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All Chapters of Above Their Reach: Chapter 1 - Chapter 9

9 Chapters

Chapter 1 Accepting the Offer

Beatrice and I were childhood friends, and we'd been joined at the hips for 20 years. Granted, I was the one who had trailed behind her from kindergarten to high school.She didn't perform as well as she expected on the SATs and didn't even manage to get into a good college. So, I gave up my guaranteed spot in Northopolis University just to stay on the same campus as her. Eventually, I landed myself in this regular college.Our relationship had been kept under wraps for four years now. She claimed she didn't want to be too conspicuous because it would hurt her studies.I had been so blindly in love with her that I humbled myself into someone who was nearly her servant. Every time we fought, I would be the first one to apologize, regardless of who was in the right. My apology would even come spilling from my lips within a day, all so she wouldn't be mad at me.When we first came to college, Howard was just an underprivileged student who couldn't even afford meat for his meals. I r

Chapter 2 Thievery

The silent treatment went on for three days. This was the first time I hadn't contacted her in more than 24 hours since we knew each other.Beatrice was also equally stubborn, so she didn't text me. She probably thought I was throwing a tantrum, imperiously assuming that her loyal simp who would never leave her would eventually beg for her forgiveness.Well, that simp was gone, and I couldn't be bothered to debase myself any further. So, I sorted out all my academic stuff over the last four years, preparing for the handover after I go overseas. However, I was shocked to find out the thesis manuscript I'd spent countless nights looking through various references was missing when I opened my hidden folders.That manuscript was to be submitted to SCI's top magazine.My blood went cold, so I quickly pulled up the logs and file copy records. The data stated that Beatrice copied the whole thing during an afternoon a week ago. Then, she deleted the original file.I shook with rage, gra

Chapter 3 Ineffective Threat

There were only less than three days left until the viva. Although Howard got his postgrad spot and the scholarship thanks to the stolen thesis, he messed up his own course's graduation project.Due to his poor foundation, his final year project's data was nearly all made up and had as many holes as a Swiss cheese.One afternoon, I immediately realized that someone had tampered with my laptop after coming back to my room from a trip to the library for some references. The passcode was brute-forced through, and even worse, all the stuff related to my final year project was gone. Heck, the thief even cleared my Recycle Bin.I took a deep breath and quickly asked the dorm admin for some surveillance cam footage. Sure enough, Howard had snuck into my room 30 minutes ago and stayed there for 20 minutes before he ran out in a hurry.I grabbed the copied footage, charged right to the lab, and kicked the door open.Howard was beside Beatrice, having a drink. He was shocked by the murder

Chapter 4 The Truth

I refused to give these two one more moment of my time, so I strode out of the lab. After I returned to my room, I locked my door and opened up my cloud drive.I compiled a file that contained the timestamped data, edited thesis, footage that showed Howard sneaking into my room, and a report letter of his theft. Then, I sent it to the campus' leaders, lecturers, and the academic council as an email.My report caught the campus' top leadership's attention, and they secretly verified my claims, burning the midnight oil just to do so.Beatrice and Howard knew nothing of what was happening behind the scenes. They were still drowning in the dream of their guaranteed spot and the incoming scholarship. They thought my ending things with her was just something I said in a fit to save some grace.A few days later, the campus held an accolades event for brilliant postgraduates in the biggest hall.As the star postgrads, Beatrice and Howard took the center seat in the first row, clad in the

Chapter 5 Blind Confidence

The public execution of exposing Beatrice of her true colors crushed any pride she had, but she still refused to learn from her mistakes. After all, the arrogance that had seeped into her bones because of my tolerance wouldn't allow her to reflect on her actions so easily.She thought I was doing this to get back at them out of jealousy. So, someone kicked my door wide open barely 30 minutes after the event was over. Sure enough, in came Beatrice and Howard."Are you mad, George?" Beatrice jabbed a finger at me, her spittle spewing everywhere. "There should be a limit to your jealousy! You ruined my and Howard's futures! Is this what it takes to make you happy?"This woman thought exposing her of academic fraud and defending my rights were nothing but an act of jealousy to get her attention. God, what a bitch.I sat before my desk, still folding my clothes for the overseas trip. I didn't bother giving her a moment of my time.As the silence stretched on, Howard approached me and w

Chapter 6 They're Snakes

Beatrice genuinely thought I'd never leave her, not when I'd spent the last 20 years being in love with her. She truly thought I would come crying and begging for her forgiveness just like I used to if she threatened to end things with me for good. She thought that using the old me's desperate need for her attention was enough for me to take the fall for them.And so, she stood there, waiting for my apology. However, I refused to stoop to her level. So, I stood up and went back to packing my things. I didn't even look at her the entire time.A while later, I dragged out two gigantic suitcases I'd packed. Then, I opened up the trash bin right in front of Beatrice.Finally, I tossed all the cheap, worthless trash she'd given me over the years into the bin, like the one-dollar keychains, the subpar fountain pens she bought at a clearance sale, and even a paper frog she haphazardly put together."What are you doing?""Taking out the trash and getting ready to go abroad."The fina

Chapter 7 Going Overseas

"I-I can explain, George…" Beatrice's face was whiter than a marble tombstone's at this point. Her sentences were barely coherent as she tried to grab my hand. "It was a mistake. I drank too much for my own good, and I thought he was you. I had no idea how this happened!""Don't touch me, you filth!" I stepped back in disgust and moved away from her touch just in the nick of time. At the rate this was going, even the sight of them felt like it was sullying a part of my soul.I took out a copy of the offer I got from my bag and hurled it at Beatrice's face. "You call yourselves intellectuals, right? You wanted me to be your errand boy, didn't you? "Well, this is me wanting the two of you to hide in a sewer together forever. I want the two of you to live with the shame of your bad academic record, and stay there together forever."Honestly, you'd better stay together forever. After all, you'll only be a menace to whoever you end up with."Then, I pulled my suitcase and strode out

Chapter 8 Pleading

Two years later, an international summit for AI and aerospace was held in a metropolis back in my home nation. This summit was a gathering for the world's top scientists, celebrated industry figures, and investors from top financial groups.As Hertford's youngest Easternian scholar and a core member of an important scientific research project, I was naturally invited to deliver the keynote speech, and all in a foreign language too.The world of media and academia praised me as the pride and joy of Easternians.I stood upon the stage, shining brightly like the star I was always meant to be. I was filled with confidence and was a stark contrast to the boy I was two years ago.On the other hand, Beatrice could barely survive by doing the worst jobs in society, all thanks to her academic fraud. As time passed, Howard could no longer endure such a hard life, so he cheated with a rich woman 20 years older than he was, abandoning Beatrice to her fate.She had to rely on manual labor in t

Chapter 9 Regret Is Useless

Beatrice made herself look as small as possible, groveling, "Please, let me stay with you! I'll do anything! Anything! Please, just take me with you!"Her pitiful begging stirred nothing within me, not even hatred. All I had for her was cold indifference and pity.I took a step back and moved away from her filthy hand. I looked down at the woman I once admired. She was ruined now. Pity or not, I told her something similar to what she said to me two years ago during that gathering, "You can't make it up to me. You're not even fit to be an errand girl in my lab, Beatrice."She turned ashen, looking as though all her strength was sapped away as she lay on the ground like a pile of filth. Her jaw was slack in despair, but not even a whimper left her lips.However, Beatrice still refused to give up. Eventually, her despair gave her a burst of strength, and she tried to grab the leg of my trousers. "George, don't go!"Just then, a lithe figure came from behind and stood before me. Tha

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