Page 248 of Ruthless Court
His voice drops.
“He listens anyway.”
Silence.
Complete this time.
No giggling.
No typing.
Nothing except the hum of the heating vent and my pulse beating too hard beneath my sweater.
Professor Aldridge finally clears his throat.
“Mr. Haverhill, your closing statement.”
Kane doesn’t look away from me.
“Influence is not coercion when choice remains intact, refusal is respected, and power is used to create access rather than obligation.”
His eyes flick toward my glasses.
“The responsibility belongs to the person with influence to make sure the other person never becomes a footnote in his story.”
My chest tightens.
Aldridge turns toward me.
“Ms. Goodwin?”
I gather what remains of my argument.
“Power cannot declare itself ethical. Ethics are measured by the freedom of the person standing opposite it.”
I look directly at Kane.
“If she can challenge him, refuse him, and walk away without losing herself, then influence may exist without coercion.”
His mouth curves slightly.
“And if she stays?” he asks.
Professor Aldridge exhales.
“Mr. Haverhill, her closing statement is not an invitation for cross-examination.”
The class laughs, breaking the tension.
I close my folder.
“If she stays, it should be because she chose to.”
Kane nods once.
“Fair.”
Professor Aldridge looks down at his grading sheet.
