Chapter 4 - THE PARENTAL FURY
Richard finally yanked his arm back with a violent jerk, stumbling backward into a row of unoccupied folding chairs.
He straightened his navy blue suit jacket, panting heavily as he glared at Ethan with pure, unadulterated hatred.
"You're finished at this university, Brooks! I'll make sure your scholarship is revoked before the sun sets today!" Richard screamed.
Dean Harrison finally stood up from his chair, holding up a hand to restore a semblance of order to the ceremony.
"Mr. Vance, please, let's take this discussion backstage away from the media and the graduating class," Dean Harrison urged nervously.
Eleanor stepped onto the stage, marching directly up to Ethan and jabbing a sharp fingernail into his chest.
"You're siding with a liar and a fraud? She forged her entire senior thesis to spite us!" Eleanor hissed viciously.
Ethan didn't flinch away from her touch, maintaining his protective stance directly in front of Chloe.
"She didn't forge anything, Mrs. Vance. I helped her compile the primary research sources for that thesis," Ethan stated clearly.
Eleanor's face drained of color for a split second before twisting back into an arrogant sneer.
"A couple of poor scholarship kids covering for each other's academic dishonesty. How disgustingly predictable," Eleanor mocked.
Chloe slowly rose to her feet, her forest green gown rustling softly in the afternoon wind.
"I never lied about my grades, Mother. You just refused to look at the actual transcript because it didn't match your elite social calendar," Chloe fired back.
Her voice lacked its previous tremor, replaced by a cold, hardened resolve that stunned her parents into silence.
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Richard took a threatening step forward, but two university security guards finally reached the stage and stepped between them.
"Sir, you need to step back. Any further disturbance and we will have to escort you off the premises," the lead guard warned.
