Page 67 of The Aries Alliance
“Give me a week. Then we can celebrate. Will you do that for me, Scarlett?”
I held my hand over my heart and sighed, wanting to believe that something good could come from all this pain.
“Yes. Stay safe.”
For the next week, War sent kind texts but made no attempts to see me in person. He nor anyone in my inner work circle told me what was happening behind the scenes. I watched movies with Val, trying to distract myself, but an all-too-familiar jittery feeling kept rearing its ugly head. Everything in me anticipated a huge storm coming.
The first bomb dropped on Monday when theGazettegained access to my investigative report. Instead of the names being redacted, they revealed every person accused of harassing people at EFU. Before the end of the day, my work inbox was full of not only media requests, but several EFU colleagues and former employees saying they also had experienced abuse at the hands of those named in my report.
Tuesday, President Fields’s cousin, Will, was accused of touching young women without their permission. On Wednesday, inconsistencies in the equity office’s reporting practices surfaced. On Thursday, a story about War’s mother hit the news, naming Ansel Samuels, the eighty-year-old professor who still worked at the university, as a perpetrator, much like the president’s cousin.
Like a snowball, victims of discrimination, harassment, and sexual assault at EFU flooded not only public university LISTSERVS with testimonies of abuse but also submitted their information to the media. Accusers created video testimonials with pictures and other evidence that their voices had been silenced. Social media blew information up, with influencers giving their opinions about the university at every turn.
Friday night, a prominent Hollywood actor and producer contacted me directly to ask if I would consider being an executive producer of a film about the ongoing, hidden abuse at EFU. Although I’d never been interested in the media like that, inclusion in such a large project reminded me that the world needed to hear the stories that were happening at EFU andbeyond. I considered it to be a sign that War and I were doing the right thing.
Although Val kept me up-to-date with everything War shared, she said I’d want to see firsthand everything that was going on at EFU since the mess hit the fan. I accessed the link that she texted to a press conference President Fields was hosting to address the tumultuous week.
With a big bowl of movie butter popcorn in my lap and my coziest socks on my feet, I sat cross-legged on my bed and turned on my TV, ready for the farce of a show to begin.
Skip entered my screen in a dark gray suit and navy tie that represented EFU’s colors. His beady eyes shifted across the room until he lifted his hand and waved to somebody off camera.
“Damn fool.” I shook my head and tossed several fluffy kernels of popcorn in my mouth.
I wished with everything in me that I could curse Skip’s smug bulldog face out. I was ready to spew several expletives his way when I spotted War, no, make that Warrick, sitting behind Skip with his glasses on. His eyes stared straight ahead, as if he saw through the screen. When the president leaned down to speak to him, War nodded and then returned his gaze forward. Even in his black suit and tie, War was no nonsense. I bit my lip, hungry to reacquaint his sexy body with mine.
Skip adjusted his mic and tapped it, glaring at someone in the back and stepping back as feedback from the mic filled the air. Several people held their ears and followed Skip’s eyes until the annoying sound stopped.
When everyone was settled, Skip cleared his throat.
“This week has been one for the books.” Skip grinned and shook his head. “These vicious attacks against Ember Falls University are unwarranted. I implore the public not to believe any of the lies spewed about our illustrious institution.”
Camera clicks went off as Skip pursed his lips and held the wooden lectern. His head swiveled across the room.
“We are conducting a full investigation to see who is behind this chaos. I assure you that every person mentioned in these malicious reports is innocent. Don’t believe any of the lies.” Skip’s body shook as his face reddened.
“Does that include Dr. Scarlett Kane? Is she innocent too?” A female voice raised the question.
Skip’s head swung so hard, I wondered if he hurt his neck.
“I-I.” His eyes almost popped out of his head.
He turned and looked at War, whose face remained neutral. Behind his beautiful eyes, War’s demeanor was calm. I felt his poise and confidence through the screen.
“I’ll turn this over to our HR Director, Warrick Redmond, to answer those questions.” Skip waved his hand toward War.
War rose gracefully from his seat and stepped forward. He towered over the president, who moved back several steps. War cleared his throat and placed his hands on either side of the podium, hunching his back like a preacher ready to deliver a powerful sermon.
“President Fields has been busy making sure that this university maintains a stellar reputation. Unfortunately, there has been a mixed bag of information presented to the public, making it hard to distinguish the truth from lies.” War pulled out several pieces of paper from the pocket of his suit coat.
He unfolded the papers and pressed them firmly on the podium before staring into the camera again.
“First, this organization has treated marginalized people terribly. The real villains in this story reside at the top of the organization, making decisions that are inconsistent with the values professed by EFU’s vision and mission statements. For too long, innocent people have lived in fear of retaliation, simplyfor speaking the truth about this place. That’s why I want to be the first person to speak out.”
President Fields leaned toward War to snatch the microphone, but War held him back with his arm, hissing his words.
“No, sir. I have one more thing to say.”
“You do not!”
