Chapter 3

The moment the officers stormed in, Rick leaped back from me like he'd been electrocuted.

Sarah shrieked, dropping her glass as it shattered on the floor.

Warren hitched up his trousers, his face paper-white. "Officers, this is a misunderstanding! A total misunderstanding!"

Rick smoothed his expression into an oily smile. "Just an after-work get-together with coworkers, officers!"

I had dialed 911 from the restroom stall before returning. Thank God they made it in time.

The lead officer looked at me—barely dressed, semi-conscious on the couch—and his face hardened.

"Take them all in!"

At the police precinct, I sat wrapped in an emergency blanket, my fingers trembling uncontrollably.

Across the table, Rick, Sarah, and Warren sat comfortably, looking completely relaxed.

"Officer, it really isn't what you think," Rick began smoothly, pointing an accusatory finger at me. "It's her! She wanted an easy promotion and threw herself at Mr. Warren!"

Sarah wiped away fake tears, shaking her head. "It's true, Officer! We tried to stop her! She openly bragged about wanting a rich sponsor so she wouldn't have to work hard!"

Warren straightened his designer suit, putting on the air of a dignified CEO. "I was just doing business with Rick. This girl clearly has loose morals."

I snapped my head up, glaring at them with pure hatred.

Rick caught my eyes, the corner of his mouth curling into a sinister smirk. He silently mouthed:

Say. One. Word. Try. Me.

Sarah looked at me too, cold menace radiating from her stare.

The officer taking notes frowned and looked at me. "Ms. Vance, is this true?"

I parted my lips.

Rick cleared his throat loudly.

In that instant, the murderous threat in his eyes was crystal clear.

I knew that if I pressed charges right now without my father's full backing, they would ensure I suffered a fatal "accident" before the week was out.

I lowered my head, digging my nails into my palms until they bled.

"...Yes," I whispered. "It was consensual."

The officer looked between me and the three conspirators, sighed, and closed his notebook. "Handle your personal disputes elsewhere."

Rick jumped up, beaming. "Thank you so much, Officer! Sorry for the trouble!"

As he walked past my chair, he leaned down and whispered, "Smart girl. Call the cops on me again, and you won't walk away next time."

I didn't go home right away.

I took a cab straight to the emergency room at City General Hospital.

"Full toxicology screen and blood panel, please."

An hour later, the doctor frowned deeply at the results. "Miss, you have extremely high levels of Rohypnol in your system. We should notify the police—"

"No," I cut him off, taking the paperwork. "Please seal this official lab report and issue a formal forensic injury exam certificate."

I took all the evidence—the sealed medical reports, the injury certificate, the timestamped audio and photos from my phone—and uploaded them to an encrypted cloud drive.

By the time I finished, dawn was breaking.

When I opened the front door of our family estate, my dad was sitting in the living room, looking sick with worry.

"Chloe! Where have you been? Your phone was completely off!"

"Dad, I'm okay. We just... had to stay late to wrap up the project."

"Two days left of your probation," Dad said, his eyes filled with hope. "I sent you down to the bottom tier because I wanted to see you grow and lead on your own merits. Are you ready?"

I lifted my head. Exhaustion weighed heavy on my face, but my eyes were terrifyingly calm.

I smiled faintly.

"Dad."

"I promise you. In two days, I'll give you a result that will blow you away."