Chapter 2

The student advisor stood in the doorway, his face set hard.

Lowell's eyes lit up. He rushed over, the word out before he could stop it.

"Cousin!"

The advisor's face darkened, and he shot Lowell a fierce glare.

Lowell caught himself at once and changed course.

"Advisor, I'm the one who reported it. Thomas Fox faked his way through the civil-service exam. We already have plenty of evidence."

The other students jumped in right behind him.

"That's right, Thomas doesn't even meet the height requirement, his score wasn't as high as the top scorer's, and he still got hired. It's insane!"

I let out a cold laugh. Cousin?

No wonder that in four years of college, Lowell's family wasn't exactly struggling, yet the financial aid went to him every single year.

The advisor was always pulling me aside, telling me to look out for Lowell, to help him out more.

Turned out it was never about looking out for anyone. It was about fleecing me to prop up his cousin.

But I still didn't get it. They were going all out to pin this on me, to bury me completely. What were they actually after?

The advisor walked up to me, his voice ice-cold.

"Thomas, this school will not tolerate anyone of poor moral character. What do you have to say for yourself?"

I shook my head, my tone flat.

"Nothing to explain. My conscience is clear."

"Your conscience is clear?"

The students blew up on the spot.

"The nerve of him. He cheats and he's still this arrogant. His admission has to be revoked. Expel him, straight up!"

I laughed coldly.

"If I really cheated, are the top two written-test scorers idiots? Wouldn't they be the first to report me?"

Lowell looked like he'd been waiting for this. He whipped out his phone.

Pulled up social media and held it high.

"You've still got the nerve to say that? You bought them off!"

On the screen were posts from the number one and number two written-test scorers.

"Thanks to our man Thomas for treating us so well."

Attached were photos of us sitting inside a canvas ranch tent, hearty steaks and stiff drinks all around.

Below that was a record of the $70,000 I'd transferred to them.

"Look, everyone. This is the proof that Thomas paid off his competitors. It's absolutely sick!"

The crowd boiled over, and the cursing got even louder.

"Damn, he really shelled out the money!"

"Unbelievable. You can just buy your way through the civil-service exam? Is there no law anymore?"

"He has to be punished. A guy like this doesn't belong in this school!"

I laughed to myself. To nail me down, Lowell had really pulled out all the stops, even digging up the top two scorers' old posts overnight.

But what they didn't know was that the $70,000 was because the top two scorers had been gored by a bison at the interview and broken bones.

I'd fronted their medical bills.

Seeing that I wouldn't even bother to explain, a few of the more worked-up guys clenched their fists and edged closer.

If not for how solidly built I was, they'd probably have rushed me already.

The advisor gave a cold laugh and waved a hand, telling the students to step outside first.

"Everyone out for now. I'll talk with Thomas in private, and I promise you'll all get an answer."

The students filed out, still muttering curses. The advisor walked to the desk, tapping his fingers lightly against it.

His tone changed all at once, laced with a veiled temptation.

"Thomas, the school cares about its students. But this time you were really careless."

"To slip a rigged position into the civil-service exam, the connections behind you must be something special. Sky-high."

"Since you've got that kind of pull, how come you didn't know to cover your tracks better when you cheated?"

I kept my eyes down, toying with my phone, not wanting to say a single word.

Lowell snapped at me at once.

"Thomas, the advisor is talking to you. Watch your attitude!"

The advisor waved him off, swallowing his temper and forcing a thin smile.

"Thomas, this isn't something we can't work out."

"Right now only people at our school know about this. Those students outside, I can keep them quiet."

I finally raised my eyes and lifted a brow.

"Oh? And what would it take for you to be willing to keep it quiet for me?"

The advisor's eyes lit up. He pulled out a chair and sat down at once, leaning forward, his voice urgent.

"Simple. Have those connections of yours get me a department head position. No, a deputy dean position."

"And I'll bury this so deep no one will ever dare bring it up again."

Lowell leaned in too, greed all over his face.

"And me. You wired the top two seventy grand, so I get at least half a million!"

"Otherwise I'll keep reporting you until your name is ruined!"

I gave a cold laugh and glanced at the recording screen running on my phone. They'd finally shown their true faces.

All that righteous indignation earlier had been an act. When it came down to it, they just wanted to use my situation to cash in big.

A mocking smile curved at the corner of my mouth.

"And what if I say no?"