Chapter 2: The Scandal That Changed Everything
The news broke at midnight.
Sarah was the first to see it. A trending post flashing on her phone screen, carrying Ralph's name and the words "EXPOSED: The Golden Congressman's Secret Deal."
Her heart stopped.
She scrolled through the thread, trembling. There was a recording — Ralph's voice, or something that sounded like it. The clip was edited, sliced with precision, making it sound like he had accepted bribes from a construction firm.
But it wasn't real. It couldn't be.
Sarah's mind spun as comments flooded in:
"Another politician caught lying."
"He's all looks and speeches. No substance."
"Can't wait for his apology video."
Her pulse raced. She didn't even think; she just grabbed her coat and ran to the office.
The city hall was dark except for the floor where Ralph's light still burned. It always was.
She found him standing by the window, phone in one hand, posture tense, the calm before a storm.
He didn't look at her when she entered.
Only said, "You've seen it."
"Yes." Her voice broke slightly. "Sir, it's spreading fast. The networks picked it up."
Ralph turned then, eyes shadowed with something deeper than anger, disappointment, maybe. Not in her. In everything.
"Who leaked it?" he asked.
"We don't know yet. But the metadata traces back to our office files."
The silence that followed was unbearable.
Sarah's throat tightened. "They're framing you, sir. I swear, no one from the team…"
"I know," Ralph cut in softly, and somehow that calm hurt more than if he'd yelled.
He walked to his desk, pulled out a file, and dropped it in front of her. "They've been waiting for this. Villaflor and his allies. They think one scandal can ruin everything."
Sarah blinked. "Villaflor? But why…"
Ralph gave a small, humorless laugh. "Because I didn't play his game. He's been building this for months."
In a dimly lit private club, laughter echoed through cigar smoke.
Senator Villaflor clinked his glass of whiskey against a younger congressman's. "The prodigy will fall before dawn."
Another aide smirked. "The file's already tagged with his aide's name -- Sarah Cruz. By sunrise, they'll all think she sold him out."
Villaflor grinned. "Perfect. Let the world think his downfall came from within. Betrayal always sells better than corruption."
They toasted.
They didn't know that somewhere in the storm, Ralph was already three steps ahead.
Back in the office, Sarah was pacing. Ralph hadn't moved much since she'd arrived.
The sound of rain hit the glass in waves, echoing her heartbeat.
"Let me issue a statement," she finally said. "We can deny everything, show timestamps, prove that…"
"No." Ralph's tone was sharp, commanding. "We stay quiet."
Sarah's brow furrowed. "But silence looks like guilt."
He met her eyes, gaze steady, voice low. "In politics, noise feeds the lie. Silence makes them nervous."
Sarah froze.
There it was, that calm, calculating tone that made him both admired and feared in Congress.
Still, she couldn't hide the hurt in her eyes. "So we just wait while they destroy your name?"
Ralph exhaled, shoulders heavy. "No. We let them think they've won. And then we destroy their game."
He walked closer. Not as her superior, but as the man who had once thanked her for staying when everyone else left.
"Sarah," he said quietly, "don't talk to the press. Don't post. Don't even defend me online."
"But…"
"Please." His voice cracked for the first time. "Just trust me."
That single word, trust, made her chest ache.
She nodded, even though her whole body trembled. "Always."
Ralph turned away, staring out into the rain again. His reflection blurred against the city lights, a man wearing the face of control, even as the world tried to shatter it.
The office had gone silent except for the hum of rain and the faint vibration of his phone. Notifications, statements, denials, all irrelevant.
Ralph opened an encrypted file on his computer. Inside were lists, donors, informants, rivals and one familiar name: Villaflor Holdings.
He remembered the conversation months ago, the smug grin, the whispered deal he refused.
And the words that followed:
"Every saint has a sin to expose."
Ralph clenched his jaw. So, this was the sin they'd chosen for him.
He looked over at Sarah, who had fallen asleep on the couch, phone still clutched in her hand. The glow from the window softened her features, made her look heartbreakingly innocent — too good for the dirt he lived in.
He sighed. "They'll try to use you next."
A man in a dark coat leaned over his laptop.
"The first leak hit perfectly," he messaged in the encrypted chat.
"Phase Two?" came the reply.
He smiled, typing back.
"Yes. Upload the clip linking the congressman and his aide. Let's make it look like pillow talk led to the corruption deal."
The file name blinked before sending: "Director's Cut -The Affair."
He hit enter.
The storm had eased, but the city hadn't.
Ralph's phone buzzed again.
This time, Sarah was the one who reached it first.
Her face turned white. "Ralph…"
He looked up. "What is it?"
She handed him the screen, trembling.
Another video.
This time, it wasn't about money. It was about them.
Her name.
His name.
In one sentence.
Linked to an "affair scandal" and "compromised political loyalty."
The room went quiet.
The whole world seemed to pause with them.
Ralph stared at the screen, then at Sarah, the woman he'd trusted more than anyone else.
And for a moment, his heart didn't know whether to break for her…
or to burn for revenge.