Karen tried tofort him, but at the same time, she found an opportunity to insert a casual suggestion. "First and foremost, I believe we should ask Rita toe home. We need to know if she''s been


    assaulted. If so, we''ll have to involve the police, don''t you think?"


    Vince appeared somewhat uneasy. "I can''t bring myself to ask her that. I warned her long ago not to pursue a career in journalism, but she chose to disregard my advice. Where did that bring her now? Having to answer to people is bad enough. Now she got herself vited by someone."Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDra/ma.O(r)g!


    The image of Rita being gripped tightly by a drunken assant was heartbreaking for Vince.


    "You''re right." Vince snapped back resolutely to his senses. "I''ll tell her toe back home and ask her about what happened. If she didn''t do anything, then we will have to clear her name as quickly as possible. I don''t want her to be judged by other people."


    Karen nodded. "You''re right. That is the best course of action. I''m just worried Rita might be too stubborn to confide in us."


    "She won''t. Rita has always been a mature person when ites to handling something this significant." Vince expressed his confidence with a wave of his hand. He then escorted Karen back to their vi and promptly called Rita to invite her home for dinner.


    After receiving her father''s call, Rita immediately called Camille. "Your predictions came true. My dad just asked me toe home for dinner tonight. Do you think I''ll be walking right into a minefield?"


    Nothing else concerned her except


    for whether or not her father would exploit the opportunity to coerce her into abandoning her fledgling career as a reporter. Meanwhile, Camille'' expressed fears that Karen and Sadie might exploit the situation to Rita''s disadvantage.


    "I can already imagine the usations they''ll hurl at me," Rita mused aloud. The more she feigned indifference, the more distressed Camille was.


    "If all else fails, I''ll contact the newspaper tomorrow and demand a retraction. They''re in the wrong for sullying your reputation!" Camille suggested.


    Rita smiled and felt touched by her


    friend''s concern. "The article has been published. A retraction won''t undo the damage. Those who have read it will remember. But you know what, Camille? I couldn''t care less. You can never stop those rumors. The only way to set the record straight is to do my job as a reporter and do it well. There weren''t a lot of reporters present that night, and I was the only one remaining when the incident happened. The only people who could''ve known about this must''ve been someone I''ve met before."


    Camille sighed. "You shouldn''t have been exposed to so many soap operas as a child. Just look at your passion for journalism."


    Rita chuckled softly. "Wish me luck, then! I have a lot on my tetely, but let''s grab a meal together when I have the time. I already miss you."


    Rita knew that she might have crumbled under the pressure without Camille''s support, which would be exactly what Sadie and Karen wanted.


    At the moment, there were two


    priorities-investigating the


    developer, as well as uncovering the


    people conspiring against her. Rita


    sighed, knowing that the path ahead would be one that was fraught with plenty of obstacles.