Chapter 2 - The Fall of the Chair
Professor Larkin’s face flushed a deep, mottled crimson. He stood up from his chair, slamming both hands down on the desk.
“Mr. Thorne, or whatever your relation is to the candidate, you are out of order!” Larkin barked, his voice cracking slightly with panic. “This is an academic proceeding, not a courtroom drama. Security! Please escort this individual out of the building immediately.”
Two campus security guards stationed near the rear doors took half a step forward, their eyes shifting toward Adrian for confirmation.
Adrian stepped out of the shadows, his face hardening. “Yes, get him out. He’s clearly unhinged. His daughter’s academic career has just imploded, and he’s lashing out.”
My father didn't flinch. He didn't even look at Adrian. Instead, he raised his phone higher, walking slowly down the center aisle toward the front of the auditorium.
“You might want to hold off on security, Professor Larkin,” Robert said smoothly, his eyes locked on the external examiner. “Especially since the file I am holding isn't just a copy of my daughter’s dissertation. It’s an encrypted stream of data currently mirroring to three separate federal servers, the Wall Street Journal investigative desk, and the State Attorney General’s office.”
Professor Sterling, sitting at the faculty table, let out a sharp gasp. He half-stood from his chair, his voice trembling. “You... you can’t do that! That’s a violation of academic privacy laws!”
Robert stopped five feet from the faculty podium. He turned his head slowly, fixing his gaze on Department Chair Sterling.
“Hello, Arthur,” my father said softly. “It’s been a long time since our days at the federal oversight board. Tell me, does Cole Biotech still pay your consulting fees through an offshore shell company in the Cayman Islands, or do they wire it directly to your suburban mortgage account?”
Sterling turned the color of curdled milk. He dropped back into his chair, clutching his chest, his mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water.
The entire audience erupted into absolute chaos. Whispers, gasps, and shouts echoed off the mahogany walls.
“Order! I demand order!” Larkin shouted, banging a heavy glass water pitcher against the podium, though nobody was listening to him anymore.
I stood at the podium, watching my father with a deep, fierce pride blooming in my chest. I had spent months believing I was fighting this battle alone—a lone graduate student up against a multi-billion-dollar pharmaceutical giant and a toxic marriage. I didn't know that my father had been quietly tracking Cole Biotech’s financial footprints for over a year, waiting for the exact moment their corruption intersected with my research.
“Mr. Thorne, this is outrageous!” Adrian yelled, pushing his way down the aisle, his composure finally cracking into naked fury. “You’re making wild, defamatory accusations against a public corporation and university officials. I am the general counsel for Cole Biotech, and I will personally ensure you and your daughter face immediate federal prosecution for corporate espionage!”
My father turned slowly to face Adrian. A cold, razor-sharp smile touched my father’s lips.
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“Ah, Adrian,” Robert said, his voice dripping with ice. “My former son-in-law. Or should I say... my soon-to-be-former son-in-law, considering the domestic assault charges currently being processed by the municipal police department based on the smartwatch recording your wife uploaded to my phone at 1:19 a.m.”
Adrian stopped dead in his tracks. The color drained completely from his face, leaving him looking like a ghost under the fluorescent lights.
