Chapter 2

"So you're saying it's true?" My voice cut through the silence like a blade. "I was assaulted, and I don't even remember it? That means I was drugged. If you saw it happen, Jake, then you're coming with me to HR right now. Actually—no. We're going straight to the police. I'm filing a report."

Jake's mouth fell open. Whatever he'd been expecting me to say, it wasn't that.

"Wait—what? No, I said I was sorry—"

"Sorry doesn't answer my question." I took a step closer. "You told the entire company you saw me with Marcus Hale on the rooftop. With your own eyes. Those were your words. If that's true, and I have no memory of it, then something happened to me against my will. You're a witness to a crime."

The color drained from his face.

By now, people had started gathering. Not just the IT department—word travels fast in a building full of journalists. I could see editors from the third floor drifting toward us, phones already out, fingers hovering over screens. Within two minutes, we had an audience. A real one.

Good. I wanted every single one of them here.

Jake's eyes darted around the growing crowd. His earlier bravado was gone, replaced by the twitchy energy of a man who had just realized he'd talked himself into a corner.

"Evie, I misspoke, okay? I was being an idiot. None of it's true. You didn't—I mean, nothing happened. I was just—"

"Just what?" I held up my phone. "Just telling the entire company I slept my way to a cover story? Just casually destroying my professional reputation on a public platform? That's your defense?"

Serena appeared at his side like she'd been summoned. Her hand landed on his shoulder, steadying him, and she turned to me with that same placating expression.

"Evie, he's already apologized. He clearly didn't mean any of it. Can't we just move past this? I'll make sure he deletes everything, and we can all sit down over coffee and sort it out. No need to blow this up."

"A coffee," I repeated flatly. "He publicly accused me of trading sex for a promotion, and your solution is coffee?"

Serena's smile tightened, just a fraction. "I'm just saying—he's already admitted he was wrong. Pushing this further is only going to make things harder. For everyone."

There it was. That subtle shift in tone. Not a peace offering. A warning.

They thought they had something on me. They thought I'd fold.

Last time, I did.

"If what you said isn't true," I said, turning back to Jake, "then you've committed defamation. On a company platform, in front of the entire staff. My reputation has already been damaged. I want a formal retraction posted on every internal channel. A written apology approved by HR. And I want it in writing that this will be added to your personnel file."

Jake's expression darkened instantly. "Are you serious right now? I already said I was sorry. I'm only even apologizing because you're Serena's colleague. Don't push your luck, Evie. You really don't want me to say what I actually know."

Serena's mask slipped for half a second. She recovered fast, but I caught it.

"Evie, this is getting out of hand," she said, her voice lower now, almost a hiss. "He deleted the post. Isn't that enough? Keep going, and you're the one who'll regret it when this gets ugly."

I grabbed the front of Jake's shirt.

The crowd went dead silent.

"You said you saw me with Marcus Hale. You said it was broad daylight. So tell me—where. When. Exactly. Because you're either going to give me real answers, or I'm taking this to the police for defamation and filing a formal complaint with the company. Your choice."

"You want the truth? Fine!" His voice cracked with anger. "One month ago. The rooftop terrace. It was Memorial Day weekend—the building was practically empty. You and Marcus were up there in the middle of the day, not even trying to hide it. And guess what? Someone recorded the whole thing."

He was shaking now, but not from fear.

"Don't stand there acting innocent. That video's been circulating in the group chats for weeks. You think no one's seen it? If it weren't for me keeping it contained, it would've hit the all-staff channel by now. I was doing you a favor."

He spat that last word like he meant it. Like he was the hero in this story.