She Used Me for a Dare… Now I Own Her Mother

Miranda moved with deliberate precision toward Jacob, her footsteps echoing in the suddenly quiet chamber.

The afternoon sun had shifted, casting longer shadows across the mahogany panels as Jacob shifted uncomfortably under her approaching scrutiny.

"Mr. Jacob Reeves, correct?"

"Yes, ma'am," Jacob replied, his earlier confidence already beginning to waver.

"Excellent. Now, Mr. Reeves, let's examine your testimony with the precision it deserves."

Miranda's tone remained professional, but there was something surgical about her approach.

"You testified that you observed Mr. Hale and Mr. Carter in secretive conversation. Tell me, during this alleged planning session, did you hear either of them specifically mention the victims we have here today?"

Jacob blinked, clearly not expecting such a direct question.

"I... no, I didn't hear any names."

"No names," Miranda repeated, making a note. "What about specific plans? Did you hear them discuss assault, violence, or weapons?"

"No, I couldn't hear their actual conversation."

Miranda nodded thoughtfully.

"So you heard no names, no plans, no discussion of violence or weapons. What exactly did you hear, Mr. Reeves?"

"Well... nothing specific. They were just talking quietly."

A murmur rippled through the chamber. Someone in the back whispered, "That's it?"

Dr. Brennan removed his glasses, cleaning them with unnecessary care... a gesture Pierce recognized as his old friend's tell when deeply uncomfortable.

Miranda's voice remained gentle, but her questions became more focused.

"Mr. Reeves, you testified they seemed 'excited about something.' Upon what specific evidence did you base this assessment?"

"They just... they looked excited. The way they were sitting." Jacob's face was flushing red now, sweat beading on his forehead despite the chamber's cool air.

"The way they were sitting suggested criminal conspiracy to you?"

Jacob's face reddened further. "Not at the time, no."

"When did it suggest conspiracy, Mr. Reeves?" Miranda's voice carried the patience of someone who already knew the answer.

"After... after I heard about what happened later."

Miranda's smile was understanding but pointed.

"Ah, I see. So your interpretation of their behavior as suspicious came only after you learned of these allegations. Is that accurate?"

"Y-yes, ma'am."

"So at the time you observed them, you saw nothing inherently suspicious about two students having a quiet conversation in a cafeteria?"

"Not really, no."

Miranda turned to address the panel directly.

"So, to summarize Mr. Reeves' testimony: He observed two students talking quietly. He heard no names, no plans, no discussion of violence. He found nothing suspicious at the time."

Her voice grew stronger with each point.

"His interpretation of this ordinary interaction as criminal conspiracy came only after learning of subsequent allegations. This is speculation, not evidence."

Jacob squirmed in his chair as the weight of his testimony's inadequacy became clear to everyone present.

Pierce rose from his seat with the determination of a man watching his case collapse in real time.

"Dr. Whitman, the specific content of their conversation is irrelevant," he interjected with forced authority.

"The crucial fact remains unchanged... they were present on campus at the time in question."

His voice carried the desperate confidence of someone grasping for any remaining foundation.

"Mr. Reeves has established their presence and suspicious behavior. That's what matters for this panel's consideration."

Alaric Langford cleared his throat, adjusting his glasses with the methodical precision of a seasoned administrator reviewing policy details.

"Dr. Whitman, while I appreciate the thoroughness of your cross-examination," he said, his voice carrying the measured authority of someone accustomed to institutional procedures,

"I believe President Pierce raises a valid procedural point."

He consulted his notes briefly, then continued with administrative certainty.

"The fundamental issue remains that Mr. Hale and Mr. Carter were demonstrably present on campus at the relevant time. That fact alone is significant for this panel's consideration."

He adjusted his glasses before continuing.

"Whether Mr. Reeves overheard specific details of their conversation is, arguably, less material than their confirmed presence during the timeframe when the alleged assault occurred."

Langford leaned forward slightly, his tone becoming more pointed.

"Furthermore, Mr. Hale's initial statement to this panel included an explicit denial of being on campus at the time of the incident. He claimed, and I quote from the transcript, 'we were not even on campus when these assaults supposedly took place.'"

A murmur of recognition rippled through the chamber as panel members and observers recalled Alex's earlier denial.

"However, Mr. Reeves' testimony... regardless of what he did or did not overhear... conclusively establishes that at least two of the defendants were, in fact, present on campus during the relevant timeframe,"

Langford continued with growing confidence.

"This directly contradicts Mr. Hale's sworn testimony to this panel. At minimum, we have established perjury before this inquiry board."

Pierce's expression brightened considerably, recognizing the lifeline Langford had thrown him.

"Exactly, Mr. Langford," Pierce said with renewed authority.

"Dr. Whitman's theatrics aside, the facts remain unchanged. The defendants lied about their whereabouts. They were on campus. They had opportunity. And as established through earlier testimony, they had motive."

Dr. Brennan frowned deeply, his earlier discomfort now crystallizing into genuine concern as he reviewed his notes.

"This is... troubling, Alex. If you were present on campus, why did you initially deny it? That suggests consciousness of guilt, doesn't it?"

The weight of Langford's procedural objection settled over the chamber like a heavy blanket.

What had seemed like Miranda's systematic victory moments before now appeared to have a significant flaw... one that Pierce was eager to exploit.

The gallery erupted in immediate chaos. Students who had been quietly observing suddenly found their voices, creating a cacophony of reactions that filled the chamber.

"He lied!" someone shouted from the back rows.

"I knew something was off!" another voice called out.

"They said they weren't even there!"

"Caught red-handed in their own lie!"

The murmurs grew into heated whispers, then into open arguments between different factions of students.

"This proves they're guilty," came a sharp voice from near the faculty section.

"But why would they lie about just being on campus?" someone tried to counter.

"Because they're covering up something worse!"

Dr. Carlisle had to lean forward and call for order. "Please! Maintain decorum in this chamber!"

But the atmosphere had shifted dramatically. Where before there had been growing sympathy for Alex during Miranda's cross-examination, now there was suspicion and renewed doubt.

In the front row, Marcus couldn't help himself. The moment Langford finished speaking, his face lit up with genuine surprise and sudden hope.

For the first time since Miranda had begun her systematic destruction of their case, he felt like he could breathe again.

His shoulders straightened involuntarily, and a flash of relief crossed his features... too quick to hide, too honest to fake.

It was the look of someone who had been drowning and suddenly felt solid ground under their feet.

He leaned forward slightly in his seat, his eyes bright with renewed possibility, the despair of moments before completely forgotten in the rush of this unexpected lifeline.

Miranda's attention snapped to Marcus like a predator sensing movement. Her eyes narrowed as she took in his transformation from despair to hope in the span of seconds.

A slow, knowing smile spread across her face... not the professional courtesy she'd maintained throughout the hearing, but something sharper, more predatory.

"Mr. Steele," she said, her voice cutting through the chamber's noise with surgical precision.

The room fell silent, all eyes turning to Marcus, who suddenly realized he was being addressed directly.

"You look more excited than even the victims themselves about this development," Miranda continued, her grin widening with each word. "How... interesting."

Marcus's face flushed as he realized his mistake, his moment of triumph now feeling like a trap.

"Don't worry," Miranda added, her tone carrying mock reassurance that somehow felt more threatening than any accusation. "I'll be getting to you too."

From the panel table, Pierce shot Marcus a look of pure fury... sharp, brief, but unmistakable.

His eyes blazed with the kind of rage reserved for subordinates who had just ruined carefully laid plans.

The look said everything that couldn't be spoken aloud: I warned you to stay silent. I warned you not to react. And you just gave her exactly what she needed.

Pierce's jaw tightened as he watched Marcus shrink back in his seat, the young man finally understanding that his moment of visible relief had been a catastrophic error.

Marcus's face went pale as he processed what had just happened. His moment of hope had lasted perhaps thirty seconds, but it had been enough. Enough for Miranda to see, enough for her to mark him as more than just an observer.

Tyler and Robert, sitting beside him, had gone rigid with understanding. They'd all been warned to remain neutral, to show nothing more than concerned interest as fellow students.

Instead, Marcus had revealed exactly how invested he was in seeing Alex fall.

The chamber settled into an even more charged silence than before, the weight of Miranda's observation hanging in the air like smoke.

Everyone now understood that this case had layers they hadn't seen, connections that went deeper than simple assault charges.

And Miranda's predatory smile suggested she was far from finished.