Chapter 4: Reclaiming the Stole
I didn't have to wait long for the university to come crawling back.
At 8:00 AM on Monday morning, my phone rang. It was the Chancellor's personal assistant, begging me to come into the administration building for an "urgent, confidential meeting."
I arrived carrying Noah in his carrier, wearing jeans and a simple t-shirt. I had nothing left to prove to these people.
I was ushered into a massive boardroom on the top floor. The Chancellor, the Dean of Students, and the university's head legal counsel were all waiting for me, looking incredibly nervous. They had spent the weekend doing damage control, terrified that I was going to sue the university into the ground for their sheer negligence in allowing an employee to alter official academic records.
"Please, sit down," the Chancellor said, gesturing to a plush leather chair. "Can we offer you anything? Coffee? Water?"
"I'm fine," I said, setting Noah's carrier on the table next to me. "Let's keep this brief. What do you want?"
The head of legal cleared his throat. "We want to begin by offering our deepest, most profound apologies for the... security breach regarding your academic profile. Caleb Miller's employment has been terminated, and the university is fully cooperating with the police investigation."
"And Vanessa?" I asked flatly.
"Vanessa Vance has been expelled, effective immediately, for academic fraud and violations of the honor code," the Dean said quickly. "Her diploma has been revoked."
The Chancellor slid a heavy, leather-bound portfolio across the mahogany table. On top of it rested the pristine white valedictorian stole.
"We have brought in an external IT auditor to restore your true academic records," the Chancellor explained, his voice practically trembling with the need to appease me. "Your perfect GPA has been reinstated. Your law school scholarship has been fully restored and guaranteed. And inside this portfolio is your actual diploma, bearing summa cum laude honors."
I looked at the white stole. A week ago, I would have killed to wear it. I had pulled all-nighters, skipped meals, and worked three jobs just to earn the right to put it around my neck.
But looking at it now, it just looked like a piece of fabric. My worth wasn't tied to their validation anymore.
"I'll take the diploma and the scholarship," I said, sliding the portfolio toward me. I pushed the white stole back across the table. "You can keep this. Put it in a display case to remind your registrar's office to update their cybersecurity protocols."
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The Chancellor looked stunned. "Are you sure? You earned this."
"I earned my future," I said, standing up and picking up Noah's carrier. "I don't need a costume to prove it. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a meeting with my new boss."
