Chapter 108 *
"That's what I'm saying!" Madison threw her hands up. "But everyone's acting like she's some kind of hero now. Some kind of inspiration."
"The construction worker thing." Brittany leaned closer to her camera. "That's what's bothering me."
"Doing manual labor," Sophie added. "With all those men. And somehow had time to study for a perfect SAT?"
Madison nodded. "It doesn't add up. None of it adds up."
"Unless she wasn't actually working," Ashley said quietly. Almost like she didn't want to say it out loud.
The others went silent.
"What do you mean?" Madison asked. But her tone suggested she already knew.
"I mean..." Ashley hesitated. "You know what construction sites are like. They're full of men. Rough guys. Not exactly the kind of place a girl goes to study calculus."
"So what are you saying?" Sophie prompted.
Ashley's voice dropped lower. "I'm saying maybe she was there for different reasons."
"Different reasons like what?" Brittany pressed.
"Like sleeping with them." The words came out fast. Like Ashley wanted to get them out before she lost her nerve. "For money. For protection. For whatever."
Madison's smile spread slowly across her face. "That's what I've been thinking."
"Oh my God." Sophie's hand went to her mouth. "You think she was hooking?"
"I'm not saying she was a prostitute." Madison's tone was careful. Measured. "I'm just saying the math doesn't work. Construction wages don't pay enough to live on. Not in Montana. Definitely not with enough left over for SAT prep."
"Unless she was making extra money," Brittany said. Her voice had an edge to it. Almost excited. "On the side. With the foreman. Or whoever was in charge."
"Exactly." Madison picked up her phone. Started pacing again. "Think about it. Pretty girl. Alone. Desperate for money. Working around men all day."
"She definitely slept with someone," Sophie said. More confident now. "Had to. That's the only way it makes sense."
"The construction foreman," Brittany added. "Or maybe multiple guys. Extra cash here and there."
Ashley spoke up. Her voice was quieter than before. "That's... that's a pretty serious accusation. Do we have proof?"
"We don't need proof," Madison said. "We just need logic. Common sense."
She pulled up a photo of Scarlett. The one from the Romano party. Zoomed in on her face.
"Look at her. She's not ugly. She knows how to work it. The whole innocent act? Please. Girls like that learn early how to use what they have."
"The poor little orphan routine," Sophie said. Her tone was mocking. "So tragic. So brave."
"She's playing everyone," Brittany added. "And they're eating it up."
Madison nodded. "Exactly. The construction story. The perfect SAT score. The mysterious rich boyfriend. It's all calculated."
"Wait." Sophie sat up straighter. "The boyfriend. We still don't know who he is, right?"
"Nobody knows," Madison confirmed. "She won't say. Her family doesn't know. It's like he doesn't exist."
"Or he's married," Brittany suggested. "That's why she can't say who he is."
"Oh my God." Sophie's eyes went wide. "Sugar daddy. That's why the College Board cleared her. He paid them off."
"That makes so much sense," Ashley said. She was warming to the idea now. "Rich older guy. Married probably. Can't go public with the relationship. But has enough money and connections to fix things behind the scenes."
Madison stopped pacing. Stared at her phone screen.
"That's it." Her voice was quiet. Certain. "That's what happened. The College Board didn't clear her because she's innocent. They cleared her because someone paid them to."
"Her sugar daddy," Sophie said.
"Who's probably some Wall Street executive," Brittany added. "Or a politician. Someone with serious power."
"That's why she's being so secretive about him," Madison continued. The pieces were clicking together in her head. "Because if people knew who he was, they'd know he could pull strings like this."
"And the whole story falls apart," Ashley finished.
They all went quiet for a moment. Processing.
Then Sophie spoke up. "You know what's really disgusting?"
"What?" Madison asked.
"The GoFundMe." Sophie pulled it up on her screen. "Sixty-five thousand dollars now. People are throwing money at her like she's some charity case."
"When she's probably living in luxury," Brittany said. "With her sugar daddy paying for everything."
"Exactly!" Madison's voice rose again. "These idiots are donating their hard-earned money to someone who's scamming them!"
"It's pathetic," Sophie added. "All those comments. 'You're so inspiring.' 'Here's twenty dollars.' 'Your story touched my heart.'"
"She's laughing at them," Brittany said. "Laughing at all these people falling for her act."
"That money should go to real students," Ashley said. Her voice had an edge now. "Students who actually worked for their scores. Who actually need help."
"Instead it's going to fund her lifestyle," Madison said. She was typing on her phone. Pulling up her banking app. "Well. Not for long."
"What are you doing?" Sophie asked.
Madison transferred money. Five hundred thousand dollars. From her trust fund to an account number she'd memorized.
"I'm adding another half million to the investigation budget." Her voice was cold. Final. "That's a million total now."
"A million dollars?" Ashley's voice cracked. "Madison, that's—"
"That's what it takes to expose someone with this level of protection," Madison interrupted. "Someone's backing her. Someone with serious resources. So we need serious resources to counter them."
She pulled up her contact for the reputation management firm. Started typing an email.
Subject: Increase scope immediately
Gerald,
I'm authorizing an additional $500,000 to the budget. This brings our total investment to $1 million.
New objectives: 1. Identify and expose Scarlett Romano's alleged benefactor 2. Investigate her construction employment claims - find proof of fabrication 3. Plant credible doubt about College Board statement - suggest corruption 4. Expose GoFundMe as fraud/scam
I don't care what it costs. I don't care what you have to do. Bury her so deep she never crawls out.
- MP
She hit send.
"Madison." Ashley's voice was worried now. "This is getting really serious. What if we're wrong? What if this blows back on us?"
Madison looked at the camera. Her expression was hard. Confident.
"We're not wrong. And it won't blow back."
"How can you be sure?" Sophie asked.
"Because she's nobody." Madison's voice was matter-of-fact. "She's from Montana. She has no family supporting her. No real money. No connections. No power base."
She started counting on her fingers. "Meanwhile, I have two hundred thousand Instagram followers. Connections to every major family in Manhattan. And parents who built a cosmetics empire."
"She can't touch us," Brittany said. Understanding dawning on her face.
"Exactly." Madison smiled. "She's a small town girl playing in a game she doesn't understand. She doesn't have the resources. The connections. The money."
"She can't fight back," Sophie added.
"Even if she wanted to," Madison confirmed. "What's she going to do? Her family kicked her out. Her mystery boyfriend won't even go public with her. She's completely alone."
"Except for the internet mob," Ashley pointed out. "They're on her side right now."
"For now." Madison's smile turned sharp. "But we're about to change that. Once we expose the truth about who she really is. What she really did to get where she is."
"The construction site prostitution angle."
"The paid-off College Board angle."
"The sugar daddy pulling strings angle."
"All of it." Madison nodded. "We hit her from every direction. Show people they've been scammed. That their sympathy is misplaced. That she's not a victim, she's a con artist."
"And once the narrative turns?" Brittany prompted.
"She'll have nothing." Madison's voice was certain. Cold. "No public support. No money. No protection. Just her and whatever married rich creep is keeping her on the side."