Chapter 1

A sudden phone call from Richard Carter, my assistant, woke me up. When I checked the clock on the wall, it was 3:30 am.

"You're blown up on the trending lists because of that female university student you're sponsoring, Mr. Goodwin," Richard said.

I rubbed the bridge of my nose and sat up. "Which female student?"

Richard sounded increasingly anxious. "Ella Lowe from Kingsford University.

”She uploaded screenshots of your WhatsApp messages on Facebook, which were also posted on Twitter. That post is already climbing toward the top of the trending list, Mr. Goodwin."

I casually opened my Twitter on the tablet and found the topic trending on the "Today's News" section. "Tycoon's Scholarship Fund Unmasked as Elite Sugar Baby Recruitment Scheme."

I tapped on it and saw Ella's post right at the top. She included a teary-eyed selfie along with a cropped screenshot of the group chat.

She wrote, "You guys won't believe this. I thought I found a generous benefactor, but this Mr. Goodwin actually sponsored dozens of female university students just to satisfy his own selfish desires. He's always bossing us around and gaslighting us in the group chat.

"He sent me a private message yesterday, hinting he'd buy me designer handbags if I went to a hotel with him. Because I refused his advances, he put me down in the group chat and falsely accused me of reckless spending.

"I don't care if I lose my sponsorship. I just want to step forward and tear off his hypocritical mask. I just want to tell all the women out there to protect yourselves and don't fall for people like him."

The comment section was filled with negativity, with tens of thousands of comments condemning me.

"How disgusting! He's actually using charity as an excuse for sexual favors!"

"Go after Mr. Goodwin, and shut down all the companies he owns!"

"I support Ella for having the courage to speak up. We, the women at Kingsford University, won't bow to anyone abusing their power!"

"I've already reported him to the Charity Federation. I've also emailed the Department of Education. That scumbag deserves to rot in prison!"

I scrolled down the post, my face showing no emotion.

I had sponsored students from Kingsford University for a full five years, putting up hundreds of thousands of dollars each year to cover tuition and living costs for 60 underprivileged students.

I had never once set foot on campus to see them in the past five years, yet here I was, painted as the creep preying on them.

Richard took a deep breath over the phone and continued, "It doesn't stop there, Mr. Goodwin. Two students who received major funding from you just released videos backing Ella up."

I clicked the link Richard had forwarded and found two familiar faces in the video—Harry Wagner and Maisie Zeller.

I remembered how I personally paid an extra 70,000 dollars for Harry's kidney transplant when he was diagnosed with kidney failure.

I recalled that Maisie's patriarchal family tried to stop her from getting an education, so I dispatched my legal team to her hometown to handle things and got her straight into Kingsford University.

Yet, at this moment, they were sitting side by side before the camera, their faces brimming with righteous indignation.

Harry spoke with profound sorrow. "I'm coming forward to speak up as a representative of the students receiving aid. Mr. Goodwin did provide us with financial aid, but he stripped us of our dignity.

"He regularly demanded long letters of thanks from us. He also required us to report our daily whereabouts. He's just being way too controlling!"

Maisie wiped away her tears and said, "Ella is telling the truth. Mr. Goodwin targeted Ella because she's attractive. We may be poor, but we still have our dignity. We can't let Ella face this kind of harassment alone."

That video alone surpassed five million views, and the comment section was packed with praise for them, alongside nasty insults aimed at me.