Chapter 2 A silence that speaks

The ride home was suffocatingly quiet , except for Rachel's quiet breaths and her tear-streaked face.

The post was out. The truth was out. There was no taking it back now. Amelia said to herself as her grip tightens on her steering wheel turning her knuckles white. It felt like they were now in something way out of their control.

Rachel sighed, "Do you think I did the right thing?" Rachel whispered her voice barely audible.

"Of course you did." Amelia said as her jaw tensed

Rachel let out a weak laugh. "Then why do I feel like I'm going to regret this?." Rachel said after letting out a weak bitter laugh.

Amelia said, her voice low, firm. "It's because the world protects men like him, Because he's influential, and he'll fight back. But that doesn't mean we stay silent."

Rachel wiped at her eyes. "I just-I can't stop seeing him in that room. The way he-he" She choked on the words and shook her head.

Amelia reached out, gripping her friend's hand. "Hey," she said softly and reassuring. "It will all be ok."

Rachel nodded, but her body remained tense with fear that refuse to fade easily.

The car rolled to a stop in front of their apartment complex, the moment Amelia shut off the engine, Rachel bolted out, hugging herself as she rushed toward the entrance.

Amelia followed quickly, her mind racing.

Rachel got into the dimly lit apartment taking off her heels and immediately sank into the couch, hugging a pillow, the scent of lavender air freshener she had gotten weeks ago wasn't so comforting. "Can you check?" she murmured.

Amelia knew what she meant.

Her stomach twisted as she pulled out her phone.

It had only been two hours.

Two hours, and already, the world was on fire.

#AdrianSinclair was trending at the top of social media. Several articles had already surfaced, most with exaggerated headlines:

BREAKING: Billionaire Adrian Sinclair alleged to have committed Sexual Assault

Industry Giant Faces disastrous Allegations-Will This Be His Downfall?

Who is Amelia Carter?

Amelia's breath hitched. They had dragged her name into this.

Her notifications were out of control-hundreds of messages, missed calls, and comments flooding in.

Some were supportive:

Finally, someone speaking out against these monsters!

Stay strong, Amelia and Rachel. We believe you.

Others were vicious:

Gold-diggers trying to ruin a successful man. Shameful.

Innocent until proven guilty. Y'all just love to destroy men's lives.

This girl is irrelevant. She just wants attention.

Knots formed in Amelis's stomach as she kept on reading.

Scrolling further, she saw Adrian's name in the trending topics. People were digging into his past, looking for patterns, for other victims. Others were fiercely defending him, calling this a smear campaign.

Then, her eyes caught something else.

A statement from Adrian Sinclair's company.

The allegations made against Mr. Sinclair are absolutely false. We will take necessary legal actions to address this baseless attack on his reputation."

Short. Cold. Dismissive.

Amelia swallowed hard.

Rachel's voice wavered behind her. "What... what are they saying?"

Amelia turned, hesitating for a split second before sitting beside her, her phone screen glowing between them. Rachel's breath caught as she read.

"He called it baseless," Rachel whispered, her voice raw. "He's acting like I made it up."

Amelia tightened her fists. "That's what they do, Rachel, it's predictable, they deny and make you doubt yourself. But we know the truth."

Rachel cupped her face in her hands. "What if-what if no one believes me Amelia?"

"They will." Amelia tried to sound confident into her voice. "The media is watching now they won't let this go."

Rachel let out a shaky breath, nodding. But Amelia saw the cracks forming in her. The fear. The weight of it all.

Amelia turned back to her phone and hesitated before opening her messages.

Her agent had called. Twice.

Amelia was so exhausted she dropped her phone and went to take a quick cold shower.

After bathing she grabbed a towel, patting her skin dry, she changed into an oversized shirt and a pair of shorts before stepping out into her bedroom. Rachel was already curled up on her bed, clutching a pillow tightly, she hadn't taken off her dress. her body rising and falling with slow, uneven breaths fast asleep.

She climbed into her own bed, pulling the blankets up to her chest. But sleep wouldn't come.

Instead, her thought drifted her back to the beginning of the day just before everything started. That morning had started in a light note.

Amelia could still hear Rachel rambling in excitement as they walked through the mall linking arms chatting.

"Honestly, tonight is going to be amazing," Rachel had exclaimed out loud, holding up a sleek, sequined dress against her body. "Do you think Adrian Sinclair will be there?"

Amelia had rolled her eyes, sorting through the racks of clothes for Rachel to try on. "You know I really don't care right?."

Rachel gasped dramatically. "How could you not care? He owns half of Hollywood!"

Amelia shrugged. "He's just another rich guy with too much power."

Rachel had laughed. "And you're just mad he hasn't noticed you yet."

Amelia had nudged her playfully, shaking her head. "Please, I have bigger concerns than Adrian Sinclair."

If only she had known how ironic it was going to be soon.

They had spent hours at the mall, getting their nails done while Rachel tried on dresses. Rachel had been buzzing with excitement, already imagining the networking opportunities.

"This is our night, Amelia," she had said as they left the salon, their fresh manicures glinting under the sunlight. "This is the night everything changes for us."

And she had been right.

Just not in the way either of them had expected.

Amelia blinked up at the ceiling, her chest tightening.

So much had changed in a single night.

Rachel's tears. The fear in her voice. The rage burning inside Amelia as she had typed out that post, her hands shaking.

And the firestorm that followed.

The world outside their tiny apartment was already spinning out of control, and she had no clue what the next day would be like.

A shadow moved just beyond the doorway.Amelia's breath falters The soft rustle of movement, the faint creak of the floorboards-someone was inside.

Her fingers trembles every muscle coiled with tension. She tried peeking out her bedroom door checking out the corridor her pulse pounding in her ears.

The door to the living room stood slightly ajar, just enough for her to see the darkness beyond it. Did she forget to shut the door behind when they got back?.

Then something shifted in the shadows. A low, almost imperceptible sound.

Footsteps.

Amelia's stomach lurched, She wasn't alone.