Chapter 130.
The door closed behind Emilia.
She stood in the hallway for a moment, her fingers still wrapped around the strap of her little purse.
Her legs felt strangely weak. She had walked into that room thinking she knew what she was going to say.
She had walked out knowing absolutely nothing about what would happen next.
The hallway seemed longer than it had when she’d entered.
Emilia took a slow breath and started walking. Her eyes remained fixed ahead.
She didn’t notice the two men approaching from the opposite end of the hallway until they were only a few feet away.
The older man was speaking quietly.
Adrian walked beside him.
Emilia stopped. Her entire body went still.
Adrian saw her.
For the smallest fraction of a second, concern flashed across his face. It looked painfully soft.
Then it disappeared.
His expression became completely blank.
Emilia stared at him. Her lips parted slightly. "Adrian..." She whispered.
He didn’t stop.
He didn’t even look at her again.
He continued walking beside the older man as though she were a stranger standing in an empty hallway.
Emilia’s heart dropped.
She stood there watching him pass.
She swallowed.
Maybe this was different. Maybe he couldn’t afford to speak to her here.
Still, watching him walk past her without saying a word hurt more than she wanted to admit.
She turned her head slightly.
Adrian didn’t look back. The older man glanced at her briefly before continuing with him.
Emilia lowered her eyes.
Her fingers tightened around her purse.
She took another step, then her foot caught awkwardly against the edge of the carpet.
She stumbled.
A hand immediately caught her shoulder.
"Careful."
Emilia looked up.
The woman from the administrative office had stepped out behind her. She had followed Emilia into the hallway.
The woman gently steadied her. "Are you alright?"
Emilia nodded.
She wasn’t, but she didn’t have the energy to explain that. The woman kept her hand on Emilia’s shoulder. It was meant to be comforting.
Somehow, it only made Emilia feel smaller.
"You don’t have to be frightened," the woman said quietly.
Emilia looked toward the other end of the hallway.
Adrian was disappearing through another door.
Her eyes remained there.
The woman followed her gaze. Then she gently squeezed Emilia’s shoulder.
"Come. Your mum is waiting."
Emilia finally looked away.
She allowed the woman to guide her down the opposite corridor.
....
The boardroom was colder than Adrian expected.
The temperature was comfortable, but the atmosphere wasn’t. There were five people seated around the long table.
Three men, and two women.
Documents were arranged neatly in front of each of them. Photographs sat inside transparent folders.
His relationship with Emilia reduced to pieces of paper.
Adrian entered without hesitation.
The older man who had accompanied him stopped beside the door.
Adrian glanced at the room once. Then he walked to the empty chair. He pulled it out, and sat down.
He crossed one ankle over the opposite knee. His posture was relaxed, and almost indifferent.
One of the board members looked at him.
"Mr. Ashford."
Adrian met his eyes. "Yes?"
"We appreciate you coming."
"I was asked to." He rubbed his palms together, waiting.
The man nodded.
A woman sitting beside him opened the folder.
"Before we begin, I want to remind you that this meeting is part of an internal investigation."
Adrian nodded once.
"You understand the seriousness of the allegations?"
"Yes."
"Do you understand that your position as a faculty member places you in a position of authority over Miss Hayes?"
"Yes."
"And that the university has strict policies concerning relationships between faculty and students?"
"Yes."
His answers were short, and calm.
The woman studied him. "How long have you known Miss Hayes?"
Adrian leaned back slightly. "Since she enrolled."
"Professionally?"
"Initially."
The woman glanced down. "And afterward?"
Adrian’s expression didn’t change. "We became emotionally attached."
The board members looked at him.
Adrian continued. "The student became entangled with me due to naive feelings."
One of the men frowned. "Entangled?"
Adrian nodded. "She is young." He paused. "And inexperienced."
His fingers rested loosely against the arm of the chair. "Whatever feelings she developed, I should have recognized them sooner, and stopped it."
The woman looked up. "Are you saying the relationship was initiated by Miss Hayes?"
"No."
Adrian answered immediately.
The woman waited.
Adrian’s gaze remained steady. "I’m saying she may not have understood what she was getting herself into."
He let the words settle. "That distinction matters."
One of the men leaned forward.
"Did you pursue her?"
Adrian didn’t answer immediately.
His eyes moved briefly toward the photographs. Then back to the man. "I allowed the relationship to develop. I might as well have manipulated her."
The man wrote something down.
"So you acknowledge there was a relationship?"
"Yes."
"Was it romantic?"
"Yes."
"Physical?"
Adrian’s jaw tightened almost imperceptibly. "Yes."
The room became silent.
The woman turned another page.
"Did you ever threaten Miss Hayes?"
Adrian almost smiled. He leaned forward slightly. "What do you think?"
The woman looked at him.
Adrian’s eyes remained on hers. "Do I look like someone who would accept a no from her?"
Nobody answered.
Adrian leaned back. "That’s what I thought."
The woman slowly nodded. The man beside her began writing.
Adrian watched the pen move across the page. He knew exactly what he was doing. Every answer was another piece of evidence against him.
That was fine.
The first man looked up. "Did Miss Hayes ever express discomfort?"
"No."
"Did she ever attempt to end the relationship?"
Adrian paused. Then he replied. "Yes."
The room became still. "When?"
"A while ago."
"And what did you do?"
"I refused it."
The man’s eyebrows lifted. "You refused to end the relationship?"
"Like I said, I don’t take a no."
"Did you contact her afterward?"
"Yes."
"Why?"
Adrian looked down for a moment. Then he answered quietly. "To keep her attached."
The woman across from him studied his face.
"Do you love her?"
Adrian’s expression barely changed.
The question sat between them.
Instead, he looked directly at the woman. "That isn’t relevant."
"It may be."
"No." His voice remained calm. "What matters is that she is a student." He paused. "And I am a faculty member."
He looked around the table.
"Whatever feelings existed between us, the responsibility was mine."
The board members exchanged glances.
One of them wrote something down. Another looked toward the folder.
"Miss Hayes has maintained that the relationship was consensual."
Adrian clenched his fist secretly.
"She also denied being pressured."
Adrian swallowed slowly.
"She appears to be defending you."
Adrian’s jaw tightened. "She’s young."
The board member looked at him.
Adrian continued. "She may believe she’s protecting me." He leaned forward. "But she doesn’t understand the consequences."
His eyes hardened. "Don’t mistake her willingness to defend me for an understanding of the situation."
The woman frowned.
"Are you suggesting she doesn’t know what she’s doing?"
"I’m suggesting she is twenty-one years old."
Adrian’s voice remained measured.
"She’s a student. She’s emotionally involved. She may not fully understand the professional consequences of this."
He looked toward the photographs. "She shouldn’t have to."
The room was quiet.
The older man standing near the door watched him carefully.
Adrian knew what they were seeing.
One of the board members flipped through the photographs. "These images were taken over several months."
Adrian said nothing.
"Your relationship appears to have been ongoing."
"Yes."
"Did you conceal it?"
"Yes."
"Why?"
Adrian’s eyes lowered. "Because I knew it violated university policy."
The answer came without hesitation.
The man nodded slowly. "Did Miss Hayes know that?"
Adrian looked at him. "If the school informed her, then yes."
The woman wrote something down.
"And yet the relationship continued."
"Yes."
The woman closed the folder.
"Mr. Ashford, do you understand that this may have consequences for your position?"
"Yes."
"Your employment?"
"Yes."
"Your professional reputation?"
"Yes." Adrian nodded. "I understand."
"And you’re prepared for that?"
He looked at her. "If that’s what happens."
The woman watched him.
The board members looked at one another.
"I manipulated her, and now she needs your protection." Adrian’s expression remained calm. "If she loses her scholarship because of this, then you haven’t protected her."
The man frowned. "Mr. Ashford—"
"She worked for that scholarship." His voice sharpened slightly. "Her grades, her attendance, everything she’s done here."
He paused. "Don’t punish her because I made a mistake."
The woman stared at him.
The man slowly closed his pen. "And what do you believe should happen?"
Adrian didn’t hesitate. "She should continue her education."
The woman looked at him.
The room fell silent again.
Then one of the board members spoke. "Miss Hayes will be required to attend another hearing."
Adrian’s expression changed. "When?"
"In one week." He cleared his throat. "To determine the final outcome."
Adrian nodded once.
Then he asked the question that had been sitting at the back of his mind since he entered the room.
"What happens to her now?"
The woman answered calmly.
"There will be another hearing in a week. You would also be present. Until then, she would be monitored."
Adrian’s eyes narrowed. "Monitored?"
"Academically and socially."
His jaw tightened. "You mean invading her privacy?"
The woman sat straighter. "We mean ensuring there are no further complications."
The man across from him folded his hands.
"Mr. Ashford, given the circumstances, the university has an obligation to protect its students."
Adrian’s eyes hardened. "Then protect her. Don’t watch her." His gaze moved from one board member to another. "And don’t make her feel like she has to prove that she’s innocent."
The woman looked at him carefully. "You seem very concerned about her."
Adrian’s expression became unreadable.
"Of course I am." He sat back. "She’s the student in this situation."
The woman glanced down at her notes. "We’ll take your concerns under advisement."
Adrian nodded.
The man closed the folder. "For now, you’re free to go."