Hands trembling slightly, Clara tapped the news app. Her own face stared back at her from half a dozen gossip sites and legal blogs. The headlines blurred for a second before snapping into focus:
"Clara Torres Spotted Flirting at Downtown Bar Hours After Court Appearance"
"High-Profile Prosecutor in Bed with Mystery Man?"
"Scandal Rocks DA's Office Just Days Before Big Verdict"
Her heart stopped as she scrolled. The photos were too clear. Her at the bar, hair down, a fitted black dress hugging her curves, laughing with a tall, gorgeous stranger. Another angle caught them leaning close, drinks in hand.
Then came the worst of it. A grainy, dimly lit photo that could only have been taken in the early hours of the morning. Clara in bed, the sheet pulled up to her chest, hair messy, the shadow of a man lying beside her. His face was blurred, turned away, but the implication was clear.
Clara dropped the phone onto the couch as if it had burned her.
She couldn't have a scandal, not now. Not when she was this close to winning the most important case of her career.
Standing from the couch, she crossed to the balcony doors, needing air, needing space to think. But when she looked down toward the gate,she rushed back inside.
Reporters. At least a dozen of them, their cameras facing her building's entrance.
She hesitated, then opened a group chat with Sofia and Riley.
Clara: We have a problem. Big one. I need advice…what do I tell the media?
Sofia: We? Clara, YOU are on every newsfeed in the city.
Riley: Damage control, ASAP. But, don't say anything until we figure out which angle to take.
If only she could reach the man from last night. If he came forward, if he denied, maybe she could clear her name. But she didn't even know his last name.
The phone rang again. Her boss.
She forced herself to answer. "I was going to call.."
"Don't bother," his voice cut sharp as glass. "You've humiliated this office, Torres. This is not what we need right before a verdict. You're on temporary suspension until we decide whether to pull you from the case."
Her mouth went dry. "You can't.."
"I can, and I have. Stay out of sight until further notice. And pray this doesn't affect the case."
The line went dead.
Clara stood frozen, the phone still in her hand, as the voices of the reporters outside began to rise.
She needed a plan. Fast.
***
Hours later, the noise outside still hadn't stopped. Clara tried calling the hotel they had spent the night in, but they politely let her know that they could not disclose their client's information.
She swore under her breath and tossed the phone beside her. If only she found him, she could spin the truth.
Her phone rang again. Not a call. A notification.
Another trending alert.