All Chapters of ONE WILD NIGHT : Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

The third floor of the university library was empty at 8 PM, just the buzz of the lights over empty study tables. I found Sam in the far corner, bent over a laptop, her face pale in the screen’s glow.“Maya.” She looked up as I came closer, her eyes flicking around nervously. “Thank God you came. I wasn’t sure you’d trust me after everything.”“What did you find that was too dangerous to tell me on the phone?”Sam pulled out a flash drive, her hands shaking a little. “I’ve been watching the university’s admin system since we last talked. After your interview, there’s been… a lot of activity.”She plugged in the drive and opened a folder labeled "COLLINS,INVESTIGATION." My stomach dropped at seeing my name as a file header."Maya, they've been building a case against you for weeks. Not just about the scholarship,about everything." Sam clicked through documents. "Look at this."The first file was a psychological evaluation request, dated two days after the scandal.“University counseli

Alex povThe silence after Maya hung up felt heavy, like a weight pressing on my chest. I stared at my phone, the dark screen showing my own tired face in the dim light of my apartment. 3:17 AM. The call had lasted only twelve minutes, but it felt like a lifetime.“Our child,” I had said. The words slipped out before I could stop them. And once they were spoken, something inside me changed. It wasn’t just the pregnancy anymore, or the problem everyone kept calling it. It was our child. A real little person, growing inside the woman I had spent a night with Also tearing apart in public.The script Victoria had handed me sat crumpled on my desk. Every line I was supposed to speak was there, planned out like a business deal. Offer money. Remind her about her family’s struggles. And if she still refused tell her to face the consequences.I'd followed the script perfectly, right up until she'd asked whose idea the call was.My phone buzzed. A text from Victoria,How did it go? Please tell

Maya’s POVThe conference room felt cavernous now that everyone had left. Only Margaret Stone, Rebecca, federal prosecutor Janet Walsh, and I remained. The echo of David Morrison’s final words still clung to the air like smoke: We’re just the beginning.Margaret stood by the window, her figure outlined against the gray city skyline. For the first time since I’d met her, the calm, controlled mask she always wore began to crack.“He’s right,” she said softly. “My family has been pulling strings and playing with people’s lives for generations. But this…” Her voice wavered. “This is worse than anything I’ve ever seen.”“What do you mean?” I asked, my hand resting on my stomach where the baby had been moving all morning.Janet spread a pile of documents across the table. “After the Morrison arrests, we got warrants for their financial records. The payments didn’t come directly from Victoria Blackwell or Richard Stone.” She pointed to one of the pages. “They were funneled through a chain of

Alex POVI’d been in my father’s study for the past hour, searching through everything I could access without triggering any security alerts. After our confrontation that morning, he’d left for an emergency board meeting,giving me a small window to dig through his secrets.The safe was still locked. I wasn’t stupid enough to try cracking it. But the desk drawers had yielded something unexpected,a leather journal, handwritten, tucked behind a stack of files as if he’d forgotten it was there.I flipped through the pages,mostly boring business notes and meeting details until I saw something that made my blood run cold.March 2022 – Collins situation resolved.Medical examiner cooperative. Family compensation approved –$50,000 monthly.Wife compliant. Children unaware. Monitor for 36 months.Collins.Maya’s father.My family had paid her mother to stay silent about his death.My hands trembled as I turned the page.June 2024 – Daughter (maya Collins) enrolled at Westfield. Scholarship app

Alex – POVI’d been driving toward Hartford General for fifteen minutes when my phone rang. Unknown number. For a second, I almost ignored it. But something in my gut said to answer.“Mr. Stone?” A cold, professional voice. A woman. “This is Detective Morrison from the police department. We need to talk about your whereabouts this evening.”My grip on the wheel tightened. “What’s this about?”“We’ve received reports that you’ve been sending threatening messages to Maya Collins. Is that true?”“What? No. I’ve been trying to warn her. There’s a difference.”“The difference is intent, Mr. Stone,” she said. “Right now, it looks like you’ve been harassing a young woman during a family crisis.”My stomach dropped. Of course. This was how it started. Victoria had already planted the story , that I was obsessed with Maya, the rich heir chasing a poor girl, manipulating her life. I pulled over, trying to breathe.“I need to speak to my lawyer.”“You’re not under arrest. Yet.” Her voice was sha