Chapter 9 " What secret ? " I pressed . ] Nora's eyes darted away , not daring to look at me . " I... I don't know the details . " ] " He only mentioned it once , when he was drunk . " " He said behind TH Corp was someone from college who was his enemy . " [ ] " That person knew about something disgraceful he did back then ... to get the graduate school recommendation . " ] My breathing almost stopped . ] ] I'd always known Marcus got into grad school through recommendation . He'd been student body president , excellent grades , a campus celebrity . ] Td always thought those honors were well - deserved . [ ] " What disgraceful thing ? " My voice was dry . " It seemed like ... academic fraud , " Nora's voice got even lower . ] ] " He took someone else's research , changed a few data points , and published it as his own paper . " ] ] " The classmate he plagiarized couldn't produce anything significant afterward , so his path to study abroad was cut off . " " And Marcus stepped on that person's shoulders to get the only recommendation slot . " I sat there , ice cold all over . [ ] So plagiarism had been carved into his bones since his student days . [ ] The brilliant young man I'd fallen in love with had been a shameless thief from the beginning . The so - called " baby , " the so - called " my sunshine " -all just carefully constructed masks . SatTH " That person ... is at TH Corp now ? " " Yes . " Nora nodded . " Marcus said that person had somehow tracked him down and kept trying to expose what happened back then . " ] " So Marcus was desperate to destroy TH Corp. " ] " He wasn't helping me - he was protecting himself . " ] " He wanted to use this lawsuit to completely destroy that person , so he'd never have a chance to speak up again . " ] Nora finally revealed the ultimate secret . ] So he'd destroyed my career not just to pave the way for his mistress . [ ] It was also to cover up his own dirtiest past . [ ] I was just another tool he used to eliminate evidence . ] How ridiculous . Looking at Nora's face full of remorse and hatred , I suddenly felt sorry for her too. We'd both been completely fooled by the same man . I stood up without looking at her again . Tell all this to the police and disciplinary committee . " " Whether you get lenient treatment depends on your own performance . " I walked out of the firm and called Vivian . " Vivian , help me investigate someone . -0 " Marcus's college classmate , had academic disputes , might now work at TH Corp. " Vivian's efficiency was consistent as always . ] Half a day later , a name appeared on my phone . ] Ryan Johnson . Current CTO of TH Corp. His resume showed he'd once been the most promising computer genius for that recommendation slot . [ ] I looked at this name and dialed Mr. Foster from TH Corp , who had been n my contact . " Mr. Foster , I need CTO Johnson's help . " [] " I need him to come forward as a witness . "