Chapter 20
This video was like gasoline on a fire. As Selena was about to storm after Stan, Sandra stepped. in. “Hold up, Mom! Whoever sent this is just trying to stir up trouble and watch us fall apart.” The theory was all well and good until it was your ox that was gored.
Selena was so furious she was practically shaking. She had put up with a ton of marrying Stan. At least he had been faithful and only had eyes for her. But now? They finally caught a break, and he was off chasing other women. No wonder she was losing it.
c**p since
“Back off! I’m gonna knock that lowlife into next week,” Selena snarled, ready to storm out.
Sandra blocked the
You’re just playing or, panicking. “Mom, think! If this blows up, our family’s done for into someone’s hands.”
But Selena wasn’t budging, so Sandra had to try another angle.
“Dad’s just lost it for a minute. Want to get him back in line? No problem. Let’s figure out how to squeeze him for the cash,” Sandra said.
They say money makes men go bad. Without it, Stan wouldn’t have been able to paint the town red. That much was clear.
Selena saw the logic in Sandra’s words. If Stan wouldn’t hand over the cash willingly, no problem-she could find a way to quietly transfer the money herself. With a plan forming, Selena’s anger subsided quickly.
As they turned in for the night, Selena casually probed Stan, “Hey, where’d you put that money? We need to keep it on the down-low, or Charlie might get suspicious.”
“Yeah, I got it. I’m not an idiot,” Stan grumbled, rolling over and ready to pass out.
Selena tried every trick in the book to sweet-talk him, but Stan was giving her the cold shoulder. Thanks to Sandra’s pep talk earlier, Selena managed to keep her cool this time.
In the dead of night, with Stan snoring loud enough to wake the dead, Selena crept out-of bed and started going through his wallet.
Selena went full detective on his accounts, but they were bone dry. A few measly bucks, max. That 12 million dollars had vanished into thin air.
Reality hit Selena like a ton of bricks. She could stomach her husband’s wandering eye and his cold attitude. But if he’d blown their nest egg on his flings? That was the last straw, and she absolutely wouldn’t let it slide.
*
Selena went from zero to a hundred, yanking Stan out of his sleep. She was all fury, laying into him, “Where’s the money? Did you blow it all on your side chicks? Stan, you ungrateful into him. “Where’s the money? Did b**d, is this how you repay me after all these years?”
Jolted awake and stinging from her attack, Stan lost it. He lashed out, slapping Selena hard.. “You’ve got some nerve!” he snarled.
Selena reeled for a second before her rage exploded. She lunged at Stan, and in a flash, they were at each other’s throats. The bedroom erupted into chaos, with the couple suddenly turning bitter enemies.
The next morning, as Tiffany headed down for breakfast, the house was already buzzing with gossip about last night’s drama.
Word had it that Stan and Selena had a knock-down, drag-out fight in the middle of the night, complete with hair-pulling and b**dy noses until Sandra finally managed to break it up.
Luckily, Charlie had been working late at the office, and Thalia had been dead to the world. The whole blow-up had gone completely unnoticed by them.
Tiffany took the gossip in stride. When Stan shuffled out looking like he’d been hit by a truck, she plastered on her sweetest smile. “Morning. Uncle Stan,” she chirped.
“Morning,” Stan grunted. Breakfast was the last thing on his mind, but Tiffany’s cheery greeting left him no escape. He trudged over like a man on his way to the gallows.
The se**nts’ gossip was one thing, but seeing Stan’s battered face up close was something else entirely. He looked like he’d gone ten rounds with a heavyweight champ. Tiffany was thrilled, but she had to fight hard not to burst out laughing.
“Going somewhere, Uncle Stan?” Tiffany asked casually, sipping her milk. “I saw this bag the other day but didn’t get it. Mind grabbing it for me if you’re out? I’ll cover the cost.”
Before Stan could refuse, Tiffany slipped him a card.
Usually, Stan would have refused outright. As the elder in the house, he wasn’t one to run errands for others. But this time, he swallowed his pride and agreed. After all, Tiffany was known for being generous, and that card was probably loaded.
Just as Stan agreed, Selena came out of their room. The moment their eyes met, the atmosphere was thick with tension.
Stan, lost in thought, bolted for the door, leaving his breakfast untouched. Selena, still showing signs of the fight, was right behind him.
Tiffany ate at her own pace, unfazed by the whole scene.Content (C) Nôv/elDra/ma.Org.
Suddenly, Sandra’s voice sliced through the air. You’re behind this, aren’t you?” It wasn’t really a question.
Tiffany played dumb, her face the picture of confusion. “What are you talking about? Are you out of your mind, coming at me this early in the morning?”
Sandra stared intently at Tiffany, looking for any sign of weakness. But no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t detect even a hint of guilt.
It dawned on Sandra that Tiffany must be innocent in the video drama and the missing cash. If Tiffany had been behind it all, she’d have already revealed her hand, demanding the Olsons leave.
Realizing this, Sandra forced a smile. “Never mind. I’m just overthinking things.” Tiffany dabbed her lips with a napkin, deliberately giving Sandra the cold shoulder. “Oh, by the way, Kenneth’s asked me to hang out tomorrow. Want to join?” Sandra asked. Her cheeks turned a rosy hue, a touch of bashfulness creeping in. It was a humblebrag on steroids. She was flaunting that she had dibs on someone else’s man. The nerve of her.
In the past, this kind of boasting would’ve gotten under Tiffany’s skin. But now? Even with her fiancé apparently cheating on her, she remained unfazed. “Nah, you two have fun,” Tiffany replied c**lly. “Maybe you can slip into his bed and fast-track that trip down the aisle.
Tiffany wasn’t kidding around. She was itching to give Kenneth the boot and wash her hands of the whole mess.
Tiffany’s offhand comment sparked a gleam in Sandra’s eyes. If she could seal the deal with Kenneth, her ticket into the Harper family would be all but guaranteed,
Watching her useless parents turn against each other, Sandra decided it was time she took control of her own life and started looking out for herself.