Chapter 2

The room fell into a tense, breathless silence.

Lance's jowls twitched, and behind those thick glasses, his eyes were wide with disbelief. His voice trembled. "W-What? Lane Enterprises?"

The name hit him hard. Lane Enterprises funded more than half the buildings and research at Rivergate University. If they pulled their support, it wouldn't only be a budget cut. It would be a death blow.

Sophie and Vera were completely stunned, staring at me like they were seeing me for the first time.

Jason's expression shifted in an instant. Shock gave way to suspicion, then to a faint flicker of panic.

He was probably thinking how a loner from the art department could possibly have anything to do with that massive business empire.

Mark didn't hesitate for a second, his voice still calm and steady. "Understood, Miss Lane. I'll get right on it. Also, the legal department's top lawyers are already on their way.

"They should be at the school in about fifteen minutes to handle the false accusation and defamation against you."

"Mm," I replied coolly and then hung up.

The office was utterly quiet.

I sat back down on the couch, looking at Lance with a calm, almost amused expression. "Mr. Warren, didn't you say you were going to expel me?"

Lance's forehead was already slick with sweat, and he managed a smile that was more pitiful than crying. "Emily, uh, maybe this is only a misunderstanding."

"A misunderstanding?" I raised an eyebrow. "Weren't you just saying I was some kind of degenerate with zero remorse?"

"No, that's not it at all." He waved his hands like crazy, even trying to come around the desk to me. "We always handle things fair and square. We'd never mess up an innocent person, and we'd never let a bad apple slip through.

"I guess I got a bit carried away earlier and didn't really look at the whole situation."

What a joke. A second ago, he was all set to crucify me in front of everyone, and now he's acting like the very symbol of fairness and justice. Nothing sobered people up faster than money and power.

Sophie's face drained of color. She clung to Jason's arm, trembling worse than before. "Jason, I—"

Jason didn't glance at her. His eyes were locked on me, his expression twisted with confusion and disbelief. "Emily, who the hell are you?"

I looked at him, suddenly not caring anymore. "Does it matter? What really matters is, you believed her, didn't you?" I pointed at Sophie, my voice steady, each word cutting.

Jason's lips moved, but he couldn't say a single word. Yes, he believed her. In his mind, the fragile, helpless campus belle would always be more trustworthy than a loner like me. It never had anything to do with who I really was.

"Emily, let's talk about this." Lance rubbed his hands together, practically groveling. "Maybe we should reinvestigate? Don't worry. We will make sure you get justice."

"No need," I cut him off. "My lawyers will take care of it."

"As for justice," I stood up, towering over them, "I'll get it myself."

Just then, there was a knock at the office door. Not Grace's frantic kicking. This was three firm, deliberate knocks.

Lance looked like he'd seen a miracle, and he called out, "Come in."

The door swung open, and five men in sharp suits strode in, their presence filling the room with an unmistakable air of authority.

Leading the group was a man in his forties, his eyes sharp. He scanned the room, finally locking onto me, and gave a slight bow. "Miss Lane, we've arrived."

The guys behind him immediately got to work. One started setting up and testing the recording gear, another booted up a laptop, and the last two stood guard at the door like real bodyguards.

Lance was floored. Sophie and Vera looked like they'd seen a ghost.

I recognized the lead lawyer. He was Mark's top guy, Noah.

Noah didn't spare the others a glance. He walked straight up to me and handed me a folder. "Miss Lane, here are the preliminary findings."

I opened the folder.

The first page was Sophie's shopping history from the past month. Right there, clear as day, were dresses matching the one she wore. The dress she said was ripped. Bought three days ago.

The second page was a list of posts from her burner account on the school forum. [How do I ruin someone I hate?] [What's the best way for a girl to get maximum sympathy after being assaulted?]

Every single thing in that folder was enough to make everyone's blood run cold.

Noah's voice was calm and precise. "We've also discovered several bottles of banned hallucinogenic substances hidden under Sophie's bed. In addition, our team is currently retrieving all surveillance footage from the equipment room area, including those hidden cameras everyone assumed were blind spots."

I closed the folder and looked up at Sophie, whose face was now ghostly pale. "Sophie, do you have anything else to say?"

Sophie's lips quivered, but she was so stunned that she couldn't utter a single word.

Vera was so freaked out that she tried to back away, but the bodyguards at the door blocked her path.

Jason's face was a storm of disappointment and anger as he stared at Sophie. "Sophie, is this true? Why would you do something like this?"

Sophie finally lost it. She shoved Jason aside and charged at me, screaming her head off. "You want to know why? Emily, this is all your fault.

"You bitch! If it weren't for you, Jason would never have ignored me. He was supposed to be mine. It's you. You stole him from me."

She looked totally crazed, lunging at me and trying to scratch my face.

I dodged out of the way, my eyes icy cold. "So that's your reason for framing me? If you can't have what you want, you ruin it for everyone else? Sophie, you're honestly pathetic and laughable."

My words hit her hard, dousing her madness in an instant.

She stood there stunned. Then it was like something clicked in her mind and suddenly she burst out laughing so hard that tears streamed down her face. "Pathetic? Laughable? Emily, you really think you've won?"

She jabbed a finger at me and then at her own stomach, her grin twisted and almost deranged. "Let me tell you. I'm pregnant. The baby's Jason's. Even if my reputation is trashed, I still have his child. And you? You've got nothing."

The whole room went dead silent again.

Jason turned to Sophie in shock, his face suddenly pale. "W-What did you say?"

Lance was so freaked out that he nearly collapsed right there. 'What the hell is going on? False accusations, pulling funding, and now an unmarried pregnancy? As the dean, I'm getting hit with a lifetime's worth of shocks in one day.'

I stared at Sophie, her face twisted in crazed triumph, eyes flashing with a smug, challenging glare.

Right then, I figured it was time to put an end to this circus.

With deliberate calm, I reached into my pocket and pulled out a folded piece of paper.

Everyone was staring, confused and stunned, as I unfolded it. It was a hospital lab report.

"Well, what a coincidence," I said, holding up the paper for everyone to see and making sure the camera caught it. "I'm pregnant too."

"And..." I paused, my gaze fixed on Jason, who looked like he'd been turned to stone. "My pregnancy report shows I'm already ten weeks along. But Sophie says she and Jason hooked up a month ago.

"So here's the real question. How could a so-called 'assailant' who's been pregnant for ten weeks possibly assault another girl a month ago?"