“Rumorshestarted!” Orion thundered, jabbing a finger at Langford.
“Orion, that’senough,” his father admonished.
“No, this can’t be all.” Orion shot to his feet, glancing around at everyone, and I loved him for it, even as I sat, dumbstruck and defeated. “I thought we were here for Harper. Forher.”
“Yes, and she told us her story,” Sterling said.
“Herstory?”
“But some things are bigger than one student,” he said, not looking at me. “This is the first Novus Science prize, and it was years in the making. It’d be a black mark on the Academy to have it fall apart at the eleventh hour. I propose we proceed as scheduled. Orion accepts his award and then—”
“The fuck I will,” Orion snapped.
“Orion,” his father scolded. “My God, that is quite enough.”
“No chance,” he said, shaking his head. “I’m not getting up there and accepting an award I don’t deserve.”
Sterling scrubbed his hands down his face. “And why not?”
“Because I cheated.”
My head snapped up. I looked again to Ezra, but he only watched and listened.
“Cheated?” Celeste Mercer said with a small laugh. “Darling, please.”
“I did. I got outside help. An envelope of ideas from Mercer Chemicals, and I used one to make my project. I didn’t win anyway. Langford himself said Harper did. The prize goes to her.” He turned to me. “I’m so sorry, love. I should’ve told you a long time ago. I never should’ve entered in the first place.” His voice thickened. “Maybe none of this would’ve happened.”
He straightened and faced Sterling.
“You can’t give it to me, and if you put me on the stage and hand me that award, I’ll tell everyone what happened and pass it right on to her.”
“Now, that won’t be necessary…” Sterling began.
“It is necessary,” Orion said. “All of it isnecessary. 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?”
“Sitdown, 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.”
“Sheassumedthat she had lost the prize andgot emotionaland started throwing around accusations and threats?”
