Chapter 3 The Accusation

The video went viral at 3:17 a.m.

Alice stared at her laptop, a half-eaten burger frozen halfway to her mouth. The screen glowed with a tweet from an anonymous account-featuring the footage of Jude Sterling's face, his voice crisp and venomous:

"You want a story? Girl crashes party, gets caught, goes home in cuffs. The end."

Her stomach dropped. Her phone! Her video! Jude hadn't deleted it-he'd leaked it.

The clip exploded like a grenade.

#SterlingIsAFraud trended in under an hour. Memes Photoshopped Jude's face onto cartoon villains. News outlets spliced the video with footage of his charity's tax filings. By dawn, protesters swarmed Sterling Tower, their chants rattling Alice's apartment windows

Mia barged in at 7:03 a.m., still in her nursing scrubs, clutching two coffees and a look of pure panic. "You're alive. Thank God. I've called you twelve times!"

Alice gestured to her shattered phone screen, still displaying Jude's smirk. "He sent it back. In pieces."

Mia dropped into the chair beside her. "Okay, first-breathe. Second-why does the internet think you're dating him?"

"What?"

Mia pulled up Twitter. A grainy screenshot from the video dominated the feed: Jude's hand gripping Alice's wrist, their faces inches apart. The caption:

"Billionaire Bad Boy & Whistleblower Bae? #SterlingHart"

Alice gagged. "They think this is... flirting?"

"The Daily Mail called you 'mystery mistress turned activist.' Trendy upgrade from 'failed influencer.'"

"This isn't funny, Mia!"

"No, it's a nightmare." Mia slammed the laptop shut. "Donovan's suing you. Sterling's gonna sue you. You'll spend the rest of your life paying off legal fees in a studio apartment the size of a coffin."

Alice stood, pacing. "But the video worked. People are angry. The IRS is auditing his foundation-"

"And you're the face of this mess. You think Sterling's just gonna... apologize?"

A knock rattled the door.

Both women froze.

"Alice Hart?" A man's voice, crisp and cold. "Delivery."

Mia peered through the peephole. "Suit. Briefcase. Definitely not a deliveryman."

Alice opened the door.

The man looked like a lawyer, he had a smile that never touched his eyes. He held out a white envelope. "From Mr. Sterling. I'd suggest reading it before you speak to anyone."

Mia snatched it. "We'll send a review to Yelp."

He didn't blink. "Your current defamation liability is approximately... $20 million. Enjoy your morning."

The door slammed.

Alice tore open the envelope.

CEASE AND DESIST

STERLING V. HART

"...false and malicious statements... irreparable harm... immediate retraction..."

Mia whistled. "Twenty mil? Congrats. You're the most expensive influencer alive."

"Shut up." Alice's hands shook. "I need air."

"Alice-"

She was already shrugging on a hoodie, yanking the hood low. "Five minutes. I just... need to think."

---

The bodega on the corner smelled of stale coffee. Alice grabbed a Diet Coke, avoiding the cashier's sidelong glance. Her face was everywhere-CNN, TikTok, a TMZ headline.

Her phone buzzed. Unknown number.

Unknown: Check email.

She hesitated, then opened her inbox.

SUBJECT: URGENT – FINAL WARNING

FROM: Donovan Industries Legal Team

"...admit liability by 5PM today... punitive damages..."

A second email popped up:

SUBJECT: Settlement Offer

FROM: Sterling Legal

"...public apology... NDA... $50,000 compensation..."

Alice's vision blurred. Fifty grand. Enough to vanish. Enough to breathe.

Her thumb hovered over Reply.

"Don't."

She turned.

Jude Sterling leaned against the chip aisle, sipping black coffee from a paper cup. No tuxedo today-just a charcoal sweater and jeans that probably cost more than her rent. He looked infuriatingly calm.

"How did you-?"

"Your phone's GPS." He nodded to the shattered device in her hand. "I own the satellite."

She backed up, knocking over a display of energy drinks. "Stay away from me."

"Or what? You'll post another video?" He stepped closer. "Too bad your evidence is gone."

"Not all of it." She pulled a thumb drive from her pocket-Mia's paranoid backup. "Cloud storage, baby."

His jaw twitched. "Clever. But you're still losing."

"Says the guy stalking me in a bodega."

"I'm here to negotiate." He plucked the Diet Coke from her hand, replacing it with his coffee. "You're broke. Scared. Outmatched. Take the settlement."

She stared at the coffee. "Is this poisoned?"

"If it were, you'd already be dead."

The cashier coughed loudly. Jude dropped a $100 bill on the counter without looking.

Alice set the coffee down. "I don't want your blood money."

"What do you want? Fame? Redemption?" He leaned in, voice dropping. "You're not a hero. You're a pawn. And pawns get sacrificed."

Her chest tightened. "Why did you leak the video?"

"To control the narrative. Now the world thinks we're..." He smirked. "...involved. Makes you more credible. More... tragic when you fail."

"You're sick."

"I'm realistic." He plucked the thumb drive from her fingers. "You've got guts, Alice. But guts don't pay bills."

She lunged, but he pocketed the drive. "Give it back!"

"Or what? You'll sue me?" He headed for the door. "Sign the settlement. Buy a new phone. Live."

The bell jingled as he left.

---

5:01 p.m.

Alice sat on her couch as she studied the legal notices littering her lap.

Mia's head popped in the window from the outside. "You've got a visitor."

"Tell the lawyers I'm dead."

"It's not a lawyer."

Alice stood up and headed outside-and froze.

A woman stood by the door, late 50s, her blazer frayed at the sleeves. She held a photo of a little girl with a IV taped to her arm.

"Nina Torres," she said. "My daughter, Lucia, has glioblastoma. Your video got her into Sterling Hope's drug trial." She pressed the photo into Alice's hands. "They canceled it this morning."

Alice's throat closed. "Because of me?"

"Because of him." Nina's eyes brimmed. "They said the scandal 'diverted funds.' Lucia's... she's stage four."

The world tilted.

Mia gripped Alice's shoulder. "We'll fix this. We'll-"

Alice was already at her laptop, reopening the settlement email.

SUBJECT: Settlement Offer

Her fingers flew:

RE: Settlement Offer

I'll see you in hell.

Send.