Selena quickly jumped in and said, “Hold up, is there some misunderstanding here? Maybe Stan got played because he is short on experience.”
This was a script they’d reh**ed beforehand. If things went south, they’d just deny it to the death and claim they never pocketed the money
Charlie raised an eyebrow, a cold smile spreading across his face. “Got played? You think I’d buy that?”
“Bro, you gotta believe me. I swear I’ve never done anything to stab you in the back. I’ve been busting my a** for this company, you know? All for those extra two percent profit margins. I ran myself ragged trying to find the right supplier, and I ended up getting played like a fiddle. How the hell was I supposed to know the guy was pulling a fast one on me?” Stan wailed pitifully.
Tiffany watched the scene unfold from the sidelines, her eyes dripping with disdain. The Olsons were all drama queens. To anyone who didn’t know better, they might really believe. Stan was the victim here.
Charlie’s face was a storm cloud, his jaw clenched tight. He bit his tongue, but the silence spoke volumes. This was no small potatoes-he was seeing red.
“Come on, man, I swear I got played. You gotta believe me!” Stan blubbered, turning on the waterworks full blast and pulling out all the stops in his desperate plea.
“Remember when I saved you twice as kids? You said I was your number one bro and you’d always trust me. Said we were closer than real brothers. Did you just forget all that?” Stan pressed on.
At those words, Charlie’s rage melted like ice cream on a hot sidewalk. The storm clouds on his face cleared in a snap.
Tiffany could read her dad like a book. She knew these words were Stan’s golden ticket – he’d just hit the jackpot in the blame game.
Charlie was big on loyalty and feelings. It was true that Stan had saved his butt twice before.
Once when Charlie nearly drowned, Stan jumped in to rescue him, almost dying himself. Another time when wolves attacked Charlie, and Stan ran with him until some hunters came to their rescue.
So even after making it big, Charlie never forgot what Stan did for him. He’d bend over backward for Stan, always giving him another chance.
Tiffany knew the Olsons were up to no good, but she wasn’t about to call them out. If she couldn’t drop the mic on their whole operation, why bother throwing shade? No point in- poking the bear if you can’t take it down.
Sure enough, Charlie caved after Stan’s s**b story. “Stay home tomorrow,” he said. “I’ll clean up this mess.”
Charlie was gonna bite the bullet and shell out the 12 million dollars from his own pocket. Talk about taking one for the team.
Stan knew he was still in deep s**it. Charlie might’ve cut him some slack, but the other shareholders were gonna be out for blood. His cushy job was history… but at least he wasn’t totally screwed.
Stan’s voice cracked as he choked out, “Thanks, bro.”
And just like that, the 12-million-dollar scandal was buried. Stan got off with a slap on the wrist, losing his job but dodging any real heat.
Charlie didn’t stick around – he just exchanged a few words with Thalia before taking off for the office.
The tension at home was palpable, and the s**nts were too scared to speak up.
Thalia rubbed her temples-her headache had flared up again. Tiffany quickly called for a s***nt to bring some warm milk and then helped her mom to bed.
Thalia looked drained. “You and Eric should get some rest too-you’ve got classes the day after tomorrow.”
Once Thalia was all settled, Tiffany headed upstairs with Eric.
As soon as they were upstairs, Eric started venting. “Dad’s being way too soft on them. I thought for sure he’d finally kick them out this time, but nope-he just lets it slide and that’s it.
Tiffany chuckled. “It’s just the usual mess. You’ll get over it.”
While talking, Tiffany was swiping on her phone. Good thing Eric was all huffed up and missed that she was editing a video she was about to anonymously send to Selena.
Her first surprise for the Olsons was a bait-and-switch. This video was her second bombshell. She called it “Dog Eat Dog”
Downstairs, Selena was pretty pleased with Stan for sweet-talking Charlie into going easy on them. She gave him a playful pat on the back, laughing. “You sly dog, that trick of yours was pure gold!”
Sandra, who’d kept quiet before, now couldn’t help but nod approvingly once they were. alone. “Dad totally nailed it this time. I almost felt bad for Uncle.”
They thought Stan was Oscar-worthy, but his tears were real and he was genuinely pi**ed about being duped. That was what made his act flawless.
So when Selena and Sandra sang his praises, he just got annoyed. “Enough already, shut it!”
He just couldn’t spit out the truth. It would’ve been a total face-loss.
Selena had been given the cold shoulder twice by him today. Furious, she latched onto Stan’s arm. “What’s your problem, huh? You keep snapping at me. I’ll let it slide for now, just hand over the money and I’ll deal with it”
But Stan just stormed off, slamming the door behind him.
Selena was about to run after him, but Sandra held her back. “Cool it, Mom. We need to be careful; someone’s always listening.”
They were on the Kelleys’ turf now, so they had to watch their step.
“Don’t sweat it, Mom. I’m sure Dad won’t blow the cash. It’ll all come out in the wash. Just keep your cool and let him save face for now,” Sandra added.
Just then, Selena’s phone buzzed with a new message. She instinctively checked it, expecting spam, but found a video with a pitch-black thumbnail instead. She was about to delete it when, for some reason, she tapped to play it.
Suddenly, the screen lit up with a crystal-clear image. It revealed a large hotel bed, and on it, a shocking scene: two provocatively dressed s**y women and… a man Selena knew all too well-Stan.
Selena was stunned. It felt like someone had dumped a bucket of ice water on her, instantly crushing all her hopes for the future.
“So that’s why the jerk kept freaking out about money. No wonder he didn’t come home that night, claiming he was with clients. He was actually fooling around with other women!” Selena fumed.
Sandra was right beside Selena when the video played, so she saw it too. Uncut and unfiltered, it was undeniably real.
Sandra was equally shocked, her mind racing. Who sent this video, and why?’ she wondered. Blackmail was a possible motive, but the perfect timing hinted at something more complex.