Chapter 306

The note stayed on my mind all the way home to the apartment. After I pulled into the garage, I read it aloud.

“You should be ashamed of yourself! Drop out and go to school somewhere else where they don’t mind being in classes with a Beta-lover like you.”

Why was I receiving this much hate for pointing out a lack of diversity? I was disappointed in my fellow students. How did young people become this intolerant of others?

But it wasn’t going to scare me away or make me stop writing my report.

I went upstairs to the apartment and made myself an iced coffee before sitting down at my computer.

The email from Dr. Clark was waiting for me. I downloaded the files and began reading the data.

Dr. Clark kept track of her student’s grades, attendance, and whether they graduated or not. The university divided them by their class: Alpha, Beta, Omega, or hybrid, and their age and their family’s income.

I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. Dr. Clark's records went back ten years. The discrimination had gotten worse over time.

At the beginning of the decade, the Betas and hybrids comprised five percent of the students. Now, they are less than one percent. There had never been an Omega student at Frampton University.

The dropout rate of Betas and hybrids was triple that of Alphas despite the Betas having higher grades and better attendance.

Something had to be done about this unfair situation. I stood and stretched.

I was thrilled that Dr. Clark offered to connect me with Shane Ross. What a fantastic opportunity to learn. I have read many of his published articles. They were hard-hitting pieces that evoked discussion and change.

I took my glass to the kitchen and heard Victor enter the apartment.

“Sweetheart,” he called.

“I’m in the kitchen,” I answered.

Victor hurried to my side and kissed me.

“How was your first day of college?” he asked.

I sighed. “I was almost expelled.”

“Yeah, right.” He thought I was kidding.

“At lunch, I was called into the University Provost’s office,” I said. “People reported me for what they called, ‘trying to stir up trouble.’”

“You? No way!” Victor tossed his head back and laughed. “Who were you sticking up for this time?”

I crossed my arms over my chest and gave him side-eye. “Betas again. And the university was serious about expelling me if I asked any more questions about why Betas and hybrids are less than one percent of the student body.”

“You wouldn’t believe how Alpha-centric the curriculum is,” I added. “And now I learned that the dropout rate for Betas is much higher than for Alphas. After what happened to Amy and Heather, I can’t let this go.”

Victor took me into his arms. “I wouldn’t expect you to ignore it. It’s not who you are. I’ll help you in any way I can.”

I rubbed his nose with mine. “I knew you’d offer, but my Ethics professor knows Shane Ross. She’s going to arrange for me to meet him.”

“That’s great, sweetheart,” Victor said. “I’d like to meet him too.”

“Sure, maybe we can have dinner with him,” I suggested.

Near my computer, Victor found the anonymous note that was left on my windshield. His jaw tightened as he read it.

“What’s this?” he asked.

“Fan mail,” I joked. “Some coward left it on my car. It was probably the same Alpha girls who turned me into the provost.”

I thought it would be best to change the subject.

“How was your day?” I asked.

“Quiet and uneventful for a change,” he replied. “Nothing went wrong, and none of my work was stolen and altered.”

“That’s good news,” I said. “What do you want to do about dinner?”

“I’d like to eat here,” he said. “I have financial reports to go over before tomorrow morning. They must be accurate for a meeting.”

“I’ve got some reading assignments to do,” I said. “Let’s order take out and then curl up on the couch together with our work.”

He pulled me closer and kissed me. “That sounds good, my love. Order anything you want to eat as long as they deliver. I want to finish this report before bedtime.”

He kissed me passionately to let me know why he wanted his work finished by bedtime.

I kissed him back, matching his passion. I suddenly couldn’t wait to go to bed.

“I know exactly what I want,” I said seductively.

“What?” he asked.

“A nice oily sub sandwich with lots of veggies on it,” I replied with a giggle.

“That sounds good,” Victor said. “A menu from the best sub shop in this neighborhood is in the drawer next to the fridge. They deliver, and they have my credit card number on file.”

“I’ll take a large roast beef sub,” he added.

“I’ll get you a drink,” I told him. “Go on into the living room and get started on your financial reports. I’m looking forward to bedtime.”

He grinned and grabbed his laptop.

When our subs arrived, I put them on plates and took them into the living room. Then, I curled up beside Victor and ate while reading my History of Journalism textbook.

I cleaned up the supper mess before studying my Ethics notes. It felt great to be learning again.

Victor’s handsome face was a mask of concentration. He didn’t notice I was staring at him, so I returned my eyes to my notes.

It was good that the faction didn’t make his day worse. Hopefully, they were getting tired of playing games.

I was putting everything into my backpack for morning when I heard Victor swear. He never used that kind of language around me before.

My head swiveled to his face, and I could feel his frustration and anger wash over me. Something was very wrong.

“What happened?” I asked. I put my hand on his arm and felt his muscles tighten.

Instead of answering my question, he picked up his phone. He dialed a number, stood, and began to pace the room.

“Chloe,” he barked into the phone. “What do you mean?” He listened impatiently to her explanation.

“They hacked Simon’s work email?” Victor asked Chloe. He listened to Chloe speak again.

“Thanks for letting me know, but this can’t continue,” Victor told her. “We need new protocols in place by next month.”

He hung up and stood silently with his back to me.

“You may as well go to bed, Daisy,” he said. “I have to work for a few more hours.”

“Can I help?” I asked.

“No.” He ran a hand through his hair and turned around. “The report I worked on all evening was fake. The faction hacked our financial officer’s email and sent Chloe one they made up.”

“She didn’t know until now?” I still didn’t trust her. A lot of Victor’s problems started when she did.

“No, Simon, our Chief Financial Officer, notified her by phone a short time ago and sent her the real report,” Victor replied. “I must finish the report and check it thoroughly before I can go to bed. It must be accurate for that meeting in the morning with the council.”

“But it’s getting late,” I protested.

“I’m sorry, Daisy,” he said. “You’ll have to go to bed without me. I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

“I understand, but I wish I could help you,” I said.

He put his arms around me. I sensed he was losing hope the situation would ever be fixed. “I wish you could, too, my sweet love,” he said. “I’ll make this up to you tomorrow.”

I kissed him lightly. “Don’t worry about it. Can I make you a pot of coffee before I go to bed?”

“That would be nice,” he replied.

I made the coffee, put it in a thermal carafe, and took it into the living room.

“Thank you. Good night,” Victor said, already lost in the report.

I went into the bathroom to take a shower. Guilt was making me feel sick, and a few tears mixed with the hot water.

The faction was still freely spying on Victor and others at the Association, and I knew how they were doing it. But if I told him now, I would be putting my father’s life in danger. I had to wait for his return on Sunday.

I would get into the bed alone, but how could I sleep knowing what Victor was going through was partly my fault?