Chapter 9 - The Reckoning
Hunter groaned in pain as the officers dragged him violently to his feet.
Blood poured freely from his broken nose, completely ruining his expensive designer shirt.
He looked absolutely pathetic, stripped of all the arrogant power he had projected for years.
Arthur explained to the stunned room that he had known about Hunter's massive fraud for weeks.
He had worked closely with the federal agents to set a completely unavoidable trap.
He deliberately used his private equity firm to buy the university grant just to force Hunter into the open.
Hunter's fragile ego and desperate need for control had made him completely predictable.
Barbara suddenly dropped to her knees and began begging Selena for absolute mercy.
She cried hysterically, claiming Hunter had forced her to participate in the cruel sabotage.
She swore she had always loved Selena like a true, biological daughter.
Selena looked down at the sobbing woman who had violently hacked her hair just hours ago.
She felt absolutely nothing but cold, empty pity for the miserable creature.
She firmly told the police officers to remove the garbage from the academic auditorium.
The officers dragged a screaming Hunter and a weeping Barbara out through the heavy wooden doors.
The terrifying sounds of their panic slowly faded down the long brick hallway.
The oppressive tension in the massive room finally dissipated into thin air.
Professor Evans let out a long, exhausted breath and picked up his favorite fountain pen.
He looked at Selena with eyes full of overwhelming pride and deep respect.
He signed his name on the very bottom line of her official doctoral paperwork.
The other committee members quickly followed suit, eagerly finalizing her incredible triumph.
The dean formally shook her hand and welcomed the new doctor to the highest ranks of academia.
Arthur walked over and pulled his brilliant daughter into a massive, tearful hug.
He told her how incredibly proud her late mother would have been to see this moment.
Selena finally allowed herself to truly smile, feeling the immense weight lift off her shoulders.
She had survived the darkest night of her life and emerged completely victorious.
She packed her laptop and her official paperwork into her bag, ready to start a beautiful new life.
She walked out of the university building, stepping directly into the bright, warm morning sunlight.
She felt completely invincible as she hailed a cab to take her to a celebratory lunch.
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But as she settled into the leather seat, the cab driver handed her a small, perfectly wrapped black box.
"A gentleman asked me to give this to you specifically, ma'am," the driver mumbled quietly.
