Love Burned, She Rose Unscathed novel Chapter 800

"Is it really that difficult?" Mamie asked, her brow furrowed in confusion. "I mean, reporting Edna shouldn’t be that hard, right? If Carlson's got enough evidence, public opinion can punish her way faster than some drawn-out legal process."

Once the buzz gets going, the university would have no choice but to step in. Everyone's watching, after all.

Scales nodded, but his expression was skeptical. "Sure, from an efficiency standpoint, reporting is the quickest route. But did you really take a good look at that post?"

"I did," Mamie replied, puzzled. "I've read it several times. What's wrong with it?"

"Carlson used his real name to report."

"So what if it's a real-name report?" Mamie asked, genuinely baffled.

Scales let out a weary sigh, looking at Mamie's innocent face. "When a student reports a professor, there are only two outcomes: either the report is successful, and the professor gets punished, or it fails, and the professor continues as before. But either way, for the student, what's coming next is gonna be a nightmare."

Mamie frowned. "I get it if the report fails—the professor might retaliate, make life difficult. But why would it be bad if it succeeds?"

Scales raised an eyebrow. "If the report succeeds, then what?"

"Well, the professor gets fired, maybe even faces legal consequences!"

"Exactly. The professor gets fired, but what happens to the student? Especially someone like Carlson, who's in his final year of grad school, about to graduate—what does he do then?"

Mamie fell silent, the realization hitting her. If the professor got fired, Carlson might not graduate on time. Even if the school let him switch advisors, that would mean changing his research focus, starting all over again.

Scales explained, "Public opinion comes in waves; some louder than others. Right now, it's just internal. Only our school's students know. That's not enough."

Mamie took a sharp breath, "So you're saying the school might protect Edna?"

Roseanne nodded solemnly. "Protecting Edna is, in some ways, protecting the school's reputation."

"But everyone’s watching! Can the school really just cover it up like that?"

Scales chuckled dryly. "It's all about weighing the pros and cons. The school’s probably still on the fence. Once things start to tip one way or the other, that's when they'll act. Whether they protect or abandon her depends on which way the wind blows."

"So… is there anything we can do to help Carlson?" Mamie asked, hopeful. "Like, tip the scales in the direction we want?"