I had a very funny conversation with Clara, until she noticed she had forgot about her 'interview'.
"Oops, I got off track. Sorry," she admitted, realizing she had stopped asking questions. "I just have a couple more things I wanted to ask. You're not in college, right?" Her expression showed some apprehension.
"No," I replied, choosing not to elaborate.
"Okay, can I ask one last thing?" She looked at me with an intensity that seemed slightly worrying.
"Sure, if it's something I can answer, I don't mind."
"Well..." She hesitated for a moment before finally asking, "Why were you expelled from college?"
I was caught off guard.
She knew?
How did she know about that?
My heart raced as countless possibilities flooded my anxious mind.
Could she be planning to write an article accusing me of something? Was she...?
I took a deep breath. I was innocent, and no matter what happened, I knew I could overcome it. I wasn't alone anymore, and I wasn't the same person I had been before.
I stared back at Clara with such intensity that I noticed her unconsciously leaning back in her chair, putting a few extra inches between us. Her expression and body language revealed subtle hints of fear, mixed with surprise and apprehension.
"I was expelled because of a false accusation of rape," I said, deciding not to elaborate further. It wasn't necessary.
"Don't worry, I believe you," she said softly, peeking out like a small animal from its burrow, only to retreat again immediately.
Relief and happiness washed over me. It felt amazing when people actually believed me without unjustly accusing me.
"The whole story of your expulsion seemed really strange. The decision was so quick, and more importantly, there wasn't any formal accusation filed with the courts. I understand that a woman might feel intimidated to accuse someone, fearing repercussions, especially if it's a powerful man. But I know Karen, and things don't add up. If she had truly gone through something, her father would have destroyed the man's life by now. Also, no offense, but you're far from being a powerful man that people would be afraid to accuse."
I was surprised that she knew Karen, but apparently, the girl had studied journalism for two years before transferring to my college, and by coincidence, Clara had been her mentor during her freshman year.
"So, are you going to publish something defending me?" I asked, genuinely excited.
"Unfortunately, I can't..." She looked away, visibly frustrated. "If I did, I'd be accusing Karen, and I can't take that fight on."
"Why not?" I asked honestly. She was rich and all, but it didn't seem like she had anything particularly extraordinary about her.
"Wait, you don't know who she is?" Clara seemed genuinely surprised.
After her initial shock, she asked if I knew the main economic activity of our city.
"Mining, I guess," I replied, at least confident in that assumption. After all, I knew that the large number of private engineering colleges in the area existed primarily to supply the mining companies with qualified employees.
Clara went on to explain that while mining was indeed important, the most significant industry was media. This actually explained why there was such a large journalism college in an otherwise boring and quiet town.
The story began over 100 years ago with a famous writer from the town. She had started her own local newspaper, which grew in popularity nationwide thanks to her serialized chronicles.
Eventually, three wealthy families, Somi, Mattau, and Tapu, who owned most of the region's mining operations, decided to invest in the newspaper. The writer became a partner alongside them, and later, her daughter and granddaughter inherited the editorial leadership roles.
The Mattau family continued to manage the administrative side and were also responsible for the film studios in the city, which they rented out to other production companies. Beyond mining, their main activity was real estate, buying properties to sell or, more often, rent out.
The Somi family handled distribution since they owned a transportation company. However, over time, they distanced themselves from managing the media conglomerate to focus on transportation and commerce.
As the Somi family stepped back, the Tapu family took on a more active role, buying part of the Somi's stake in the company. They became the majority shareholders with 45% ownership.
Meanwhile, the writer's family retained 10%, the Somi family held 15%, and the Mattau family owned 25%. The remaining 5% belonged to the current CEO, a highly successful businesswoman approved by the other partners.
In other words, the entire media conglomerate in the city, and nearly all local employment, was controlled by this group. Going against them wasn't an option.
And, of course, Karen was part of one of these families. Her full name was Karen Tapu Oliveira, and, well, forget her long name. Anyway, she was the only child of a very protective father who loved spoiling her.
By the way, Eric, one of the jerks hanging around Karen that day, and her current boyfriend, also came from this near-aristocratic background. He was part of the Somi family and had five or six siblings, all of whom were studying abroad.
So I learned that I knew absolutely nothing about the city I lived in.
Moreover, Clara, with her aspirations as a journalist, obviously couldn't criticize Karen in any way without solid evidence and protection.
Finally, after talking for a while longer, we had to part ways and go our separate paths.