Failure to Comply

Chapter 5

Julian POV

I couldn't get Sierra Riven out of my head.

My lecture had ended almost an hour ago, yet I was still sitting in my office, replaying the moment she walked into the hall, the door that creaked when she opened it.

She had looked terrible. Her hair was a mess, dark circles sat under her eyes with a disoriented feel.

Had she been crying all night?

I dismissed the thought almost immediately. Whatever her problem was, arriving two hours late to my lecture wasn't acceptable.

“Why are you late!” I asked, watching as she stuttered through half the question and snickers rose around the hall.

Everything else faded as I finally understood what the class was laughing at. Sierra’s legs were bare below the hem of her blouse, covered only by a pair of fitted sleeping shorts.

Damn it.

My throat had gone dry at the sight as I fought to keep my eyes on her face, and judging by the heat creeping up my ears, I hadn't hidden the struggle as well as I'd hoped.

Now I sat at my desk with my hands clenched, my mind going over the scene every second.

Get yourself together, Julian. She's your student. I chided myself but it didn't help.

My mind kept offering images I had no business entertaining, and I hated how much it affected me and how long they lingered.

My phone chimed, and I snatched it up, almost grateful for the distraction. The message was from Sierra.

I'm sorry to disturb you, sir. I am no longer in need of your help.

I choked on my own breath. I read it twice, then a third time, in utter surprise.

Last night she had asked for my help with her failed project, and I had agreed and told her to come to my office this morning.

She hadn't shown up, and I had told her to see me after lectures instead. Now she was backing out entirely? I was already typing a reply, demanding to know why, when another notification slid across the screen.

It was the student forum and a new video was already trending.The thumbnail showed Sierra standing outside my lecture hall that morning, in the same clothes I'd sent her away in.

Shit. Who did this?

I felt my anger rise as I read the title: Scholarship queen or a slut?

"Who the hell posted this?" I muttered trying to calm myself.

Scrolling through the comments, I felt my irritation grow with every line. Students were mocking her clothes, questioning how she had earned her scholarship, and asking for her services.

I thought of her flushed face and the way she had avoided my eyes. Was this why she had pulled out? Maybe she couldn't bear to face me after what happened in class or she thought I had lost whatever respect I had for her.

But the timing of her message was hard to ignore.

I put the phone down, then picked it up again. This was my student and now her reputation was being dragged through the mud, still with the failed research project.

I needed to understand why before I tried to reach her. Without letting myself think about it too long, I called Charles.

He answered on the second ring. "Professor Julian."

The Vice-Chancellor's voice was as cold as ever. We were not men who called each other to check in. We got straight to the point.

"Charles, I need clarification on a student's failed research project under my project code." I said, matching his tone. "Sierra Riven.”

There was a brief silence. "Clarification?"

"Yes, she's under my supervision, and I want to know why..”

"Your student failed, how interesting" he said, cutting in with a creeping sarcastic edge.

I ignored that. "What were the grounds for her failure?”

“She's one of the strongest students I've supervised.”

There was a pause on the line. In all my years at the university, I had never gone digging into a student's problems, and my asking now told him I was already involved. If he found that strange, he kept it to himself.

"Poor statistics," Charles said at last, in a flat voice. "Mismatched research areas. A rushed conclusion.”

I sat up straighter as my brows pulled together. Statistics were Sierra's strongest area. I had reviewed her file myself, and her analysis had been the cleanest in my group.

"That doesn't match the work I've seen from her," I said firmly. "Her statistical reasoning is sound. I'd like to know how the panel reached that conclusion?”

"Are you suggesting the assessment is incorrect?"

The assessment is on record, Professor." He let that sit before continuing not allowing me to say something. "If you disagree, the proper channel is resubmission. It opens again in three months. But if she fails to take part in the process or resubmit, her scholarship is going to be revoked.”

He gave me a moment of silence to make sure I understood the stakes. I hummed in acknowledgment, ended the call, and stared at the phone in my hand.

Barely five minutes later, my phone buzzed again.

It was Victoria.

I saw the video of one of your students. The scholarship one.

My grip tightened. Of course it had reached her too. Before I could answer, a second message arrived, and then the video itself, sent directly to me.

I scoffed quietly. I knew Victoria well enough to know she wasn't finished.

I told you to stay away from her, guess my instincts were right.

I stared at the screen. The words seemed calm, but the warning underneath was impossible to miss. She had warned me about Sierra before, and now the video had handed her a reason to question my involvement and I wasn't about to turn this into an argument.

It's nothing to worry about. I'm only handling it as her supervisor. Let's talk tonight.

I sent it and set the phone down, but when I closed my eyes, all I could see was Sierra's face as she stood in that doorway, trying not to fall apart. I knew exactly what Victoria would say if she knew what I was about to do. I picked up the phone anyway.

I opened Sierra's contact and forwarded Charles's assessment of her project along with the resubmission conditions. Beneath them, I wrote my message.

“Whatever you've decided, you're part of my research team. Your failure reflects on me and on the team, so this is no longer only your concern. We will discuss it in my office.”

I read it over, then thought about the girl on the other end. I knew how stubborn she could be and a polite message wouldn't be enough to make her walk through my door.

So I added one more, playing my last card.

If you refuse, I will file a report filing for a termination review of your scholarship for failure to comply with the conditions of your academic placement.