The case against Ryan Cox moved at breakneck speed. The police and the Bureau of Investigation joined forces, charging him with embezzlement, corporate espionage, and attempted sexual assault. The court was already setting a date; the trial would begin any day now. With so many charges stacked against him, there was no way Ryan Cox would walk away unscathed.

Ryan's scandal sent shockwaves through his company-share prices plummeted, and the boardroom devolved into chaos. The Cox Family had lost its leader, and infighting erupted among its members.

With crises erupting both inside and out, Lucas Cox was barely keeping his own head above water. He handed everything about Ryan's situation over to Emily Blair.

Now that Ryan Cox had fallen from grace, those friends and relatives who once basked in his favor vanished. Not a single one offered to hire a lawyer for him. In the end, the court assigned him a public defender.

Emily Blair went to see Donna Thomas.

Ever since Donna's neighbors found out what had happened to her, Emily relocated her, putting her somewhere quiet-somewhere out of reach of the gossip and sideways glances.

When Emily arrived, Donna had already seen the news about Ryan Cox. She looked better. There was color in her cheeks again; her eyes weren't as haunted.

"If you're alright, I'll get going. I've got work to do," Emily said, turning to leave. "Ms. Blair."

Donna called after her, her voice a little shaky.

Emily paused and turned back, her gaze calm and steady. "Is there something else?"

Donna's lips parted, but for a moment, no words came. Since the day her ordeal with Ryan Cox became public knowledge, she'd felt the sting of a thousand different looks-pity, sympathy, mockery, even contempt. Every glance, whether well- intentioned or cruel, left her raw and uneasy, as if she were a bug pinned under a microscope.

Except for Emily Blair.

Emily's eyes had never changed—not before, and not now. She looked at Donna just as she always had: calm, unaffected, matter-of-fact. As if none of what happened mattered in the slightest. As if Donna was still herself, untouched by scandal.

And that-Donna realized-was exactly what she needed. The only thing she could stand.

Donna licked her dry lips. "Ms. Blair, why are you doing all this for me?"

She knew Emily had been working non-stop on Ryan Cox's case, moving mountains to make sure he faced justice. And lately, strangers had started sending Donna threatening messages, telling her to drop the charges, offering hush money, warning her to let it go. If those people could find her, what kind of pressure must Emily be under, facing Ryan Cox and his family head-on?

Donna had worked for Emily Blair for three, maybe four years. They were nothing more than boss and secretary-never friends, never involved in each other's personal lives. If anything, Emily had no reason to go this far for her.

Emily's eyes met hers, clear and unwavering, as if she could see right through Donna's fear. Donna's heart thudded in her chest.

Emily spoke, her voice as steady as ever. "I'm not helping you as your boss. I'm helping you as a fellow woman."

"There are so many cases like this-so many women who never call the police, who never fight back. The reason is always the same: people are quicker to judge the victim than the perpetrator. Even the justice system sometimes finds ways to blame women or excuse men. Often, the shame and pressure put on the victim is far worse than anything the perpetrator faces."

Donna felt her throat tighten, her eyes suddenly stinging.

"Ms. Blair..."

"Donna," Emily continued softly, "you're braver than most people I know."

"Before I called the police, I worried you might be too afraid of what people would say. But you weren't. You agreed with me you wanted justice. You wanted Ryan Cox to answer for what he did."