The Platonic Trap novel Chapter 34

"It doesn't sound like an investigation to me. It sounds like a conviction," Alistair noted smoothly.

The university officials practically jumped out of their skin. The dean stepped forward, sweating profusely as he tried to perform damage control. "You misunderstand, Mr. Zucker! We are absolutely conducting a thorough, impartial investigation!"

Desperate, the dean spun around and barked at the disciplinary staff. "Explain yourselves immediately!"

The staff member stammered out an explanation. "W-Well, sir, the drafts submitted by Ms. Stafford and Ms. Morgan have an unusually high overlap in structure and content. The probability of plagiarism is significant. Since academic fraud damages the university's integrity, we are investigating the matter and may need to involve the authorities."

"There's nothing to investigate!" Talbot snapped, his face cold, though he kept his volume in check due to Alistair's presence. "I asked Celia to help Evelyn edit her paper. Celia obviously resented it and decided to frame her out of spite!"

*Click.*

A near-silent metallic sound.

The pin of Alistair's cufflink brushed against the button of his sleeve.

It was a noise so faint it was barely perceptible.

But a dark, stormy emotion flared in his obsidian eyes. His long lashes cast shadows over his sharp features as the cold light caught his face.

His long, elegant fingers twitched ever so slightly against his side.

Having worked for Alistair for years, Ken heard that one sentence from Talbot and instantly put the puzzle pieces together.

To confirm his terrifying suspicion, Ken spoke up, his voice hard. "Why was Ms. Stafford obligated to edit Ms. Morgan's paper?"

Talbot had heard rumors that the Stafford family had a powerful 'backer.' He knew Celia had some older guardian whose name was never spoken aloud. Whenever he tried to dig into it, people just smiled cryptically and told him he was a 'lucky man.'

He had assumed it was just smoke and mirrors designed to make the Staffords look untouchable.

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