1989 (#16) - Christine's rape and Derek's escape during the investigation

After firing Chase, Jack decides to fill the post left vacant by the man as Jabot's marketing director at Derek Stuart. Derek, an ambitious and capable man thrilled to work under Jack's orders, who seems to appreciate the guy's character, shows an immediate interest in Christine. The girl, still shaken by the forced breakup with Scott, is pleasantly impressed by the man's kindness, who begins to show himself openly with the girl, despite the fact that she has made clear her willingness to do things very calmly, having to metabolize her recent experience. Behind Derek's polite and seemingly sincere ways, however, lies a very dangerous man. One evening, with an excuse, Derek shows up at Christine's with Chinese take-away food; Christine appreciates the idea of having dinner together, and the two of them joke and dance like two boys in love. But when Derek starts laying his hands on the woman, what seemed to be a quiet evening at home turns into a nightmare for Christine. The girl tried to stop Derek but she is overwhelmed by him who, in the grip of alcohol, rapes her all night long. The next day Christine finds the strength to throw the man out of the house and, afterwards, she asks Nina for help who, finding her completely distraught and upset, takes her to the hospital as soon as she informs her about the strupo. Here, the doctors urge Christine to go to the police, where she finds the courage, thanks to the proximity of Jim and Scott as well as the psychologist Beth Conway, to denounce the man. Derek immediately claims that Christine had been willing and now accuses him only of regretting losing her virginity; and Derek's own lawyer, John Silva, tries to discredit Christine hoping to drop the charges against the man. However, Scott and Chase manage to find a witness who confesses before Judge Jeffrey Harris that she was also raped by Derek at school three years earlier, admitting that she did not press charges because the school did not encourage her to do so. Before Derek can be found guilty by the jury, although he continues to claim his innocence and promises to prove it, it is Derek's own lawyer who realizes he is defending a guilty man. John thus decides to propose to Derek to call the prosecutor to confess in order to get a reduced sentence; however, John's reasoning and proposal becomes all useless, since Derek has already escaped.