A Shadow of Doubt

Sarah exclaimed, "You're making this up! With all your money and influence, you could fake any record you want! That night, you told me yourself that you picked this out just for me..."

Sarah's grip on the bag of lingerie was so tight that her knuckles turned pale, and tears streamed down her cheeks uncontrollably.

"To you, we're just poor students whose lives don't matter, right? Just pawns for your games? How am I supposed to face the world after what you've done to me?"

In a burst of despair, she lunged toward the sharp corner of the stage's table.

Quick as a flash, a girl from the class, Janice Turnbull, grabbed Sarah around the waist, holding her back.

Janice exclaimed, "Sarah! Don't do something stupid over that jerk. Remember what the doctor told you? Your body can't handle this kind of stress!

"Just leave Sarah alone, will you? She hasn't slept well since that night, crying herself to sleep every day. She's a girl who's been pushed to the brink. She wouldn't be doing this if she weren't desperate..."

'She hasn't slept well, but what about me?' I thought.

That night, after a round of schmoozing, I was walking past the karaoke bar's back alley when I saw a bunch of lowlifes cornering Sarah against a wall.

They were hurling abuse and trying to rip her clothes off.

I could not just watch. I stepped in and took those goons down.

Sarah was a wreck, her eyes wide with fear and shock. That scene haunted my dreams for days, leaving me feeling choked up inside.

Due to that incident, I talked to the folks who handle our company's sponsorships. When I found out her family was struggling with medical bills, I told them to look out for Sarah.

That was the thanks I received. A setup, a trap laid with calculation!

Before I could even get my head around that pathetic act, a voice, low and smirking, cut through the tension.

"Avery, this doesn't look good at all."

It was Wade Rogers, my longtime nemesis, who suddenly appeared right beside me.

Wade warned, "The foundation was barely off the ground when the scandal hit, and it hit hard. If you don't get a handle on this mess, we'll have to take it up with the authorities."

No sooner had he finished than a bunch of students shot their hands up like they were on cue.

"I'm a law student. We can offer Ms. Lewis legal help!"

"We're tax majors. We say dig into the Jones Group's books. Check for any shady accounting!"

The reporters went wild, cameras flashing at me and the students non-stop.

Keith Newman, my assistant, pushed through the crowd to my side, his voice shaking as he showed me his phone.

"Ms. Jones, our stock is tanking. The PR hotline is jammed..."

I scanned the crowd, seeing faces twisted with anger and scorn.

Then, there was Sarah, sobbing in Janice's arms, making my stomach churn.

I took a deep breath, trying to keep my cool.

"Ms. Lewis, we're in a world full of cameras, a world of laws. If you stick to your story, we'll call the cops now, let them pull the tapes, and the truth will come out."

"No police!" she yelled.

"Why the heck not?!" I exclaimed.

Sarah wriggled out of Janice's arms, rummaged through her old backpack, and yanked out a wrinkled piece of paper.

She held a hospital pregnancy report. "That's because I'm... I'm pregnant! If the cops get involved and my parents find out, I'm done for! They'll be devastated! My life would be over!"

Wade stepped up, trying to play peacemaker, his hand on my shoulder.

"Avery, think about it... Dragging this mess into the police station isn't good for anyone. A girl's reputation is on the line, and so is the reputation of the Jones Group. Since there's a kid in the picture, why not handle it on the down low? Give her some closure, and keep your own pride intact."

Sarah's eyes were brimming with tears as she looked at me.

"What kind of respect can I even hope for now?

"All I want is to quietly deal with the pregnancy, skip town, and start fresh... I need cash, I need to cover the medical bills! Seventy-five thousand dollars might be change to you, but it's my ticket out of here!"

75,000 dollars.

I glanced at the flimsy pregnancy test in Sarah's hand, at Wade's mocking smirk, at the students with their arms raised, and at the reporters with their cameras ready to pounce.

Evidence, rumors, the moral high ground, and corporate pressure... It was all perfectly orchestrated.

So, that was the ambush they had set for me.

I would bet that even if I coughed up the money, it would not be the end of it.

"Since you're so sure you're carrying my kid…"

I paused, catching the brief look of shock in Sarah's eyes, before I pressed on. "I'll see it through, no matter what."