---- Chapter 6 With irrefutable evidence in hand, Aracely and Eldridge bypassed the university's lower-level administrators. Eldridge arranged a direct meeting with the Dean of the College and the Provost, two of the most powerful figures at Westbrook, presenting the forensics report in a sealed, confidential file. The atmosphere in the mahogany-paneled office was thick with tension. The evidence was damning. The recovered fragments of Aracely's thesis were compared against Cayden's submitted project proposals, revealing thematic similarities that Cayden had clearly lifted. The plagiarism report on Cayden's past work was a cascade of red flags, showing a pattern of systematic academic fraud. But the most explosive piece of evidence was a series of recovered text messages between Cayden and Gage. Cayden: Her thesis is almost done. It's good. Too good. Gage: So? What do you want me to do about it? Cayden: She's going to leave, Gage. She'll get into Harvard or Yale and she'll be gone. She won't need you anymore. Gage: She's not going anywhere. ---- Cayden: You need to make sure of that. We need to make sure she stays right where she belongs. The texts laid their motive bare. It wasn't just jealousy on Cayden's part; it was a desperate, shared need to keep Aracely under their control. For Cayden, it was about eliminating her competition. For Gage, it was about keeping his prized possession from escaping her gilded cage. The university, faced with a potential lawsuit and a scandal that could tarnish its reputation far more than a donor's anger, was forced to act. An official academic tribunal was convened. The hearing was a quiet, brutal affair. Cayden, stripped of her usual confidence, attempted to lie, but the digital evidence was irrefutable. She crumbled under questioning, her carefully constructed facade dissolving into panicked sobs. Gage was called as a witness. He tried to bluster his way through, claiming the texts were a misunderstanding, but under Eldridge's calm, pointed questions-which he had helped the tribunal's counsel prepare-Gage's story fell apart. He came across not as a star quarterback, but as a privileged, arrogant bully. The verdict was swift and decisive. Cayden Padilla was expelled from Westbrook University for gross academic misconduct, including plagiarism and the deliberate sabotage of another student's work. Gage' s involvement, while not directly academic, was deemed ---- a severe violation of the student code of conduct. The university suspended him from the football team for the remainder of his senior year, effectively ending any chance he had of being scouted by the pros. His name was stripped from the Dean's List. The fallout was immediate and public. The campus newspaper got wind of the story, and it exploded. "Star QB Implicated in Sabotage Scandal," the headline screamed. The narrative of Gage as the generous benefactor to the poor scholarship girl was shattered, replaced by the ugly truth. He was a cheat, a manipulator, who conspired with his secret lover to ruin the future of the woman he claimed to cherish. The Barton family tried to intervene, their lawyers making threats, their checkbooks open. But Eldridge had quietly forewarned the Patterson family elders. Disgusted by their relatives' dishonorable behavior, the Pattersons made a single, quiet call to the university's president, expressing their full support for the tribunal's decision. Against the weight of the Patterson's old-money influence, the Bartons' new-money bluster was useless. They were forced into a humiliating retreat. Gage and Cayden's lives unraveled. They became pariahs on campus. Friends abandoned them. They were mocked in the dining halls and whispered about in the libraries. Their public disgrace was absolute. Throughout it all, Aracely worked. In the sanctuary of Eldridge's guest cottage, she rewrote her thesis from the ---- recovered fragments and her own memory. It was a Herculean task, but her mind was clear, her purpose sharp. Eldridge acted as her mentor, reading her drafts, challenging her assumptions, and pushing her to make her arguments even stronger. Their conversations often drifted from economic theory to life, to ambition, to the nature of integrity. A powerful intellectual connection grew between them, a bond forged in mutual respect and shared purpose. One evening, as she was putting the final touches on her new and improved thesis, Aracely found an old folder from her freshman year. Inside was the official letter awarding her the prestigious Westbrook Founder's Scholarship. She had read it a hundred times, but tonight, her eyes fell on the letterhead for the private foundation that funded the scholarship. On its board of directors, listed in small, elegant print, was a name she now knew well: Professor Eldridge Patterson. She stared at the name, her heart giving a sudden, powerful lurch. He hadn't just helped her in her moment of crisis. He had been her secret benefactor all along. In "A Relationship Kept in The Dark" by CrushReel, the storyline unfolds as renowned photographer Jane finds herself drawn to the charismatic rookie model, Hector. Little does she know that Hector harbors a secret—he is actually the heir to a powerful business empire. As their romance blossoms, Hector grapples with concealing his true identity to capture Jane's heart. However, their love story takes a tumultuous turn when jealousy rears its ugly head, threatening to unravel the delicate balance they've built. This modern romance novel delves into themes of hidden identities, unexpected love, and the complexities of maintaining a relationship shrouded in secrecy. 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