ONE WILD NIGHT

My phone buzzed for the fourth time during my microeconomics lecture. Hospital. Again.I slipped out of the back row, ignoring the professor's disapproving look. In the hallway, I answered with shaking hands."Maya Collins?""Yes.""This is Dr. Patterson. I need you to come to the hospital immediately. Your mother's condition has taken a serious turn."The world tilted. "How serious?""We need to discuss treatment options in person. How quickly can you get here?""I'm on my way."I ran across campus to my dorm, my heart hammering against my ribs. Zoe was getting ready for her afternoon class when I burst through the door."I need to borrow your car," I said, grabbing my purse and keys to our room."Maya, what's wrong? You look”"Mom's in the hospital. I have to go. Now."Zoe tossed me her keys without hesitation. "Call me."The drive to Hartford General took thirty minutes that felt like hours. I found Dr. Patterson in the oncology wing, his expression grave."Maya, sit down.""Just t

Three weeks after the Grandview Hotel, I learned that expensive sheets leave invisible marks.Not on my skin, but I could still feel Alex’s hands like fire in my memory. Everything else felt different. My thin dorm blanket seemed rough. The bright cafeteria lights felt too sharp. Even my scholarship felt shaky, like it could vanish if I made one mistake.Life went on the same,classes, tutoring, long hours at the restaurant. But it all felt empty, like I was only acting as Maya Collins. The real me was still on that hotel balcony, wearing a stranger’s jacket, believing for one short night that I truly mattered.Alex Stone . I had searched his name once before forcing myself to stop. Heir to a fortune. Engaged. Out of reach. The papers called him New York's most eligible bachelor. It made me laugh bitterly eligible for everyone except poor scholarship girls."You're vibrating," Zoe said, watching me stack my textbooks in order again and again. "Like, literally shaking. When's the last t

ALEX POINT OF VIEW I was going through business reports when my phone went crazy “Twenty-three missed calls in four minutes. Dozens of texts piling in faster than I could read.Then Marcus,my assistant who had never broken rules in three years “rushed into my office without knocking."Sir, we have a problem. A big one."Before I could ask what kind of problem required breaking protocol, my phone rang. Victoria."Alexander." Her voice was ice. "We need to talk. Now.""I'm in a meeting""Cancel it. I'm in the lobby."The line went dead. Marcus stood frozen by the door, his face pale."What exactly is going on?" I asked him."Sir... maybe you should see for yourself." He handed me his tablet.The headline hit me like a physical blow:“”STONE HEIR'S SECRET BABY SCANDAL””And there, beneath the screaming text, was a photograph I'd never seen before. Me, leaving the Grandview Hotel elevator that morning six weeks ago, looking exactly like a man who'd spent the night somewhere he shouldn't

Maya povI shouldn’t have turned on the TV.I knew it the second his face filled the screen.Alexander Stone stood in his perfect suit, while Victoria Blackwell held onto his arm like a queen beside her king. The cameras loved them, shining and graceful, as if they were made for the spotlight. Maybe they were.I was just the girl sitting in a cramped dorm room, the ceiling light buzzing weakly above me, wrapped in the same hoodie I’d thrown on after class.“Play it again,” I whispered, though no one was there to hear. My thumb trembled as I turned the volume up.The anchor’s voice poured from the tiny screen, calm but cruel, slicing through me with every word.“In a shocking press conference earlier today, billionaire heir Alexander Stone and finance Victoria Blackwell addressed the rumors of an alleged affair and pregnancy. Stone strongly denied the claims, calling them, quote, a desperate attempt at financial extortion.”The clip rolled, and there he was again ,Alex. My Alex.Only h

The Channel 7 studio felt like a battlefield under the bright lights. I sat in the makeup chair, watching the artist cover the dark circles under my eyes, the stress that had shown on my face all week."You're going to do great," Elena said, checking her notes one final time. "Remember, this is your chance to tell your story. Stay calm, stick to the facts, and don't let anyone rattle you."On the studio monitor, the opening words flashed: “LIVE AT 8: MAYA COLLINS SPEAKS OUT.” My stomach twisted, but Mom’s voice rang in my head, Don’t you dare let them silence you. Don’t you dare say sorry for telling the truth."Thirty seconds to air," the floor manager called.Elena took her position across from me, her professional smile masking the intensity in her eyes. She knew this interview could make both our career or destroy them."Good evening, I'm Elena . Tonight, we have an exclusive live interview with Maya Collins, the Westfield University student at the center of what's being called th