Chapter 98: The Kneeling Director

Director Lock felt his mind spinning into absolute chaos.

How did things spiral completely out of control to this catastrophic point?

Initially, he had merely suspected Julian of cheating, intending to punish him strictly to uphold discipline. But later, because Julian kept talking back and bruising his fragile institutional ego, his authority as Head of Academic Affairs felt personally violated. Blinded by furious rage, he had allowed himself to be baited into making a reckless, fatal bet with a student...

He could easily have just let Julian prove himself through a normal proctored re-test. If Julian failed, he would have been expelled anyway, and there never would have been any need to wager his own career on a foolish ego trip!

"Principal Smith... I was wrong! I deeply, sincerely know I was wrong!"

Director Lock shrieked, his face drained of all color as he began crawling forward on the floor. "Please... please give me one last chance! I swear on my life I will never question or target a student so casually ever again!"

Principal Smith let out a cold, merciless scoff. "Director Lock, a bet is a bet. Since you had the absolute arrogance to make a high-stakes wager with a student in front of the entire faculty and student body, you should have fully anticipated this exact humiliating outcome."

Realizing that Principal Smith was entirely immovable and offered zero hope of salvation, the desperate academic director scrambled across the floor and threw himself directly toward Julian’s feet.

Plop!

He slammed his knees hard against the hard floor tiles, looking up at Julian with tear-filled, pathetic eyes.

"Julian... Brother Julian! I shouldn’t have blindly accused you of academic fraud! I was merely momentarily blinded by temporary greed and professional vanity, which is why I treated you so unfairly. Please... I am begging you, have mercy and forgive me just this once!"

Julian stood tall in front of the Head of Academic Affairs, looking down at the ruined man with a cold, unfeeling gaze.

In his original world, he had been a low-level working-class stiff, an orphan who had long since seen through the cruel, fickle nature of human relationships.

Forgive him?

He was certainly no selfless saint.

"Director Lock..." Julian chuckled lightly before shaking his head with a mocking smirk. "Ah, my mistake. From the very second I claimed first place, you lost the bet. You are no longer the Head of Academic Affairs."

"I suppose I should address you as Mr. Lock now."

"Mr. Lock, weren’t you just acting all high and mighty up on that podium? Where did all that arrogant confidence go?"

Off to the side, Victoria Sterling watched Julian standing triumphantly in the center of the aisle, an expression of profound indulgence and burning affection filling her dark eyes.

Heh—

She couldn’t help but let out a soft, delighted chuckle. Her voice carried a bubbling, melodic note of pure joy.

Secretary Evelyn blinked, glancing sideways at her boss in quiet bewilderment. President Sterling is actually laughing so happily right now.

Curious, Secretary Evelyn whispered, "President Sterling, may I ask what you find so amusing?"

Victoria curved her crimson lips into a wide, radiant smile. "I’m just watching something extremely entertaining."

Entertaining? Secretary Evelyn looked even more puzzled. She had been standing right there the entire time, yet she hadn’t spotted a single thing funny about a man begging for mercy on the floor.

Meanwhile, Principal Smith noticed that President Sterling had been fixing her gaze entirely on Julian Vance—and smiling tenderly the entire time.

A sudden, flashing realization struck the principal. He was over fifty years old and had spent decades navigating high-society politics; he naturally understood what a powerful woman’s undivided, soft gaze signified.

It was now undeniably crystal clear: President Sterling had come to Capital University today exclusively for Julian Vance’s sake!

Since that was the concrete reality, he had to go above and beyond to aggressively curry favor with Julian and ensure the young man was pampered and protected within the university walls at all costs.

Perhaps... if he played his cards right, not only would he successfully retain his position as university president, but he might even secure a massive corporate sponsorship or a raise directly from the Sterling Group!

"Julian Vance," the ruined former academic director stammered, twisting his face into an ugly, fawning smile as he looked up from the floor. "The... the only reason I treated you the way I did earlier was because I genuinely believed you were the kind of despicable student who would resort to academic fraud by any means necessary."

"As long as you are willing to forgive me, Julian, I will personally do everything in my power to make up for my terrible mistake and treat you like royalty in the future!"

The disgraced director pleaded with absolute, groveling humility.

Julian’s expression remained completely frozen and indifferent. "I’m terribly sorry, Mr. Lock, but the only thing I want right now is for you to be permanently driven out of Capital University."

Principal Smith stepped forward immediately, seizing the opening.

"All right, Director Lock—let me repeat what I said: a bet is an absolute bet."

"Effective immediately, you are officially stripped of all titles and expelled from the faculty. You will pack your belongings and depart from Capital University right this second."

The former academic director slumped heavily against the floor, his mind spinning into complete chaos. How on earth did I manage to get fired in a single day...?!

"Principal Smith! Please, I’m begging you, give me one more chance!" the man cried out, refusing to surrender his hard-earned status.

He lunged forward, resuming his frantic kowtowing and begging for mercy.

Looking thoroughly disgusted and impatient, Principal Smith signaled to two burly campus security guards standing by the doorway. "Drag this eyesore of a disgraced official off the campus grounds immediately."

He couldn’t afford to keep someone like that around a moment longer; the man was a walking eyesore polluting President Sterling’s field of vision.