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

Miranda surveyed the chamber, her green eyes taking in the small flickers of hope that had ignited across the opposition's faces.

Pierce sat straighter in his chair. Marcus, despite trying to control himself, still carried that barely suppressed gleam of renewed possibility.

Her lips curved into something that wasn't quite a smile... sharper, more predatory.

The scent of their hope made her pulse quicken.

This was what she lived for... the moment when her opponents thought they'd found their lifeline, just before she cut the rope.

"Let's ask the men in question themselves why they supposedly lied, shall we?" she said, her voice carrying across the chamber with surgical precision.

She paused, turning slightly toward the panel.

"But before that, let me clarify something once more..."

Miranda moved with deliberate steps toward William and Brad, her approach measured and calm.

Both young men straightened slightly, their injuries making the movement awkward.

"Mr. Thompson, Mr. Martinez," she began, her tone professional but probing.

"I want to be absolutely certain about your testimony."

She stopped directly in front of them, close enough that they could see the sharp intelligence in her eyes.

"Are you completely sure that these three young men..." she gestured toward Alex, Mike, and Danny, "...are the people who attacked you?"

Pierce shot up from his seat, irritation flashing across his face.

"Dr. Whitman, we've established this already!" he interjected, his voice carrying frustrated authority.

"Why are you asking questions we already know the answers to? The victims have positively identified their attackers multiple times."

His tone suggested she was wasting everyone's time with unnecessary repetition.

"We're not here to relitigate settled facts!"

William and Brad also exchanged a quick glance, confusion flickering in their eyes.

Why was she asking again? But the evidence still seemed to favor them... Alex had been caught in his lie about being on campus.

William adjusted his sling slightly before speaking, his voice carrying renewed confidence.

"Yes, ma'am. We are absolutely sure."

Brad nodded firmly despite his visible discomfort.

"No doubt in our minds. It was definitely them."

"Excellent."

Miranda turned with fluid grace toward Alex's table, her movement like a chess player advancing on the king.

"Mr. Hale, Mr. Carter, Mr. Morrison," she said, her voice carrying respectful authority.

"Now then, can you clarify for this panel why you lied about being present on campus during the incident time?"

Alex rose slowly, his composure intact and somehow even more unshakeable than before.

When he spoke, his voice carried an edge of something that might have been amusement.

"I never lied about anything, Dr. Whitman."

A small ripple of shocked murmurs ran through the chamber. Someone whispered,

"He's still denying it?" The brazenness of his continued denial in the face of clear evidence left several panel members blinking in surprise.

Dr. Brennan leaned forward, his expression troubled.

Even Dr. Carlisle looked taken aback by his bold response.

But Alex continued, his voice growing stronger and more confident.

"I never said I was not on campus yesterday."

He paused, letting that sink in before continuing with perfect clarity.

"In fact, I came to college as any normal student would on a weekday. Yes, I was sitting in the cafeteria, exactly as Mr. Reeves testified."

The chamber fell into stunned silence.

The confidence in his voice, the lack of defensive posturing... it suggested something the audience hadn't considered.

Miranda's smile widened slightly.

"Then perhaps," she said, her voice carrying the satisfaction of someone about to spring a perfectly laid trap, "we should hear your side of the story."

She moved closer to Alex's table, her eyes gleaming.

"If you came to campus that morning and then left in such a hurry... which Mr. Reeves somehow interprets as conspiracy... tell us exactly what happened."

The stage was set. Alex's calm confidence. Miranda's predatory anticipation. And the growing realization that this case was about to take another dramatic turn.

"We were in the cafeteria that morning, exactly as Mr. Reeves testified," Alex began, his voice carrying the steady confidence that had unsettled his opponents all day.

"But the phone call I received was not coordination for any assault."

He paused, his expression growing more serious, the weight of the memory settling over his features.

"It was Danny calling to tell me that his eight-year-old sister Nina had been rejected by St. Mary's Hospital."

His voice dropped slightly, carrying genuine emotion.

"She was dying, and they had nowhere else to turn."

Mike rose beside him, his voice firm with conviction and barely controlled emotion.

"We left immediately because a little girl's life was in danger."

He looked directly at Pierce, his tone sharpening.

"Not to plan violence, but to try to save a child."

Pierce's voice rose with what sounded like genuine disbelief, but there was an edge of desperation underneath.

"Mr. Hale, you seriously expect this panel to believe that instead of planning assault, you were responding to a medical emergency?"

His tone carried forced institutional skepticism.

"How remarkably convenient that this supposed crisis coincides perfectly with the timeline of your alleged criminal activity."

Pierce's confidence was visibly wavering, but he pressed on.

"A dying child? Really? That's your explanation?"

Miranda turned her attention to Danny, her voice softening with professional compassion.

"Mr. Morrison, please tell this panel about your sister's medical situation."

Danny rose slowly, his hands gripping the table's edge. He swallowed hard before speaking.

"Nina's had kidney problems since she was five. We've been patients at St. Mary's for three years."

His voice was steady but strained, clearly uncomfortable sharing family details in this formal setting.

"Tuesday night, they called us around 11 PM. Said they couldn't help her anymore. That we needed a specialized pediatric unit."

Danny paused, his jaw tightening.

"We spent all night calling hospitals. Nobody would take her without connections or money we don't have."

Dr. Carlisle leaned forward slightly. "That must have been very difficult."

Danny nodded, his composure wavering for just a moment.

"We came home Wednesday morning. That's when I called Alex and Mike."

His voice grew steadier, more focused.

"I told them the doctors had given up. That we had nowhere to turn."

He looked directly at Alex and Mike.

"They came immediately."

Mike stood beside Danny, his voice firm.

"When we got to Danny's house, we could see the family was desperate. Alex promised he would find a way to help."

Miranda's voice remained gentle but clear.

"So to be absolutely certain, Mr. Morrison, you were never part of any assault plan?"

Danny's voice grew stronger, anger beginning to replace vulnerability.

"My eight-year-old sister was dying."

He looked directly at William and Brad, then at Marcus.

"I would never waste a single minute on violence when my family needed me."

The chamber fell silent. The stark contrast was clear to everyone present... three young men who had spent that day trying to save a child's life, versus the elaborate lie constructed to destroy them.

Pierce sat rigid in his chair, watching his fabricated case crumble under the weight of simple human truth.

The cold realization hit him like a physical blow... he had been so focused on orchestrating the perfect trap that he had never bothered to investigate the most basic question: where exactly had the three defendants actually been that morning?