The Fake Doctorate
I was thrilled when I saw the job posting Diane had put online. The new hires academic credentialsbachelor's, master's, and doctoratewere identical to mine, all from the same university, in the same programs.
The moment my research was done, I rushed back to the office.
But something felt wrong the instant I saw the new consultant, Laura.
"Excuse me," I said, "but I don't remember ever seeing you in any of my classes."
1
"And who are you?"
Laura looked me up and down, her face a mask of confusion, completely ignoring my question.
I had come back in such a hurry that I hadn't even had a chance to check in with Diane, just asked the receptionist to take me straight to our new hire. The idea of working with someone who had walked the same academic halls was genuinely exciting. I thought maybe Diane had hired one of my old classmates.
But when the receptionist introduced me to this woman, I was utterly baffled.
Suppressing my confusion, I forced a smile. "I'm one of the consultants here. I've been away for a while. You must be the new Ph.D. we hired, right?"
At the mention of her doctorate, Laura's chin lifted, a smug look spreading across her face. "That's right. I'm Laura. And you are? What's your degree? Associate's? Bachelor's?"
I studied her closely, testing the waters. "I have my doctorate as well. What a coincidence! We actually attended the same university for all three of our degrees."
Lauras expression flickered, but she quickly composed herself. "Wow, what are the odds? Ha ha. Anyway, I have something to take care of, so I've got to run."
She tried to brush past me, but I stepped in her way. "It's strange, Laura. I was in that program for years, and I never saw you once. Who was your thesis advisor?"
"My advisor... he was..."
She stammered, unable to come up with a name. And in that moment, I knew. Diane must have been so swamped that she'd let someone slip through the cracks.
This woman's degree was a fake.
Just then, Diane walked over. She saw me and froze, the words tumbling out of her mouth before she could stop them. "What are you doing back?"
I frowned. Her tone it sounded like the last thing she wanted was for me to be here.
"My sabbatical is over, so of course I'm back," I said. "But that's not important right now." I turned my gaze to Laura, who was now staring at the floor. "Diane, I think there's a problem with our new hire's credentials."
Lauras head snapped up. "No, there isn't! You're lying!"
"We'll see about that," I said coolly. "All we have to do is check her file."
As soon as the words left my mouth, Diane and Laura shouted in unison.
"No!"
I looked from one to the other, a thought suddenly clicking into place. Diane and Laura... were they in this together?
A cold smile touched my lips. "Diane, don't tell me you knew her degree was fake. You know what the number one rule in our line of work is, don't you?"
Diane glanced at Laura, then back at me, her voice losing its confidence. "Of course, I know that. But you shouldn't be so paranoid..." Her words trailed off into a mumble.
"Fine," I said, my voice firm. "Laura, bring your file to my office. You too, Diane."
I turned as if to leave, but ducked around the corner and waited. Sure enough, the second I was out of sight, Laura grabbed Diane's arm, her voice a panicked whisper.
"Aunt Diane, what do I do? Am I going to get fired?"
Aunt?
So that was it. My suspicion was right on the money.
"Don't panic," Diane hissed. "Just tell her you left your file at home. We'll figure it out later."
"Aunt Diane, are you sure that'll work? What if she finds out...?"
"She won't!" Diane insisted, though it sounded like she was trying to convince herself. "In a few days, she'll forget all about it."
Having heard everything, I stepped back into the hallway. The color drained from their faces. I let a slow, deliberate smile spread across mine.
"An aunt, you say?" I asked, my voice dripping with ice. "You'd better start explaining. Now."
The awkward, guilty expressions on their faces fueled a rare surge of anger in me.
"Diane, if you want to hire your relatives, I don't have a problem with that." I paused, watching a flicker of relief in their eyes before I continued. "But to bring someone in without doing a basic background check, and now that her degree is clearly fraudulent, how can you possibly expect me to let her stay?"
Diane's face flushed with anger. She squared her shoulders. "Her degree is not a problem! She's been teaching here for months, and the parents and students are all very happy with her."
Her stubborn refusal to see reason was deeply disappointing. I closed my eyes for a moment. "Then show me her file. Let's see some proof."
Diane lowered her head, silent. We stood in a tense standoff until Laura couldn't take it anymore.
"Aunt Diane, just show her! We have nothing to hide!"
Laura spun around and stormed into the office before Diane could stop her. Watching Diane's anxious fidgeting, my suspicion grew.
A moment later, Laura returned, holding a personnel file. She arrogantly tossed it at my chest. "Here! Read it and weep!"
Her tone was humiliating, but I bit back my retort, bent down to pick up the file, and started to open it. A hand shot out, stopping me.
It was Diane, forcing a tight smile. "She's just a kid. Don't mind her."
"It's fine," I said, trying again to open the folder. Diane's hand remained firmly in place.
That was the last straw. I shoved her hand away and opened the file. As I read, my expression grew darker and darker. Laura was still preening nearby, but my heart had sunk into a pit of ice.
At first glance, the file looked perfect. The degree, the photo, everything was clearly documented.
But I knew. This wasn't Laura's file.
I looked up, my eyes locking on Diane.
Because this file... it was mine.
My hands began to tremble as I held the papers. I looked at Diane in disbelief. "Diane, can you explain this? Why does this file have my social security number and my dissertation title listed on it?"
Laura stared at me, then at her aunt, utterly shocked. Feeling our eyes on her, Diane shrank, her head bowing lower and lower. "I... I don't know..."
Even though I didn't want to believe it, the truth was staring me in the face. I had thought Laura had simply faked a degree and fooled Diane. I never imagined they were related. And I was furious to realize Diane had known all along.
But I never, ever would have guessed that the fake degree was mine.
And to think, I had been so excited to meet a former classmate. It was all a complete and utter fraud. What a scheme. They had simply swapped the name and photo on my records and handed them to Laura, effortlessly stealing my identity.
All those parents and students Diane claimed were so impressed with Laura they weren't impressed with her. They were impressed with the Ph.D. she had stolen from me.
I'd been gone for one year, and I'd come back to find my own credentials had been erased. If I'd returned any later, would there have even been a place for me left at my own company?
The more I thought about it, the deeper my disappointment grew. Diane and I had known each other for years. I thought we were best friends. I never imagined she would be the one to stab me in the back.
Shaking with rage, I confronted her. "Only you have access to my personnel file, Diane. Tell me, why did you give my degree to Laura?"
I advanced on her, and she broke out in a cold sweat. Seeing her aunt cornered, Laura finally found her voice. She shoved me back, shielding Diane with her body.
"So what if my aunt did it? I wanted that degree, so now it's mine." She looked down her nose at me. "And for the record, my aunt may be nice, but don't think that puts you on her level. When you work for someone, you need to know your place!"
I seized on her words. "What do you mean by that?"
Laura scowled, annoyed at being interrupted. "I mean my aunt is your boss! So you'd better watch your tone. She gave you your degree in the first place, so you should just be grateful and accept the arrangement! What's with the attitude?"
For a second, my brain couldn't process the sheer audacity. Once her words sank in, I burst out laughing. I looked past Laura to the silent, cowering Diane. "Well, well, Boss Diane. I had no idea you were the one who got me my Ph.D.!"
Diane opened her mouth to say something, then closed it again. My disappointment was absolute. Laura was still babbling, mocking me, until I cut her off.
"You seem to be confused about two things," I said sharply. "First, does this consultancy really belong to your aunt? And second, if she's so powerful she can magic up a flawless Ph.D. out of thin air, why wouldn't she have made one for herself?"
Laura was stumped. After a long pause, she finally sputtered, "It's not that hard! Just because you can't do it doesn't mean other people can't!"
I laughed without mercy. "No wonder your aunt had to fake a degree for you. With your intellect, you'd probably make your students dumber."
My words finally hit home, and Laura flushed with rage. But even then, Diane said nothing to defend her.
That settled it. I was calling the police.
Auntie? Only a fool like Laura wouldn't see that Diane was using her as a human shield. She couldn't even defend her own family once the truth came out.
I scoffed. I had been so wrong about her.
Diane and I were classmates in college. After graduation, I founded this consultancy to pay my way through my master's and Ph.D. programs. Diane hadn't been a great student, but she was savvy and had good management skills, so I invited her to work with me. For years, whenever my studies took me away, I trusted her to run everything. She always kept the place in perfect order.
I thought we were partners. I never thought she'd be the one to betray me so deeply.
I let out a heavy sigh. I had felt so guilty for being gone this past year, knowing it meant more work for her. I had given her raises, found ways to bonus her for her hard work. I had even planned on giving her a portion of the company's shares when I got back.
Now, that was clearly off the table.
I pulled out my phone to dial 911 when the receptionist burst in, looking flustered. She saw the three of us and breathed a sigh of relief.
"There's a crowd of parents at the front door," she said. "They're demanding to see Laura."
I was still trying to process this when Laura let out a squeal of excitement, her earlier arrogance returning in a flash.
"It must be my students' parents!" she declared. "They've come to thank me! Just you wait. One word from me, and they'll be on your case in a second!"
She grabbed Diane and excitedly pulled her toward the entrance. I hesitated for a moment, then followed. My gut told me a sudden mob of parents wasn't a good sign.
As we neared the entrance, we could see a large group of people gathered outside.
"Aunt Diane, look at all of them!" Laura chirped, shaking her arm. "They must be here to thank me!"
I could almost understand her assumption. The receptionist had told me that since Laura started, her students had all graduated without issue. Parents often came by to express their gratitude and recommend her to their friends and relatives. So, Laura naturally assumed this was just another thank-you party.
If she'd been a little more observant, she would have noticed that the crowd was far larger than her total number of students.
Seeing me standing off to the side, Laura couldn't resist gloating. "Never seen a crowd like this, have you? We may both be consultants here, but we are not the same."
She was smug, all traces of her earlier panic gone. Even Diane looked more relaxed.
"Laura, she's still your senior," Diane said, then turned and gently took my arm. "The degree situation... I admit I handled it poorly. But Laura is very talented, and she's brought a lot of business to the consultancy. If you're not happy, you're free to resign. I'll even pay you for the year you were away."
Her words made my stomach turn.
"Aunt Diane, why are you being so nice to her?" Laura pouted. "After what she said to you?"
"People say things they don't mean when they're upset," Diane said smoothly, her eyes on the crowd. "Let's resolve this now before the parents get the wrong idea and your colleague gets hurt."
I snorted, my gaze turning colder. I had let her get away with too much, and now she was drunk on borrowed power, actually threatening me. Was she implying that if I didn't play along, she'd slander me in front of all these parents? With a crowd this big, their anger alone could bury me.
I fell silent. Seeing this, Diane and Laura assumed I was intimidated and grew even more arrogant.
Just then, a commotion started in the crowd.
"Where is Laura? We were told someone was getting her!"
"What kind of service is this? We all paid for tutoring here, and you just leave us standing outside?"
Seeing the parents' tempers flaring, Diane and Laura forgot about me. Plastering on bright smiles, they walked to the entrance.
"Sorry for the wait, everyone!" Laura called out, trying to contain her excitement. "You know me, I'm a perfectionist. I was just in my office preparing for my next class!"
The crowd quieted down. A man stepped forward. "You're Laura? The new consultant?"
Laura nodded without hesitation, linking her arm with Diane's. "Yes, that's me. And this is my aunt, the founder of this consultancy. I wouldn't be where I am today without her!"
The two of them shared a self-congratulatory look, completely missing the dark expressions spreading across the parents' faces.
I had started to follow them, intending to stop them from spreading any more lies. But when I saw the look in the parents' eyes, a sense of dread washed over me, and I stopped in my tracks.
Suddenly, someone in the crowd yelled.
"That's her! Get her!"
In an instant, the parents pulled out eggs, rotten vegetables, and whatever else they could find and started hurling them at Laura.
One man screamed as he threw something. "You money-grubbing fraud! My son's thesis was rejected for plagiarism, he lost his degree, and now he's lost his job! This is all your fault!"
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