My Roommate Called My Dad My Sugar Daddy? Oops, There Goes Her Fellowship Chapter 06

My Roommate Called My Dad My Sugar Daddy? Oops, There Goes Her Fellowship Chapter 06

The financial aid officer immediately opened Claire’s file.

“Claire, we need an explanation.”

Claire curled her fingers into her palms.

“My family is genuinely struggling.”

“Mr. Vance only paid me for occasional work.”

“I did not commit financial-aid fraud.”

Rachel asked, “Where is the employment agreement? Where are the time sheets and payment records? Why was none of this reported on your aid application?”

Claire fell silent.

The associate dean opened a different document.

“At the end of your report on Nora Shaw, you wrote this. ‘If the student in question is found ineligible for the fellowship, the spot should pass to the next candidate under the rules.”

“And you are the first alternate.”

Claire’s face tightened.

“I only recommended that the committee follow its rules.”

I looked straight at her.

“You weren’t afraid things would be unfair.”

“You were afraid that unless I was disqualified, you would never move up from first alternate.”

Her head snapped toward me.

This time, she could barely maintain the gentle act.

“You have everything.”

“You don’t understand what this chance means to me.

Something inside me snapped.

“So that makes it fine to destroy me?”

“I earned every grade on my record.”

“And the bag my parents gave me isn’t a tool for you to smear me with.”

“Claire, your financial hardship does not mean I owe you my future.”

The room went quiet.

After that, the rest of the evidence fell into place.

Ryan presented the remaining evidence one item at a time.

There were screenshots of her search history.

[Can a conflict-of-interest complaint disqualify a fellowship candidate?]

[Chat log generator.]

[How can the first alternate replace the selected candidate?]

All remaining color drained from Claire’s face.

She tried one last time.

“Those searches don’t prove it was me…”

The academic integrity officer cut her off.

“Campus IT has already identified the device used for those searches.”

“The device ID matches the laptop registered to you.”

Claire finally stopped talking.

Before the hearing closed, the associate dean announced the findings.

“Nora Shaw’s fellowship application is authentic and valid. Her candidacy will remain active.”

“Claire Hensley’s status as first alternate is suspended pending investigation.”

“The department is opening an investigation into the truthfulness of her report, her aid eligibility, her publication credit, and her conduct online.”

Claire sat rigidly in her chair without a word.

But I knew she would not accept the decision quietly.

Before the university released a statement, Claire moved first.

That night, another post appeared on the anonymous campus forum.

[A student on financial aid raises a concern and gets cornered by a wealthy classmate, her parents, her attorney, and a corporate executive.]

[I admit I may have misunderstood the identity of the man in the photo.]

[But does being poor mean you don’t even have the right to ask?]

[Why is she allowed to investigate me when I am not even allowed to question her?]

It was the same manipulation in a new form.

The comments flared up again.

[Even if the guy is her dad, carrying an $18,000 bag is still flaunting wealth.]

[OP went about it wrong, but her instinct wasn’t necessarily wrong.]

[A wealthy student brings a lawyer onto campus. That is intimidating.]

[Rich people always know how to use the rules to crush you.]

Reading it made my head pound and my chest tighten with anger.

Claire knew exactly how to shape the story.

She knew some people online do not care about the truth.

They only wanted a story in which someone powerless was being crushed by someone wealthy.

I did not respond.

I kept taking screenshots, recording the posts, and having the evidence formally preserved.

Ryan: [This post matters.]

Ryan: [She knew the facts from the hearing and continued misleading people anyway. That makes her intent much easier to prove.]

The next day, the department issued a short statement.

It did not disclose private details, and it confirmed only this much.

The allegations concerning N.S.’s financial support, academic eligibility, and alleged conflict of interest were

found to be materially false.

The photographs and audio had been selectively edited, and the chat screenshots had been fabricated and

circulated to mislead others.

The university had opened disciplinary proceedings.