Total pages in book: 196
Estimated words: 180438 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 902(@200wpm)___ 722(@250wpm)___ 601(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 180438 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 902(@200wpm)___ 722(@250wpm)___ 601(@300wpm)
The girls know that something is going on, but so far, I’ve been able to keep them off the scent, but for how long? There’re also the people in my little black book, but then again, blackmailing them may not be for the best in the long run. Most of my money comes from that quarter, and I always need something to fall back on. Not to mention with the kind of money and power these people have, I’d be taking my life into my hands if I tried that.
No, better not even think about going that route. All the same, it was one of the things I mentioned to my mother during our little chat, even throwing around a few names that I was sure would be able to come through with large amounts of money at such short notice. Maybe if I explained…. No, that, too, would be like certain death to the business I do with these people. Any hint of scandal might send them running scared, or worst; they may decide that I was better off dead so that nothing could lead back to them.
My superficial fame may go over well here among the dull-witted ones who never saw through us, but these men and women are way smarter than that. And besides, I’m sure they know me inside and out and wouldn’t trust a word I say. At the end of the day, they’ve only ever wanted one thing from me, and I always knew that they, too, saw me as beneath them. No one would ever understand how hard it is, what you have to do to stand out in this town.
No one appreciates the fact that I made a name from nothing, that lies and a glib tongue was all I had, that and my beautiful daughters, who I admit was made more beautiful under the knife of a very good friend. But what more are daughters good for than supporting their parents? I did the best I could with what I had, and no matter what anyone says or thinks, and I did a damn good job.
My girls rule the world through the television screen. Millions of women all over the world look up to them; little girls emulate them and want to be just like them one day. And now I have my granddaughters to look forward to. A new breed of Hudsons, no matter their last names, who will one day do what their mothers have done. So no, I can’t go down without a fight; one way or the other, I must get through this little hiccup.
I hung up the phone with Mom and was feeling a little better. Even she thought this person was trying to run a scam on me. Who in their right mind would expect anyone to come up with that kind of money on such short notice? Obviously, they’d just thrown out a number waiting for me to bite. I almost laughed at the absurdity now that I was seeing things better, and then the phone chimed with an incoming text.
‘Time is running out.’
‘I need more time, I can’t get my hands on that kind of money right now.’
‘We know how much you’re worth and how soon you can liquidate your assets because of your close association with your brokers. Unless you’d like us to tell them that you’ve shared some not so nice information about them with us.’ What?
‘If you think we’re bluffing, see what we do to those who don’t do as they’re told. In one, two, three….’
“One two three what? One two three what?” I yelled and turned around in my kitchen, expecting, I don’t know what. My nerves have been shot to hell for days. I see the boogeyman around every corner, and I can barely leave the house because I have no idea who or where the enemy is.
The phone rang in my hand and scared me so bad I tossed it in the air, barely catching it before it hit the ground. It was Scott calling me back finally, and I answered before the phone could ring twice. He was screaming before I could say hello, “Have you seen this?”
“Seen what?”
“Turn on the TV, or better yet, go online; it’s Matt; his whole life is imploding. What the hell is going on?”
He hung up the phone, leaving me stressed and confused. Matt? What the hell could be going on with Matt? Sure, he did business with us, but out of all of us, he kept his public image squeaky clean. I turned on the TV and went online at the same time to see what all the fuss was about and almost wished I didn’t.
‘It would appear that the outspoken spiritual leader has been doing more than spirit cleansing at the long suspected cultish church he runs. Sources say that the youth master turned church guru has been dipping in the kiddie pool and not in the way you think.