Chapter 26
As soon as Tiffany took off for school, Stan was left hanging. Her harsh words were still bouncing around in his head while he stood there, thrown for a loop.
To a rich girl like Tiffany, 20 thousand dollars was nothing more than the price of a designer bag. Having it or not made zero difference to her.
But Stan was caught in a living hell. His pipe dreams had gone up in smoke. His wife was breathing down his neck for cash, and his daughter was chewing him out for **ng a fortune while being tight-fisted.
Stan was beating a dead horse trying to explain himself to Selena. The smoking gun was that video clip, and it was the reason Selena wasn’t buying his story.
In it, Stan was caught red-handed shooting his mouth off to two women, promising to splash out on a mansion and fancy cars if they showed him a good time. To Stan, it was just drunk talk, but Selena and Sandra took it as gospel.
Selena wasn’t messing around with her ultimatum. If he wouldn’t pony up the cash in three days, she’d spill the beans to Charlie.
Selena figured if Stan was gonna leave her high and dry, she might as well burn the whole house down. They’d all get kicked to the curb by the Kelleys, but at least Stan wouldn’t get off scot-free
Stan was in denial, refusing to face the music. No way was he gonna let things hit rock bottom! As he chewed it over, a sinister look flashed across his face.
‘Well, my dear niece, you brought this on yourself. Thought you could look down your nose at me and throw money around. to get your way, huh?” Stan mused. Sporting a nasty smirk, he headed out the door.
Since he had a big move planned, he figured he’d better get some backup to keep things from going sideways.
After heading back to campus, Tiffany dove into the planned test.
Most of the questions were recycled from old exams, but with an extra twist to make them tougher. Kenneth was the go-to guy for putting these tests together, and he always nailed it.
But this time, things went off the rails. Kenneth’s computer got hacked. Right under everyone’s noses, the hacked machine was wiped clean. The only thing staring them in the face was a giant “Loser” splashed across the screen in bold black letters,
Everyone cracked up, but Kenneth’s face fell. That dig was obviously meant for him! Getting humiliated in front of the whole crowd was a new low.
Meanwhile, Tiffany was on cloud nine. Heading back to her dorm after lunch, Tiffany ran into Kenneth.
“Was it you who messed with my computer?” he demanded.
“Like I’d know how to do that, Tiffany quipped with a grin. “Shouldn’t you be asking if I’m the one who called you
“Loser?”
Kenneth was furning, wishing he could shake some sense into her. She was so quick on her feet, leaving him speechless with just a few words.
Tiffany hummed and walked on by. But Kenneth couldn’t take a hint and followed her, asking, “What’s going on with you and my uncle? Watch it, the Hampton family isn’t your steppingstone!”
Tiffany let out a deep sigh, not sure how to handle his s**d nonsense.
But Kenneth kept running his mouth, The Hamptons are a big deal, totally out of your reach. Even if you struck out with me, don’t sink this low!”
Tiffany wondered if he was off his rocker. She snorted, “You’ve barely had a sip and you’re acting drunk. Beat it My business with Richard is my own.”
Getting worked up, she added. “Keep this up, and I might just cory up to your uncle for real”
That really ticked Kenneth off. “How dare you be so shameless!” he blurted.
But Tiffany just brushed him off, walking away without a second glance.
Things were pretty chill for a couple of days. But time was running out, and some people were getting antsy, ready to jump the gun. Tiffany couldn’t help grinning to herself.
After class that afternoon, she put on her best sick act and headed to the office. She told the teacher that she didn’t feel great and wanted to head home.
Most people had a soft spot for pretty girls, so the teacher didn’t think twice before saying yes.
After leaving school, Tiffany didn’t rush home. She spent some time browsing a nearby bookstore, picked up two books after about 30 minutes, then headed out
While she was there, one of Stan’s watchdogs called him up. “Boss, that girl you wanted us to keep an eye on just left school What’s next? Should we make our move?”
Stan was thrilled about this news.
With the school being a boarding setup, Stan had been scratching his head about how to get to Tiffany. But now she’d practically gift-wrapped herself by walking out wasn’t this just what he’d been waiting for?
He shot back, “Go for it and knock it out. Don’t worry about the money.”
“Got it, we’ll take care of everything.”
After the call, a van with no plates showed up in a flash.
Tiffany was walking out of the bookstore, lost in her new book, when the van suddenly pulled up right in front of her. The next thing she knew, she was grabbed and yanked inside!
Just like that, Tiffany was gone, with only her books left sc**ed on the ground.
Sandra was picking up some stuff at the school gate and saw the whole thing go down. She was freaked out, her heart pounding like crazy.
Then Kenneth showed up out of nowhere, patting her head. “What are you looking at?” He looked around but didn’t see anything unusual.
Sandra snapped out of it and smiled shyly, “Oh, nothing. Just a cute cat running by.”
They then walked back to class together, looking like the perfect couple. But inside, Sandra was full of spite, thinking, “If Tiffany’s really been kidnapped, I hope she never comes back, ever!
Once hauled into the van, Tiffany put on her best act as a clueless trust fund baby. She bawled her eyes out, looking scared out of her wits.
“My family’s got deep pockets, I mean really deep. Just call my dad, he’ll shell out whatever you ask, just don’t hurt me!” she begged.
Her words were exactly what the kidnappers wanted to hear.
“Hand over the phone!” one of them snapped.
Tiffany passed it to them without missing a beat.
The four kidnappers then called Charlie, following Stan’s script, “We’ve got your daughter. Don’t make waves, bring ten million dollars where we tell you, or she’s done for!”
One of them was about to slap Tiffany to make her cry for Charlle to hear. But before he could, Tiffany started bawling on her own, “Dad, please hurry with the money, I don’t want to die, I’m freaking out!”
Charlie spoiled Tiffany rotten, so hearing this, he was beside himself. He gave in right away, begging, “Don’t hurt my daughter, I get the money together ASAP!”
The call ended way smoother than they’d expected. The kidnappers were feeling pretty c**y, with one saying, “This little hottie’s playing along nicely, made our job a whole lot easier.”