Chapter 105: No Doubt, I’m Full of Virtues

“Do you have some kind of personal conflict with Lynch?”

After returning to the association, Taylor immediately shared the outcome of her meeting with Lynch. Julie was soon summoned to the association by a phone call.

In these tough times, two thousand jobs for women were enough to make the Sabin City Women’s Rights Protection Association a focal point not just in the state, but nationwide.

Once public opinion kicked in, the higher-level associations would inevitably increase their attention here.

With that attention and tangible achievements, they could gain more societal support, making everyone’s life a bit easier.

Organizing protests and rallies, paying full-time staff, and covering daily expenses—all required funding.

But as a non-profit civilian organization, they had no business operations of their own. They relied entirely on grants from higher associations, sponsorships, and some voluntary donations.

Two thousand jobs were enough to pull them out of their current predicament, so once the situation was explained, Julie immediately faced backlash.

The president, Elena, was a woman around forty. Most people in this line of work were of that age—older ones were more traditional, lacking the energy or mindset to engage in this movement, and often didn’t see their lives as unfortunate.

It was only the younger ones who cared about these issues, hoping for equality with men and willing to devote themselves to that cause.

Elena came from a middle-class family. That was the reality— the state-level president reportedly came from a political family. Sometimes, these women understood how society worked better than the average person.

Elena’s question hit Julie like a blow. She could sense hostility in everyone’s eyes.

She had no idea what had happened. Just yesterday, these same women had vowed to stand up for her against Lynch—how had they suddenly turned on her?

Her face paled as she shook her head, denying the accusation. “Yesterday was the first time I met Lynch. We have no conflict.”

At that moment, the man who had met Lynch with Taylor—the association’s legal counsel—spoke up. Every functioning organization needed a lawyer. After they parted ways with Lynch, Lynch had added one more comment.

He mentioned that Julie’s outfit from the day before might have been an issue.

The lawyer spoke softly now, “Yesterday you wore a low-cut blouse and a very short skirt, correct?”

Julie didn’t understand the implication. She hesitated, but still nodded—some things couldn’t be hidden. Besides, she believed she had the right to dress as she pleased.

Freedom in dress was one of the rights won through the women’s rights movement—just like makeup, often considered one of its greatest achievements.

The lawyer nodded again. “You tried to seduce Lynch but failed, and that made you resentful, even hostile, toward him. Isn’t that right?” Ignoring Julie’s wide-eyed disbelief, he continued, “This morning, I asked a few people who know you well. They described your usual style as… conservative.”

He stopped there. He didn’t need to say more. The expressions on everyone’s faces shifted—including Elena’s.

Everyone here knew Julie. She had frequently stood with the athletes and supported the association publicly. To them, Julie was indeed a conservative dresser.

Considering she worked in an all-male professional sports club, dressing too provocatively might have caused trouble—or even danger.

As much as society didn’t want to admit it, it was true: professional athletes often lacked education, discipline, and legal awareness. They were notorious for scandals, so dressing provocatively around them was not just risky—it was dangerous.

A normally conservative woman suddenly dressing provocatively… regardless of her intentions, it couldn’t be explained away now.

“I didn’t! This is slander! Defamation!” Julie’s face grew even paler. She couldn’t understand why everything had flipped on her so suddenly.

She looked to those she considered friends, but none of them responded to her plea for help.

Then Taylor spoke up, “I also met Lynch. He was very willing to resolve our differences before things escalated. He’s a very polite young man.”

Maybe young man wasn’t the right phrase—some people glanced at her strangely. She quickly clarified, “From what I know, Lynch is only twenty. He’ll turn twenty-one in the fall.”

Murmurs of surprise rippled through the room. They had all assumed Lynch was in his thirties or forties—around their age. No one had expected him to still be just a kid.

Women can be complicated. They might hate a man for no reason, but suddenly feel affection toward a young boy.

That newfound goodwill toward Lynch quickly turned into dissatisfaction with Julie. A grown woman dressed provocatively in front of a kid? What was she thinking?

Elena’s face darkened. Lynch was the same age as her own child. The idea of Julie doing something like that was almost unimaginable to her.

Was Julie so resentful because Lynch didn’t fall for her?

As more and more hostile eyes turned to her, Julie nearly lost control. After a moment of silence, she forcefully reiterated her stance—she didn’t do any of that. And she repeated her accusation: Lynch was trying to please men by humiliating women. That was the core conflict!

The lawyer directly countered her. “The essence of sports is competition. People care about winning and losing, not what athletes wear. Only people with dirty minds fixate on that. I believe Mr. Lynch has done nothing wrong.”

“Until now, there hasn’t been a single professional sports league specifically for women in the entire federation. That’s a form of implicit discrimination—some people still believe women are inferior to men.”

“Mr. Lynch is challenging that outdated belief. I believe we’ll soon see more professional women’s sports emerge—and one day, women competing on the same stage as men.”

“That’s progress. That’s the future. I don’t see any humiliation in it.”

This perspective had already been widely accepted even before Julie arrived. Male bodybuilding had been gaining popularity, and many married women in the room secretly watched those competitions.

They viewed the athletes with admiration, not with a sexualized gaze.

So Julie’s claim didn’t hold water. Now, it seemed like she was just stirring up trouble for no reason.

Worse, she had seemingly tried to seduce a child. Disgusting!

With everyone against her, Julie had no way to fight back. She stood there like a puppet—lost, afraid, helpless.

Elena, unusually decisive, made a final judgment. “I propose demoting Ms. Julie from Director to Member. Any objections?”

Who would object and risk eating shit now?

Besides, everyone agreed Julie was in the wrong.

Soon after, the Sabin Women’s Rights Protection Association issued an internal notice, explaining the situation and mentioning the possibility of working with Lynch.

In just one day, members who hadn’t shown up for six months—or even longer—came back on their own, some even renewing their memberships.

Everyone knew the reason wasn’t love for the association—it was the jobs.

This only reinforced the local association’s realization: they needed Lynch. And they needed him badly.