“The university has to expel him!"

The whole scene had spun completely out of control.

Roland wiped the sweat from his forehead and put on a show of grave concern.

“Everyone, please, calm down! The university will handle this seriously. There will be no leniency!"

He turned to me and lowered his voice.

“See that? This is what you get for calling the cops. The whole campus knows now. The story's already out of anyone's hands. Your son is finished."

Keith leaned against the wall, his face ashen.

Then he suddenly shouted out toward the crowd.

“This has nothing to do with me! I stopped thinking of him as my son a long time ago! It's his mother who insisted on protecting him!"

Christian stood behind me, both fists clenched, his body trembling faintly.

“Mom……"

I gripped his cold hand.

“Don't lower your head."

“Let them film. The clearer, the better."

A middle-aged man in a sharp suit shoved his way through the crowd.

It was the Vice President of Kingsport University, Dean Whitney.

He took in the chaos filling the office, his brow knotting into a hard line.

“All this shouting and squabbling—it's a disgrace! Everyone, out!"

Dean Whitney walked in, glanced at Layla, then glanced at Christian.

“Roland, what's going on here?"

Roland scurried over and gave him the story, laying it on thick.

When Dean Whitney had heard him out, he turned to me, his expression dark.

“Ma'am, this university is a place for teaching and raising young people. It is not some market stall for you people to make a scene in."

His tone left no room for argument.

“This is an extremely serious matter. To calm the students' anger and protect the reputation of this university, Christian is to be suspended immediately for reflection and to submit to a full investigation. For the duration of the investigation, all of his eligibility for honors and awards is revoked."

He looked at Christian.

“You. Bow and apologize to Layla right now, then go home and reflect on what you've done."

Keith looked as though he'd just been pardoned.

“Thank you, Dean! Thank you for your generosity!"

He whipped around and barked at Christian “What are you waiting for? Apologize!"

I looked at Dean Whitney and didn't move.

“Dean Whitney. Suspension? An apology?"

“Is this how you people run an education? No verification, no evidence, and whoever cries the loudest wins?"

Dean Whitney's face darkened.

“Ms. Fox, the camera on the north side of the library has been broken for a month. That was an oversight by the facilities department. But the injuries on Layla are real! Are we supposed to protect an abuser and break a victim's heart?"

“The camera's broken, is it?"

I nodded.

“Fine."

Right then, the shrill wail of sirens rose up from downstairs.

Red and blue lights flashed alternately beyond the window.

The officers had arrived.

Two uniformed officers strode into the office.

The lead officer swept his eyes around the room.

“Who called it in?"

I raised my hand.

“I did."

The officer took one look at the standoff in the room.

“What's the situation? The call said attempted assault and extortion?"

Layla stumbled down off the couch and dropped to her knees in front of the officer.

“Officer, please, help me……he wants to hurt me……"

She pointed at Christian, showing off the scratches on her body and her torn clothes.

“I'm just a poor girl from the countryside, I have no power, no connections……their family has money, they want to drive me to my death……"

Those few hot-headed boys immediately joined in the uproar.

“Officer, we can all testify! Christian is scum!"

“That's right! You have to arrest him!"

The lead officer frowned and looked at Christian.

“Did you do it?"

Christian stood ramrod straight, his gaze open and clear.

“It wasn't me. I didn't set foot in the library today.”

A male student suddenly shoved his way in through the door.

“You're lying!”

“I saw it! I saw it with my own eyes!”

He jabbed a finger at Christian and shouted the words.

“At one thirty this afternoon, I happened to be passing the north fire stairwell of the library. I heard a girl screaming inside. The second I ran over, I saw Christian bolt out of there in a total panic!”

Layla looked at the boy and wept even more piteously.

“John Finch, thank you for being willing to stand up and speak for me……”

John threw out his chest, the very picture of a hero rescuing a damsel.

Roland immediately turned to me, one cold sneer after another.

“Desiree, there's a witness and there's evidence. What else do you have to say?”

Keith rushed forward and clutched my arm in a death grip, his face a mess of tears and snot.

“Desiree, I'm begging you! Just make our son confess, quick! Try for some leniency.”

He turned to the officer.

“Officer, we confess! We'll pay! However much it takes, we'll pay!”

John helped Layla to her feet.

She looked at me, her voice frail, yet every word aimed at the heart.

“Ma'am, I know you want to protect your son, but facts are facts.”

“As long as Christian is willing to kneel and apologize to me in front of the whole school, and give up all of his scholarships and his graduate school admission slot……”

She paused, then let out a sigh.

“I can go to the police station and drop the charges, sign a statement of forgiveness, and keep him out of prison.”

The students around us instantly broke into thunderous applause.

“Layla is such a kind soul!”

“Scum like him deserves to die, and she's still willing to give him a chance!”

“Christian, get down on your knees and thank her already!”

Every ounce of malice, every bit of the pressure, hit its peak in that moment.

I smoothed down my clothes, my tone level.

“Layla.”

“You just said the camera on the north side of the library had been broken for a month. Right?”

Layla froze for a beat, and glanced instinctively at Dean Whitney.

Dean Whitney gave a cold snort.

“Ms. Fox, what more is there to argue? The maintenance logs from the facilities department state it plainly. That camera really was broken.”

I smiled.

“Dean Whitney, I suppose a busy man like you forgets things easily.”

I pulled a document stamped with a red seal out of my bag and slapped it straight down on Roland's desk.

“Yesterday afternoon, in Christian's parent's name, I donated a three-million-dollar 4K panoramic, blind-spot-free security surveillance system to Kingsport University.”

The expression on Layla's face went rigid.

I stared into her eyes and spaced out every word.

“As luck would have it, the north fire stairwell of the library was one of the priority zones in the first round of installation.”

“At twelve noon exactly today, the installation team finished calibration, and the whole system went live on the network.”