Chapter 101
I only have less than three months left anyway. 1 can afford to go all in.
We talked a while longer before hanging up. I checked my other notifications and found a message from Ethan Davies.
He’d sent screenshots from a private chat group. The first showed a conversation between an administrator and members;
Group admin message: “The male principal has increased the budget. Keep creating content, original posts preferred. The more vicious the attacks on Ms. Sinclair, the better. I’ll report upward and increase your payments!”
Below, Ethan had written: “I can go undercover for you.”
I frowned and typed: “What’s going on here?”
His reply came quickly: “My roommate sent me this freelance job opportunity – easy money, he said. We just take these talking points and post them under relevant news articles.”
“I know you’re nothing like what they’re saying in the news. So I’m staying in this group to collect evidence for when you need it.”
“How did you get access to jobs like this?” I wondered.
“College student – we take whatever gigs we can find.”
That struck a chord. I knew that life all too well. Five years ago, I was in his position–taking any job that paid. Working as a server, I rescued Rachel Hayes from an aggressive classmate. We became closer than sisters after that.
We made a bet once that Rachel lost, and she had to call me “sister” and come with me to my off–campus jobs. But she kept seeing me as her sister long after the bet was over…
I took a deep breath. Rachel’s disappearance was my first real experience with loss–just the beginning of what was to
come.
I typed: “Won’t that affect your future opportunities in this line of work? If it would cause problems, I can handle this another way.”
A voice message came through. Ethan sounded urgent:
“Don’t worry about it! It’s just a part–time job. I do all kinds of side gigs, this is just one of many.”
I relaxed and sent a voice message: “Alright then, collect as much evidence as you can. When this is over, I’ll take you out
for dinner.”
His reply: “Great! I’ll look forward to that dinner!”
Ethan’s POV
I sat on my chair with earbuds in, barely listening to my roommate explain how to make money as an online troll. My focus was on Audrey’s voice message.
Her voice was gentle, composed, with a slight musical quality that made even simple words sound elegant.
1/2
Chapter 101
“Who are you messaging? You’re smiling like an idiot, my roommate said.
I quickly looked up, feeling my face heat up. I hadn’t realized I was smiling.
“Nobody.”
“Got a girlfriend?” he asked with a knowing smirk.
“Not that status yet.”
“No wonder you’ve been hustling for side gigs lately. Trying to impress a girl, huh?” He laughed and turned back to his laptop. “But seriously, the drama in these wealthy families is nuts…”
He scrolled through news sites featuring the Blake scandal.
sked, pointing to a photo of Audrey at some event.
arker
“Don’t you think this woman is hotter than Laurel Rose?”
he
life as a rich socialite by hooking up with someone else and getting pregnant?” he “Why would she mess up her cushy continued, reading through the comments.
“Now her husband can openly cheat, and she’s getting destroyed online…”
I hesitated before carefully suggesting: “Maybe what we’re seeing isn’t the whole truth, Maybe… the baby was actually her husband’s.”
My roommate frowned. “If she was carrying her husband’s child and had a miscarriage, while her husband was out finding a mistress… that would make Blake Parker a real bastard.”
Without thinking, I nodded. “Of course he’s a bastard!”
Chapter Comments
LIKE
