Free Web NovelChapter 281: Chapter 281 Expelled
Rose couldn’t help but smile at his words.
She knew Trevor was joking on purpose.
But on his usually stern face, the expression looked all the more out of place.
She smiled and said, “Okay. Thanks for your help.”
As Trevor walked beside her, he glanced down at her. “No trouble at all.”
When they entered, Ryan and the others were already seated.
Today’s meeting was primarily to address Samantha’s case.
Because of the nature of the incident, the proceedings were drawing significant attention.
Several of the leaders present knew Trevor.
The university president also greeted him.
Leo had come specifically for this matter as well.
The moment he walked in and saw Ryan sitting beside Samantha, he frowned almost imperceptibly.
So, they still hadn’t gone their separate ways.
Even after everything Samantha had done.
He kept his expression neutral, however, and walked over to take his seat.
Samantha glanced around the room.
She showed no signs of panic or confusion.
In fact, she was convinced the matter would eventually blow over.
As long as NYU couldn’t produce any concrete evidence or determine the truth, Rose wouldn’t be able to pursue the matter any further.
As for her thesis...
As long as Ryan spoke to Max and helped smooth things over, the issue could be resolved easily.
Rose’s attempt to drag her down would only backfire.
“Regarding the leaked recording from the show, the university has verified its authenticity,” Leo said, looking at Samantha. “What do you have to say?”
Samantha pressed her lips together. “I can explain. The recording was maliciously edited and spliced. We never said those things. Rose and I do have personal conflicts, and the producer of that show happens to be Rose’s best friend. Naturally, anything involving me would be twisted against me.”
Hearing that, Rose almost laughed.
What a clever way to shift the blame.
Wasn’t Samantha simply trying to make everyone believe Diana had deliberately framed her?
“The producer is your friend?” the university president asked Rose in a low voice, frowning.
Rose nodded. “Yes. But my friend has professional integrity. I do not condone malicious smear campaigns or sophistry designed to evade responsibility.”
She looked directly at Samantha. “The tampering is one issue. Even if that investigation is still ongoing, I will also pursue Miss Hill’s plagiarism of my thesis. She publicly presented plagiarized work at a professional symposium. Such shameless and reckless behavior is an insult to medicine. I request that she be formally censured and expelled.”
Rose’s words were sharp and decisive.
The moment Samantha heard the words "formally censured and expelled," her expression changed dramatically.
“Rose, you’re settling a personal grudge!”
Formal censure and expulsion...
Was Rose trying to ruin her life?
If that really happened, she would be completely ostracized from the academic community.
No one, either at home or abroad, would ever take her seriously again.
It would be no different from being permanently nailed to the pillar of shame.
The Hill family was already under immense pressure because of the livestream scandal.
If this was added on top of that, it would truly destroy them.
“I’ve been framed! Whether it’s the accusation of tampering or plagiarism, I’ve been framed. I ask that the university reconsider.”
Samantha’s face was tense.
She shot Rose a cold, furious glare.
She refused to believe Rose could actually do anything to her.
With a sneer, she said, “Go ahead. Produce the evidence if you can.”
Trevor immediately understood.
The reason Samantha remained so confident was simple.
There was no conclusive evidence.
Turning slightly, he glanced at Ryan.
From beginning to end, Ryan had remained composed, neither interrupting nor expressing any opinion.
His calm demeanor clearly came from confidence.
Rose understood the situation as well.
Even if the plagiarism case went to court, Samantha would still have an excellent chance of winning with Ryan backing her and hiring the best legal team.
The situation...
Had reached a dead end.
The very source of Samantha’s confidence...
Rose cast Ryan a cold, almost mocking glance.
With someone so powerful standing behind her, it was no wonder Samantha had become so arrogant.
Leo frowned as well.
If things continued this way, Rose would suffer the consequences without any way to defend herself.
Just then, the conference room door swung open.
The university president’s secretary hurried in and leaned over to whisper something into both the president’s and Leo’s ears.
Their expressions changed immediately.
Then both men turned to look at Samantha—and Ryan seated beside her.
Samantha smiled faintly. “If there’s no final decision today, we can take our time. If we can’t reach a conclusion now, then next time...”
She slowly rose to her feet.
Casting Rose a mocking glance, she sneered.
“She’s simply overreaching.”
However, Leo slammed his palm on the table.
He adjusted his glasses and smiled. “What’s the rush? Miss Hill wants evidence? As it happens, the university has uncovered something quite interesting.”
Rose was taken aback.
Samantha’s heart sank as an overwhelming sense of dread crept over her.
“What is it?” she asked.
The university president gestured. “Bring it in.”
The secretary handed over a USB drive.
After it was plugged into the computer, surveillance footage appeared on the large screen.
One angle clearly showed Samantha.
Another displayed her computer screen as she typed, copied, pasted, and edited documents.
In the upper-left corner, the timestamp recorded every action to the exact second.
The moment Samantha saw the footage, her face turned deathly pale.
Wasn’t this...
The video of her accessing Rose’s computer that day?
Rose was stunned for a moment before confusion crossed her face.
Leo tapped the desk and looked at Ryan, who was quietly watching the screen.
“We have Mr. Knight to thank for this. Some time ago, he donated five state-of-the-art all-in-one workstations to the laboratory. When connected to a computer, they automatically activate a recording system that logs user activity. This footage was copied directly from Rose’s workstation.”
His gentle expression became serious. “There are detailed timestamps for every document that was modified or uploaded on Rose’s computer. Unfortunately... they match Miss Hill’s actions in this recording exactly—same date, same minute, same second. Not even a one-second discrepancy.”
The moment he finished speaking, Samantha’s face turned completely white.
Her knees nearly gave out beneath her.
She barely managed to steady herself against the desk before collapsing.
Her pupils trembled violently.
Her lips quivered in utter disbelief.
Those all-in-one workstations...
Actually had a feature like that?
Seeing her reaction, the university president suddenly remembered something.
“Mr. Knight,” he said, “if I remember correctly, you donated these machines to the research laboratory in Samantha’s name, didn’t you?”
That single sentence was enough.
The room fell into complete silence.
Even Samantha felt an icy chill spread throughout her entire body.
She had never imagined she would be undone by something like this.
Those machines had been imported at enormous expense to help elevate her status at the university.
They were meant to secure her position in the research team.
Instead...
They had become the very weapon that condemned her.
Rose found it equally unbelievable.
She turned to look at Ryan.
The man who had once lavished Samantha with endless favors.
But now...
If he had known this would be the outcome, would he still have arranged for those machines to be donated to NYU?
Ryan’s expression remained unchanged, though the light in his eyes shifted ever so slightly.
He stared at the surveillance footage for a long moment before narrowing his dark eyes.
“What exactly is the university implying?” he asked calmly.
