Chapter 408 A Reputation on the Line

Chapter 408: Chapter 408 A Reputation on the Line

Caleb was usually the calmest person in the room, but today his expression was grim, his jaw tight with anger.

Rose looked at him in confusion. “Rumors?”

Caleb grabbed her arm and hurried her toward the building.

“It’s already blown up across campus. People are saying you have a messy personal life and that you slept your way into your academic position.”

He struggled to get the words out.

There were far uglier things being said on the university forum, but he couldn’t bring himself to repeat them.

The moment he’d seen the posts that morning, his blood had boiled.

Rose’s expression hardened. She gave a humorless laugh.

“How did this happen so suddenly?”

“I don’t know. But the entire university knows about it now. It spread ridiculously fast.” Caleb frowned. “You’ve always been in the spotlight. Everyone praises you for becoming an associate professor at twenty-seven, but there are plenty of people who resent you for it. Give them one scandal, and they’ll happily tear you apart.”

Caleb understood people all too well.

Rose was simply too accomplished. She didn’t spend her time networking or flattering people, and she certainly didn’t make an effort to win everyone over.

Now, people who barely knew her were judging her based on a handful of vicious posts.

Rose finally understood the strange looks she’d been getting all morning.

“What’s the university doing about it?”

Caleb’s expression darkened.

“Not enough, if you ask me.”

As they walked, Rose pulled out her phone and opened the university’s internal forum.

There were already dozens of posts about her, many of them trending.

One particular post had attracted the most attention.

Written in an intentionally sensational tone, it accused Rose of sleeping with multiple powerful men to advance her career.

According to the post, she had supposedly done whatever it took to marry into the Knight family years ago, including using sex to secure her position and connections.

Then, during her marriage, she had allegedly started an affair with a member of the Robinson family and even had an illegitimate child with him.

The post went on to claim that the Knight family had eventually discovered her “reckless private life” and thrown her out.

It also accused Rose of using her relationships with wealthy and influential men to obtain academic resources and professional opportunities.

The writer questioned her academic integrity and moral character, claiming that someone like her had no business teaching at NYU, much less being considered for promotion.

Rose scrolled down.

There were photographs attached to the post.

Some showed her walking around campus with Trevor.

Her face was perfectly clear, while Trevor’s had been deliberately blurred.

Others showed her standing beside Ryan at various events. His face had been blurred as well.

But anyone paying attention could tell they were two completely different men.

That only made the rumors worse.

The comment section was filled with people who seemed to have nothing better to do than tear her apart.

[Rose is completely unfit to teach! NYU needs to fire her.]

[I always wondered how someone so young could accomplish so much. Guess we know now.]

[She slept her way into every opportunity. You really can’t judge someone by their appearance.]

[I knew she didn’t have that kind of talent. Everyone needs to boycott her. Thank God this came out before her promotion review.]

[She even has an illegitimate daughter? Does anyone know who the father is?]

Rose’s anger rose with every sentence.

She stopped scrolling.

There was no point reading any more.

The truth was that the people around her had always known about her relationship with Ryan and her connection to Trevor. Those who mattered understood the situation, and no one had made a fuss.

She was divorced.

Moving on with her life was hardly scandalous.

But someone had deliberately twisted everything.

They had taken harmless photographs, stripped away all context, and turned them into a fabricated story designed to destroy her reputation.

And now they had dragged Ariel into it too.

Rose’s chest tightened with fury.

“Don’t worry,” Caleb said. “We’re already investigating.”

Rose pressed her lips together and took a slow breath.

“Okay.”

By then, they had reached the administration building.

Several senior university officials were already waiting inside.

Their expressions were grim.

This was no longer just gossip among students. The story had spread beyond campus, and if it continued escalating, it could seriously damage NYU’s reputation.

The vice president looked at Rose.

“Rose, do you have any idea where this came from?”

She shook her head.

“No.”

Caleb slammed his palm against the table.

“She’s my junior colleague. This is obviously a targeted smear campaign. Why are we sitting here questioning her instead of finding the person responsible?”

The vice president knew Caleb well.

He calmly pushed a cup of tea toward him.

“We know. And I believe Rose. But this has gotten much bigger than we anticipated.”

He sighed.

“It started circulating sometime early this morning. We were caught completely off guard and couldn’t contain it quickly enough. Now people outside the university are reposting screenshots and snippets without context.”

He paused.

“Several social media accounts have already picked it up.”

Caleb’s expression darkened.

“In other words, this has gone public.”

“Yes.”

The vice president nodded.

“Some accounts are using headlines like ‘NYU Professor Involved in Scandal’ without even naming her. But people have already traced the story back to Rose.”

In the age of social media, someone with Rose’s profile was bound to attract attention.

And once malicious people got involved, the situation could spiral quickly.

“Where’s the original poster?” Caleb demanded.

He hadn’t even touched his tea.

“We need to find them. Shut down the campus accounts spreading this. Remove the posts. And if necessary, we can push accurate information through the university’s official channels.”

The vice president gave him a warning look.

“Caleb, calm down. We’re already investigating.”

“Then what have you found?”

“We’ve requested the relevant account and network information through the proper authorities.”

The vice president folded his hands on the table.

“So far, we only know that the post was made through the university’s network. We haven’t identified the specific device or person responsible.”

Rose lowered her eyes.

That made things considerably harder.

If the person had been sitting somewhere on campus, there were hundreds of possibilities.

And if someone outside the university had simply gained access to the campus network, tracking them down would be even more difficult.

Caleb’s expression remained tense.

“What about Rose’s promotion review?”

The vice president sighed.

“You know how these things work. This isn’t just a personal dispute anymore. The story has reached the public.”

He looked at Rose apologetically.

“If we push her promotion through while the investigation is still ongoing, the university could face even more backlash.”

The room fell silent.

Rose understood what that meant.

This wasn’t simply about a few nasty comments anymore.

Someone had deliberately attacked her reputation at the exact moment her career was being evaluated.

If the situation continued, it could affect her promotion, her career, and everything she’d worked for.

Caleb’s expression grew darker.

Then he suddenly looked at Rose.

“There’s something else.”

Rose raised her eyes.

Caleb hesitated before asking quietly,

“Will this affect your wedding?”