Patrick’s words set off a new wave of discussion among the crowd.
“What? She got into Helios but was forced to withdraw because of rumors? And her own father was the one who spread them? I can’t wrap my head around that.”
Everyone in Aurelis understood the significance of the Helios Institute for Advanced Minds.
It was the dream of every student, a place notoriously difficult to enter.
To hear that someone had gotten in only to be forced out was, at first blush, a terrible shame.
“If my kid got into Helios, I’d be ecstatic. Who would go there and cause trouble? Is he insane?”
Seeing the tide turning, Martin Doyle panicked and shouted, “She only got into Helios through shameful means! She was sleeping with one of the directors at the time, and that’s how they made an exception for her. I’m her father! I couldn’t stand to see her seducing old men just to get ahead, so I made her come back.”
“What? Natalie was sleeping with a director at Helios? That’s a bombshell.”
Victoria scoffed. “Listen to that. This woman will really do anything to get what she wants. It’s a good thing we threw her out of the Cross family. Now she’s no longer our problem. I suppose now she’s the Lockwood family’s disgrace.”
Marie added with contempt, “I doubt the Lockwoods are in the business of picking up trash. They were probably deceived. I bet they have no idea she seduced a director at Helios in her student days and was kicked out for it.”
The words from the three of them stirred up a fresh wave of disgust from the onlookers.
“That’s disgusting. She climbed the ladder by sleeping with old men.”
Martin Doyle's face visibly tensed with awkwardness, but he tried to sound tough. “I’m telling the truth! You were sleeping with a director at Helios.”
At that, Natalie turned to the police officer. “I’d like to file a report. He claims I had an affair with a director at Helios. I did not, which means I suspect I may have been the victim of a crime. I’ll have to trouble the police to bring the director from Helios here to confront Martin Doyle.”
Natalie then turned to the reporters. “I’ll leave this matter to all of you. I imagine this will be a story of great public interest. I’m sure the police will take this seriously. If their investigation reveals that Martin Doyle has publicly slandered a director of Helios and tarnished the institute's reputation, I imagine he’ll have powerful enemies coming after him from all sides!”
Martin Doyle’s face went pale. In his haste to smear Natalie, he had never imagined she would escalate the situation to this degree.
If they actually started investigating, he would be in deep trouble.

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