Chapter 1
Athena Morton was a famous "ice beauty" lawyer in Zavala. She was serious, quiet, and hard to get close to.
In court, she spoke sharply, thought clearly, and had never lost a case.
Outside court, she almost never joined social events.
Until today, her assistant Niko Barret pushed the door open. His face was very pale.
"Ms. Morton… p-please look at this."
He handed her his phone, his hands shaking.
The screen showed the forum page of Zavala University of Political Science and Law. At the top was a post with a big title.
[The Full Record and Hidden Truth of Athena Morton’s Sexual Assault Case]
The post showed very detailed information with 30 pages of scanned case files from when she was 14 years old.
It had her written statement, her stepfather's police questioning record, and even the doctor's report about her injuries.
Athena's mind went blank.
She quickly grabbed Niko's phone and scrolled down.
The comment section was already in chaos.
[Seriously? Athena was sexually assaulted? Isn't she always claiming she's Zavala's top lawyer? Turns out she's just a slut, haha.]
[Wow, the report's so detailed. Even the dirty stuff is all there. Only someone who's been through it could write it so real, right?]
[No wonder she acts all cold and untouchable. Guess she's just been used up by some old guy. What's with the ice queen routine?]
[Ms. Morton, mind telling us what it's like getting screwed by your stepdad? Was it super thrilling?]
She stared at the screen, her fingers numb with cold, waves of nausea twisting her stomach.
Every comment felt like her stepfather's hand clamped over her mouth when she was fourteen, relentlessly, inch by inch, forcing her under the water.
She gripped the phone so tightly her knuckles turned white, her whole body trembling so hard.
Just then, her phone rang. It was Cullen Wells.
"Athena, did you see the post?" His voice was tight with anger. "I just found out about this and I'm already looking into it. Don't worry, I won't let whoever leaked that file get away with it."
"Cullen, those materials..." Athena's voice broke. "Those materials are only accessible through the internal system at the university."
"I know. Leave this to me. Don't do anything, don't respond, and don't read the comments. I'll contact you once I've figured out what's going on."
"Okay," she said.
"Athena," Cullen said, his voice gentler now. "No matter what, I've got your back."
Athena ended the call, her eyes burning with unshed tears.
Cullen had been her upperclassman at university. After graduation, they'd started dating for real, but because of who he was, they'd always kept their relationship under wraps.
She forced herself back to her desk, but a suspicious clue suddenly came to mind. She hurried to Cullen's office, and just outside the door, she overheard him chatting with his friends.
"Cullen, you really pulled no punches with Athena this time! You actually leaked something that private."
"If this keeps up, her reputation is completely ruined. Ice queen? Please, she's just a washed-up tramp who got messed up by some old guy."
"Yeah, Athena's finished. She'll be lucky if she keeps her job."
Cullen's usually gentle face wore a mocking smile. "She brought this on herself. She snatched several of Sasha's cases. This is what she gets."
"Athena still has no idea you've always had a thing for Sasha, huh?"
"I mean, Athena and Sasha are sworn enemies. If Athena ever found out you really loved Sasha, she'd totally lose it, haha."
"But you've been with Athena for years. You never developed any real feelings for her?"
Cullen cleared his throat. "Athena? Please. She's just some dirty nobody from a backwater town, ruined by her stepdad. How could she ever compare to Sasha? I only settled for Athena because Sasha went abroad. Now that Sasha's back, I'm definitely getting back together with her."
The others burst out laughing and chimed in their agreement.
"Come on, Cullen, isn’t this an easy win for you? You've done so much for Sasha, and she'll be totally touched."
"Yeah, even if Sasha's got a big ego, she won't be able to resist after seeing how deep your feelings run."