- 5.
Three days later, the private investigator
came with the goods.
He looked serious, and he started listing the
<
evidence on the table.
Neat, organized.
“Ms. Rhodes, this is a picture of your
daughter two days before the incident. She
was with those thugs at a nightclub.”
“I found out they’ve known each other for six
months. Your daughter hung out with them
several times.”
I wasn’t surprised. I saw Ashley sitting with
those thugs in the photo, laughing.
He hadn’t put down the files and photos yet, I
told him to continue.
Then he looked really serious.
He pulled out another photo.
Ashley at the nightclub, bent over the table,
with a straw in her nose.
Then he showed me a video, the whole
process, how crazy she got afterward.
I couldn’t believe it. I never thought Ashley
would do that.
The investigator saw my shock and said, “It’s
hard to quit once you start. It takes a lot of
money.”
I knew it. I gave her twenty grand a month,
and she still asked for more. She used my
credit card to buy things.
I had suspected something, and I tried to talk
to her, but she didn’t say a thing.
I cut her off the extra cash, tried to limit her
to twenty grand a month.
If she was using that stuff, it explained
everything.
Then the investigator said, “Those thugs work
for a local crime boss, and his main business
is loans. Your daughter borrowed money from
him through that redhead.”
“Ten grand at first, then fifty, then a hundred.
Now, with all the interest, she owes over six
hundred grand.”
He hesitated, then went on. “This crime boss
has connections. He knows about your
daughter and your company. They set this
く
whole thing up. The redhead was the snake.”
I got it.
Ashley was hooked, needed cash. I cut her
off. The thugs wanted to get money from me,
so the redhead got Ashley to take out a loan.
I’d pay it back, or the company would. Ashley
was their meal ticket.
I was furious, knowing I’d raised such a
lowlife.
“What were they trying to do to my daughter
that day?”
“Probably take a video to threaten her or
extort you. I’m guessing the latter.”
“What about the video?”
く
careful, and those thugs are hiding now. I
haven’t found them.”
“Just a guess. They’ve done it before. They’re
Then I asked, “Did Mark have anything to do
with it? Did he know about this?”
The investigator shook his head. “I couldn’t
find anything on that.”
I nodded, paid him, and asked him to keep
digging.
The whole thing seemed to be connected. I
needed to find out who was in charge.
I thought it over and decided things weren’t
simple.
–
–
く
That afternoon, I called a meeting with my top
executives.
I asked Summer to get the lawyers ready to
sue.
Then I contacted the media, released a few
photos without showing Ashley’s face, and
made sure the story got out.
Things like this always spark public outrage.
Last time, my photo went viral.
This time, with the headline about the high
school girl, it exploded even more.
It hit the headlines fast.
People were fanning the flames in the
comments:
“I’m a classmate. I saw it all. It’s so sad. She’s
the prettiest girl in our school, and her family
has money. I can’t believe this happened.”
“I was near the alley that day. I heard
screaming, thought I was hearing things.
Turns out, it was real. A teenage girl, so sad.”
Everyone online was feeling bad for Ashley,
demanding justice.
Last time, it was all hate. I was too nice.
But Ashley was pissed. She climbed to the
roof of the building, ready to jump.
Said I was driving her to suicide.
“Does any mom do this? Put her daughter’s
dirty laundry on the internet? She wants me
dead.”
She was making a scene. People were
watching and taking pictures.
She picked a great spot, an office building
with big windows, the buildings close
together.
The videos were clear as day.
She cried. “I didn’t want to live after this
happened. I begged her to let it go, not
expose me, but she did it anyway!”
Mark was crying too, begging. “Ashley, come
down. I’ll take care of you.”
<
“I’ll divorce her. We don’t need a mom like
that, okay?”
The story already had buzz, and now this.
Ashley threatening to jump, Mark saying he’d
divorce me and take care of her. It was
trending big time.
People felt sorry for Ashley and respected
Mark.
But they hated me.
Even worse than last time.
The company’s stock price took a dive!
Summer was upset, furious after seeing the
video.
I just smiled, didn’t care.
Ashley and Mark are so stupid.
Oh God, just so dumb.
