selene answered honestly, “Yes, I did.”
The reporter, Sophie Chase–the same woman who had spoken up for Selene and Daph outside Charteris Academy–let out a sharp breath over the line.
Selene continued, “There’s no evidence that taking the test at Professor Shaw’s home means he helped me cheat. This whole thing has brought plenty of negative attention to him, but at the time, I didn’t have a choice. That was the only place I could take the exam.”
Sophie asked, “Why? Why did you have to go to Professor Shaw’s house for the competition?”
Selene gave a soft laugh. “You might not believe this, but on the day of the prelims, my ex–husband cut off the internet at my apartment. When I tried to find a café nearby with Wi–Fi, he sent a signal–jamming van to tail me.”
Sophie gasped, “Is your ex–husband some sort of trash can? That’s a lot of effort just to be a jerk!”
Professionalism reined in Sophie’s urge to swear, and her instincts as a journalist urged her on. “Miss Thompson, why would your ex–husband go to such lengths?”
Selene sat on her sofa, her face softened by the glow of the lamp.
“I’ll admit, I made a mistake living in a property that was still in his name. Everything he gave me was nothing but an illusion. That was when I finally understood–you can’t pin your hopes on a man’s conscience. I can only rely on myself.”
“The online storm is getting worse for you, Miss Thompson. What are you going to do?”
Selene’s voice was gentle but unwavering. “Honestly, the silence in the Vaughn family mansion frightened me more than any rumors ever could.”
Sophie, listening, felt a surge of quiet strength radiating from the other end of the
line.
“Miss Chase, whatever happens, I won’t back down. Even if the whole world doubts me or spits in my face, I’m not afraid, and I have no regrets. I believe the final results will speak for themselves.”
After hanging up with Sophie, Selene opened her phone’s contacts, her eyes lingering on “Professor Shaw.”
Theodore was already embroiled in this mess because of her, but it was too late to
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disturb him now.
As Selene hesitated, her phone buzzed again.
Startled, she glanced at the screen—and saw Adrian’s name light up.
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apter o
