Chapter 36 Harper #3
“Now, that won’t be necessary…” Sterling began.
“It is necessary,” Orion said. “All of it is necessary. She is the rightful winner. Not only because I cheated, but her project is better. She deserves it.”
Sterling’s mouth made a grim line, and he conferred with his lawyer. I risked a glance at Langford, who sat back, a smug smile on his face. Forgotten. Off the hook. Free to do what he did to me to someone else.
“Very well,” Sterling said finally. “Harper will accept first prize, and Orion will be disqualified.”
“Now, hold on,” Rockwell began. “Is this the right solution?”
“Forget the bloody prize, what about Langford?” Orion demanded. “What about what he did to her?”
“Sit down, Orion…”
“This meeting is over,” Sterling said, his voice rising. “After the award ceremony—”
“Did you tell Harper the outcome of the competition?” Ezra Wolfe asked Langford smoothly, his voice cutting through the mayhem.
Silence fell.
Langford cleared his throat. “Excuse me?”
“You said she was upset about the committee’s decision, but the announcement hadn’t been made yet. How did she know she lost?”
“Oh, well…she must’ve assumed.”
“She assumed that she had lost the prize and got emotional and started throwing around accusations and threats?”
The Mercers and Sterling exchanged glances. Orion resumed his seat, listening intently.
“I’ll ask one more time,” Ezra said, his voice deadly soft. “How did she know she lost?”
I refused to look at Langford, but I heard the desperation creeping into his voice.
“I—I don’t recall. I may have said something about the way the discussion was leaning.”
“Ah,” Ezra said. “I am but a mere pianist, but it strikes me as odd that you discussed the committee’s deliberations with a student.”
“Vincent,” Langford appealed to Sterling. “This is ridiculous…”
Sterling pursed his lips. “Answer the question, Ian.”
Langford’s chair creaked. “I was trying to manage expectations.”
“I see,” Ezra said. “It sounds like you had a lengthy conversation when earlier you said that it was a short interaction.”
The mood in the room had shifted. Sterling was regarding Langford with a sour expression.
“I have one more question,” Ezra said. “What happened to your face?”
“My…?”
“Face. You’ve a wee cut on your jaw. It looks fresh.”
His hand flew to the small cut on his right jawline. “Oh, I…I must’ve cut myself shaving.”
I examined my ring closer. There was dried blood on the pearls, maroon staining the white. I hadn’t even noticed, my body had been so hijacked by fear and anxiety from being in the same room with my attacker. Hope flared in my chest.
“That’s not from shaving,” I said. “I hit him.”
Dr. Sterling turned to me. “Come again?”
“I fought him off,” I said. “I kicked him in the groin and backhanded him. My ring hit him in the face. You can still see the blood.”
“That’s ridiculous.” Langford scoffed. “This whole thing is utterly ridiculous.”
Sterling frowned. “Was there a physical altercation, Ian? Just how close were you to her?”
“No, I… If she struck me, I don’t recall. Or she did, but I didn’t consider it relevant.”
“You didn’t consider it relevant.” Ezra laughed darkly.
“That’ll do, Professor Wolfe.” Dr. Sterling sighed and ran his hands down his face. He consulted with the lawyer again and then nodded, resigned. “Given this new information, I have no choice but to suspend Dr. Langford without pay, pending a full inquiry.”
“Vincent, please—”
“Ian, this conversation has crossed into a legal matter. I’m going to ask you to excuse yourself while we determine the next course of action.”
Langford slowly got up, straightened his tie, and stepped out. The instant the door closed behind him, a tight band around my chest loosened. Ezra reached over and patted my hand. I grabbed his and held on tightly.
“Miss Bennett, this is all deeply regrettable,” Sterling said. “We will conduct a full inquest, but I hope that presenting you with the Novus Prize will be the first step in making things right. Today at the ceremony.”
Ezra snorted. “Of course. The show must go on.”
All eyes turned to me.
“Sure,” I said. “I’ll take it. I am, after all, desperate for the money.”
My sarcasm was lost on Sterling, who sighed with relief. “Thank you. Now, if there’s nothing else?”
“May we speak with our son privately?” Rockwell said stonily.
“Yes, of course,” Dr. Sterling said. “You may have the room.”
Ezra and I stood, and I met Orion’s gaze. For the first time since Dean’s death, there was life in his eyes. A spark. And in that spark, love for me. I held it carefully, like something precious that had survived a storm, and went out.
In the hallways of the Academy, safely away from that horrible office, I turned to Ezra. “I don’t know how to thank you.”
“You don’t have to thank me for a thing,” he said. “I admit, I’m surprised that you took Sterling up on his offer, but I have a feeling you have your reasons.”
“I do. I—” I began and then felt a light touch on my arm.
“Harper?” came a watery voice.
“Sierra?”
Sierra Hart’s face was tear-streaked, her eyes red and swollen. “Can we talk?”