From Ashes of Scandal to His Embrace (Laurinda) novel Chapter 477

Lucas froze for a split second when he spotted Laurinda. It was obvious he hadn’t expected to see her here. Still, he recovered fast, settling in at the table to her side without even glancing her way.

At the front of the room, Ladd started handing out the exam papers with zero ceremony. His voice was serious as he faced the seven of them. “No cheating. If I catch anybody, you’ll be banned from my lab forever.”

“The exam lasts an hour,” he went on. “You can hand in your paper early if you want. Start now.”

That was about all Ladd said before checking the time and taking a seat at the front. He propped a notebook on his lap and started reading, completely absorbed in his own work, barely acting like a proctor at all.

Laurinda didn’t have time to care what Ladd was up to. The moment the test landed in front of her, she dove in. Even after a quick glance over the questions, she could tell an hour would never be enough. The amount of work was intense.

Thirty minutes later, you could tell who was struggling. Laurinda and Lucas both looked calm, but the rest were clearly anxious. Sweat beaded on five foreheads, pens flying as if they were racing the clock, nobody even stopping to wipe their faces.

When time was up, Laurinda scribbled her final answer and set down her pen. Right then, Ladd snapped his notebook shut, stood up, and clapped his hands. It echoed across the room.

“Okay, that’s it. Papers in.”

One girl, the one who’d said hi to Teddy earlier, piped up desperately. “Professor Ladd, I’m almost done…” She kept writing, hoping for even a few more seconds, but before she could get another word out, Ladd reached over and plucked the pen right out of her hand.

Why would she need any kind of backdoor help? She wasn’t here for a spot in the lab like them. She just wanted to learn.

The guy glared at her, relentless. “Don’t pretend you don’t know. We all heard you talking to Professor Ladd before. You two know each other. You’re just here to go through the motions, skipping the line so you can get right into his lab.”

Another one piped up, piling on. “Everybody knows Ladd only accepts students from The Cabinda University. You’re not even enrolled here. Isn’t that proof enough you used some connection to get in? You’re a disgrace to the academic world, honestly—nothing but a parasite.”

Someone else couldn’t help but agree, their voice bitter. “Yeah, people like you, sneaking in through the back door, we can’t stand it. The rest of us are pulling all-nighters hoping for a shot, but you just skate in, maybe even get the answers ahead of time. It’s disgusting. Why should you get one of the spots we worked so hard for? It isn’t right.”