Arthur couldn't stop staring at his phone screen. The university's internal forum was flooded with comments about Elara—each one more vicious than the last.
"Did you see that Dubois girl? Stealing research and then acting like she's innocent."
"Professor Wright deserves better than having his career threatened by some plagiarist."
"She probably slept her way to good grades anyway. Have you seen how cold she is?"
My jaw clenched. These people knew nothing about Elara, yet they felt entitled to tear her apart. Philip stood silently beside my desk, watching my reaction carefully.
"Sir, should I arrange for our PR team to handle this?" he asked. "The Sterling name is being mentioned in some of these threads."
I scrolled through more comments. The accusations were baseless, built on rumors and spite. But rumors spread like wildfire, especially when fueled by jealousy.
"No," I said firmly. "Not yet."
