Chapter 42The disciplinary hearing was scheduled for 10 AM in the very conference room where Lucas had presented his case three weeks earlier for the plagiarism charge. Walking into the wood-paneled room was not the same this time. Lucas was no longer alone this time, was not pacing with papers he had collected on his own. Estelle stood beside him, carrying a slim leather portfolio, erect with a quiet confidence that was almost majestic.The members of the board were already seated—Dean Morrison had recused himself because of the intricacies of the previous case, and Vice Dean Patricia Sullivan was sitting in his stead. Dr. Wells was present again too, and three other staff members that Lucas was familiar with but had never had direct dealings with. They all looked up when Lucas and Estelle entered, and Lucas saw something dart across their faces when they saw Estelle with him.Acknowledgment. And a warning that was unfortunately familiar."Ms. Johnson," Vice Dean Sullivan said, her

Chapter 44The letter arrived on a Wednesday morning, and Lucas knew that it must be bad before he even opened it. The email address was that of Rebecca Hartman, Director of Recruitment at Sterling Financial Group—the premier investment bank to which Lucas had been a top contender for their summer analyst program. He'd interviewed three weeks prior, before the second wave of academic accusations, and the interview had been wonderful. Rebecca had basically presented it to him with the conditions of a background check and reference verification.The subject line now was: RE: Summer Analyst Position - Application Status UpdateLucas opened it with fingers that had come to tremble at mere sight of business mail.Dear Mr. Johnson ,Thank you for your interest in Sterling Financial Group's Summer Analyst Program and for interviewing with our team.*Upon review and careful consideration, we have decided to explore other candidates whose background more accurately aligns with our requirement