Chapter 10 - The First Briefing
Julian placed a firm, grounding hand on my shoulder, guiding me past my broken father without another word.
We stepped inside Dean Sterling’s private office. The room was lined with leather-bound law books, smelling of old paper, mahogany polish, and quiet power.
Dean Sterling closed the heavy oak door behind us, shutting out the sound of my father's desperate breathing in the hallway.
"Sit down, Ava," the dean said, gesturing to a leather armchair facing a massive oak desk.
I sat down, my hands folded neatly in my lap. On the desk lay a fresh manila folder stamped with the seal of the Ellison University Office of Legal Counsel.
"The board has formally voided all fraudulent loan applications tied to your social security number," Dean Sterling announced, sliding the documents across the table. "Furthermore, your independent scholarship status has been fully reinstated, backed by Mr. Rhodes’s endowment fund. Your tuition, housing, and administrative fees are covered in full for the next four years."
I looked up at Julian, who stood near the window, watching me with an expression of quiet approval.
"Thank you, Dean Sterling," I said, my voice finally betraying a slight tremor of emotion as the last heavy stone of anxiety lifted from my chest. "What happens next regarding the forensic audit?"
May you like
Julian stepped forward, resting his hands on the back of the empty chair opposite me.
"What happens next, Ava," Julian said, a sharp, confident smile breaking across his face, "is that we take our first case together. The firm your father used to secure those fraudulent bank loans has ties to a much larger corporate corruption ring in the city. And your family's little scandal is just the tip of the iceberg."
