Chapter 3

I pointed to the folder on the table.

"This folder contains the records of every payment I made over the past five years.

“It also has the full screenshot of Ella's conversation from yesterday, when she showed off her 5,000-dollar Louis Vuitton handbag in the group chat."

I leaned back in my seat, my eyes sweeping across Mr. Lang and Mr. Sullivan.

"You will also find five years of my WhatsApp backend records inside. There was no private harassment through WhatsApp since I never talked to Ella privately.

”You can have your technical department conduct whatever verification is necessary."

Mr. Lang opened the folder and examined the evidence carefully, noting that the complete screenshots showed that Ella had not only been flaunting her handbag but had also mocked the other female students for using canvas bags, calling them low-class.

He closed the folder and took a deep breath.

"You're obviously in the clear based on this evidence, Mr. Goodwin. Ella, on the other hand, has fabricated the allegations and deliberately defamed you."

Upon seeing how things turned out, Mr. Sullivan quickly jumped in to play peacemaker.

"Just as I thought! You're one of the most generous donors on our board of trustees, so there's no way you would ever do a thing like that, Mr. Goodwin! It was all just a huge misunderstanding!"

I looked at him coldly. "Since this was all a misunderstanding, how is the university going to deal with Ella?"

Mr. Sullivan wiped the sweat from his forehead, looking troubled. "Ella just made a foolish mistake because she let her vanity get the better of her, Mr. Goodwin. She's about to graduate soon, so a disciplinary record could seriously affect her future."

He then leaned forward and suggested softly. "How about this, Mr. Goodwin? Kingsford University will have Ella apologize to you privately in writing.

"You, on the other hand, will put out a statement online, admitting that your poor word choice in the group chat had caused all these misunderstandings. How does that sound?"

I almost laughed from sheer frustration. I couldn't believe that he was asking me, the one providing the funding, to compromise with the person who had falsely accused me just to make the problem disappear.

"Are you seriously asking me to let this go and continue funding them, Mr. Sullivan?"

Mr. Sullivan chuckled awkwardly. "You're a successful businessman, so there's surely no need to take this so seriously with a few underprivileged students, Mr. Goodwin. They're still considered the disadvantaged ones here, after all."

I nodded, my fingers tapping against the desk. "I'll do you this favor since you're the one asking for it, Mr. Sullivan."

Mr. Sullivan's expression brightened. "You're truly magnanimous, Mr. Goodwin! That financial aid—"

I cut him off, "I'm willing to restore the funding, but given the issues this incident has exposed regarding the use of the funds, I've decided to enforce the additional clause in the sponsorship agreement we signed."

Mr. Sullivan was stunned. "What additional clause?"

Richard handed over a copy of the agreement before reading aloud. "Article 7 of the Kingsford University Sponsorship Agreement clearly states that if a recipient uses the funds for anything other than education or basic living expenses, the sponsor may terminate the funding immediately.

"The recipient will then be required to repay twice the total amount previously received. The sponsor also reserves the right to file a civil lawsuit."

Mr. Sullivan’s face drained of color in an instant. "That could mean tens of thousands of dollars in repayment, Mr. Goodwin! How could they possibly pay it back?"

"They'll just have to figure that out themselves," I replied as I stood up and looked down at him.

Then I turned to Richard. "Go issue the legal department's collection notices and begin recovery procedures right away for all students guilty of misappropriating the funds, starting with Ella, Harry, and Maisie.

“If we don't see the money in three days, go to court for asset preservation and have all their accounts frozen."

Kingsford University plunged into chaos the day after the double-repayment clause took effect.

The legal department's demand letters had been sent to every student who had violated the agreement.

It was found that out of the 60 recipients, 42 of them had misused the funds—some used them on travel, some tipped suggestive livestreamers, and others even loaned out the funds to charge high interest.