Chapter 3

I thought I must have misheard them.

But when I saw the doubtful gazes of the students below the podium, I knew I had not misheard.

I looked at these obviously malicious reporters and denied loudly, "I did not commit academic fraud! I did not plagiarize other people's papers! If you keep spreading false rumors about me, I'll sue you for defamation!"

When I said that, someone among the reporters suddenly snorted.

"There's no need to deny it, Ms. Anderson. Your husband has already issued an apology statement on your behalf!"

That paper was something I had spent half a year on. I went through countless materials to complete it.

Zayn knew that.

I frantically called him to ask him what was going on.

But all my calls went unanswered.

Just like that, I was forcefully suspended from work.

That evening, Zayn finally came home.

As soon as he came in through the door, I gave him a hard slap.

"I already let Candace have the professor position. Why would you still help her frame me?! Why are you doing this to me?!"

Zayn’s face was turned to the side from the impact.

To my surprise, he wasn't angry at all.

Instead, he licked the side of his face that had been hit and chuckled.

"I knew that you were just pretending to be generous and understanding lately. See? All it took was a little trick for you to reveal your true colors."

I glared at him with bloodshot eyes full of disbelief.

"So, in order to make me reveal my true colors, you ruined my career? You've gone mad, Zayn Smith!"

He shook his head. "It's not entirely because of that.

"Candace just became a professor and needs a high-quality paper to gain a foothold. Your paper is just right for the job.

"Don't look at me like that. The fact that I chose a paper that you wrote is a recognition of your ability. I know, it might be a little unfair to you, but don't worry, I'll compensate you later.

"You had a miscarriage not long ago, so you should use this opportunity to recuperate."

I trembled with anger.

He happily hummed a little tune and went into the bedroom.

Not long after, I heard his voice from the bedroom.

"Candace, don't worry, I've already taken care of Shirley. She won't cause you any trouble. Just focus on preparing for the international seminar next week. Don't worry, I won't let anyone hurt you."

Listening to his gentle tone, I felt a trace of hatred growing in my heart.

Just then, my phone also rang. It was a text from Candace.

[Shirley, your paper is really good. Thank you! ]

[I always get what I want, whether it's your paper, the professor position, or Zayn. As long as I want it, you can't take it away from me.]

[So, if you have any self-awareness, just get out of the way. Otherwise, you’ll only lose everything and embarrass yourself.]

At that moment, I completely lost all reason.

I immediately sent screenshots of the chat to the dean and called him.

"Dean, did you see that? Candace herself admitted that she plagiarized my paper. She's the fraud! I hope the university will immediately publish a statement online to clarify my innocence, and then revoke Candace's professorship."

But before the dean could reply, my phone was snatched away by Zayn.

He held me back with one hand, and with the other hand, he held up my phone and said to the dean, "Sorry, my wife has developed delusions because she was under so much mental stress recently. She photoshopped all those screenshots. I plan to take her to Switzerland for treatment, so she probably won't be able to go to work for a while."