Chapter 4

I hurried over to the President's office, where the air felt as frigid as an icebox.

"Megan..." The president, Jonah Clark, pushed his glasses up his nose and looked at me sternly. "The school board has decided to revoke your Outstanding Graduate designation."

I snapped my head up. "On what grounds?"

"On the grounds that the negative publicity you've stirred up has severely damaged the university's reputation." He pulled a piece of paper from a folder and slid it to the edge of his desk.

"Furthermore, a disciplinary mark will be added to your record, and your employment recommendation forms will need to be revised."

I stared down at the disciplinary notice, my vision darkening. "Those are all false rumors! I didn't..."

"The evidence is clear as day. What else is there to say?" interrupted the vice president, Keith Ray. "The other girl posted photos taken right outside Mikael Brady's apartment."

"Anna Whitman set me up! She took the company contract from my bag, and..." I started to explain.

"That's enough." Jonah raised a hand, cutting me off. "Go back to your room and await further notice."

Blood rushed to my head, but I forced my voice to stay steady. "She's a nepo-baby using backdoors to hijack my job offer! Why is all the blame being dumped on my head? I reject this decision! I demand a re-evaluation!"

Kyle dragged me out of the office and into the hallway, which was already swarming with students. Anna stood right in the center of the crowd, crossing her arms.

A smirk was plastered across her face. "Give it up, Megan. The job is mine, and the man is mine. There's nothing you can steal from me."

I stared at her, a sudden, bitter absurdity washing over me.

This offer I had slaved away three months for just vanished because of a few lies she spun. The Outstanding Graduate honor I had spent four years earning was ruined by just a fabricated photo.

Whispers rippled through the surrounding crowd, and every stray comment I caught was dripping with insult and condemnation.

I took a deep breath and turned to walk away, feeling hollow and numb. Right then, my phone buzzed in my hand.

The caller ID flashed a name: Mikael Brady.

Furrowing my brows, I answered the call, my voice thick with barely suppressed rage. "Calling to stick up for your girlfriend? What else do you want from me?"

Silence held the line for two seconds before Mikael's confused voice came through. "Megan, what are you talking about?"

Too exhausted to debate him, I snapped, "What do you want? Shouldn't you be maintaining your boundaries with me?"

Another pause followed. His tone softened, carrying a note of genuine concern. "Megan, I called to ask about... your conditions."

I froze. "My conditions? I'm fine."

Then I added bitterly, "Aside from being thoroughly disgusted by you two shameless frauds, I'm fantastic."

He seized on my words immediately. "You're not sick? You're not in the hospital?"

A bitter laugh escaped my lips. "First, you hand my offer over to your girlfriend, and now you're wishing illness and hospitalization on me? Mikael, I used to respect you as my team lead. I never imagined you were such a snake!"

His tone dropped into a dead serious register. "What nonsense are you talking about? First off, I don't have a girlfriend, and second, I never wished illness on you. And as for the job offer... didn't you turn it down because of your health issues?"

"What?" My brain exploded with a loud crash.

I whipped my head around toward the President's office. Anna was still chatting with Jonah, but when she caught me on the phone, a flash of panic darted across her eyes.

Mikael was still talking on the other end. "I saw the HR notification that you turned down the offer for health issues. After thinking it over, I decided to call and check on you..."

Clutching my phone, I turned on my heels and marched straight back toward the president and the crowd.

"Mikael! Get over to our campus right now! Right this second!" I said quickly. "I'm at the Southlake University Administration Building. They're accusing me of seducing you and stealing job offers, and the President is issuing me a disciplinary record."

He paused. "I'll be there in 20 minutes."

Anna's face turned white as chalk. She lunged forward to grab my phone. "What ridiculous lies are you spouting?"

Having learned my lesson, I side-stepped her attempt and held the phone tightly to my chest. "Everyone heard that? My team lead will be here in 20 minutes!"

The surrounding students exchanged uncertain glances, and whispers began spreading through the crowd.

Anna forced a smile. "Megan is lying. Mikael is my boyfriend. Don't you think I'd know? The decision is already final anyway."

Turning to me, she continued, "Megan, stop making a scene. I'll buy you dinner to smooth things over, okay?"

I ignored her, grabbed a chair from the hallway, and sat down right in front of everyone. Seeing my unwavering stance, the onlookers decided to stick around to watch the drama unfold.

Anna frantically typed messages on her phone, her complexion going paler by the second. 20 minutes ticked by, and the hallway remained dead quiet.

The smug smirk returned to her face. "Told you. He's totally..."

Before she could finish her words, rapid footsteps thundered from the far end of the hallway. Mikael, wearing a black windbreaker jacket with sweat glistening on his forehead, strode over toward us.

Everyone froze in place.

Anna's smile instantly froze on her face. "Wait... weren't you unable to drive here?"

Mikael darted a sharp glare at her. "I was wondering why the gate scanner at my apartment complex suddenly wouldn't recognize my license plate.

"So, you were behind that. I just grabbed a bike and pedaled over here. Consider it my morning cardio."

Anna swayed on her feet, her face flushing crimson.

Mikael stepped right up beside me, sweeping a piercing gaze across the surrounding crowd. "So, who exactly is my girlfriend? Step forward so I can meet her."