3: 3

But I hadn't expected Vanessa's revenge to come faster than I'd imagined.

The next morning at work, a coworker rushed over and pulled me aside.

"Your friend reported Director Henson to upper management. She's saying he's got no morals. Chairman Lawrence is furious. He's talking about firing Director Henson."

I walked quickly to Chairman Lawrence's office and knocked before going in.

When he saw it was me, his face went dark.

"Zoe, I know Graham is your fiancé, but this thing has blown up too big."

"Vanessa's out there crying and carrying on like she's ready to die. The two of you owe her some kind of answer!"

I looked at Vanessa, sitting on the couch, sobbing her heart out, and felt a cold weight settle in my chest.

Back then, the only reason Vanessa got hired here at all was because of my connection with Graham. Otherwise, with nothing but a community college degree, she wouldn't have made it past the front door.

I'd thought I was helping some harmless little rabbit. I never guessed she was a wolf in sheep's clothing.

"What answer do you want, Vanessa?"

Vanessa stopped sobbing and lifted her head.

"Zoe, I know you blame me, but I'm the victim here."

"Graham owes me an answer. Raising a kid costs a fortune, and I can't cover it on my salary alone. I'm not asking for any title. I just want you and Graham to give me a hundred thousand up front for the delivery costs, and after that, five thousand a month in child support. That's all!"

Graham sucked in a sharp breath.

"A hundred thousand? Why don't you just rob a bank?"

"That day I dropped you off at the intersection and left. I never touched you."

Vanessa gave him the look of a woman staring down a man who'd done her wrong.

"It's your mouth. You can say whatever you like."

Graham was getting frantic now.

"If you don't believe me, we can go pull the security footage."

Vanessa fixed her eyes on him, unblinking.

"The camera outside my building broke ages ago. There's no surveillance on that whole street. That's the exact reason you thought you could do whatever you wanted with me."

I took out my phone.

"Well, since it's her word against his, let's just call the police."

"No!"

Two voices went up at once, Vanessa's and Chairman Lawrence's.

"The company just went public. A scandal this big, if the police get involved, it'll wreck our stock. Which one of you is going to answer for that?"

Chairman Lawrence scratched his head and paced back and forth, agitated.

"Here's what we'll do, Vanessa. This did happen on company grounds, so the company will put up fifty thousand for Director Henson, and the two of them can cover the rest themselves. How's that sound?"

Graham's mouth hung slightly open, his face bloodless. He didn't say a word for a long moment, but he already had the look of a man about to give in.

Vanessa's smile only grew brighter.

I stood up and slammed my hand down on the desk.

"No. That's just forcing us to admit Graham assaulted Vanessa, plain and simple!"

If we really did it Chairman Lawrence's way, then Graham would be the one falling into a pit he'd never climb out of.

Chairman Lawrence pointed at me and couldn't get a single word out.

I didn't hesitate any longer. I pulled out my phone and dialed 911.

Vanessa's face went white in an instant.

4: 4

The call had barely connected when Vanessa lunged and ripped the phone out of my hand, smashing it against the floor.

"Zoe, I kept this quiet for your sake, and you're actually going to call the police? You don't care about Graham's reputation at all?"

I glanced at Graham, standing off to the side, head lowered. His brow was furrowed, his face grim.

I understood. Squeezed between the boss's pressure on one side and Vanessa's accusations on the other, he had nowhere to stand.

The next second, the door to Chairman Lawrence's office flew open.

A crowd of reporters came surging in with cameras and mics leveled at Graham.

"So you're the rapist?"

"Word is you're a director at this company too. Have you got no shame at all, doing something like this?"

"The victim is this Ms. Jenner, isn't it? Ms. Jenner, tell us something."

Vanessa's face shifted at once into the picture of a fragile, wronged little flower.

"Everyone, please don't jump to conclusions. Graham, he... he didn't force me. It was all my choice."

"I just want him to take responsibility now..."

I shoved Vanessa aside and pushed to the front of the cameras.

"Don't let her one-sided story fool you. My fiancé, Graham Henson, had a vasectomy a year ago. There's no way he could have gotten Vanessa pregnant."

I pulled out the freshly reprinted vasectomy report.

But not one of the reporters moved.

"We already heard about that. You used AI to fake a vasectomy report to cover for your fiancé. You're just as bad as he is!"

"Fine. In that case, I'll call Graham's attending physician and get it straight."

"The doctor definitely won't lie!"

Before the call even went through, Vanessa was on her feet.

"Zoe, your aunt is the hospital director. Of course you can make them say whatever you want."

The reporters' eyes turned to me, thick with contempt.

Chairman Lawrence stepped up too, distancing himself. Facing the cameras, his voice earnest.

"I only found out about this today. I'm already processing Graham's termination. It takes effect today."

Vanessa lowered her voice at me, her tone laced with open provocation.

"Zoe, just let Graham own up to it. Otherwise this blows up, and it's bad for everyone."

I looked at her and let a calm, faint smile cross my face.

"Vanessa, the baby in your belly is Orson Lambert's, isn't it?"

Vanessa froze for a beat.

The next second, the office door was flung open.

A young woman came storming in, dragging a man past fifty behind her.

She jabbed a finger straight at Vanessa and let loose.

"So you're the one carrying my husband's baby?"