Aldrich #5
“You want to talk about separation? What about the morality that was clearly separated from your daughter? Her separation from reality. She was running this man’s name through the mud in order to force him to acquiesce to what she wanted but you want to talk about morality.
Oh darling, please keep talking so that I have enough ammunition to ensure you’re never around this child.
It is clear that you don’t have the necessary faculties to take care of a child.
I’m going to chalk it up to you being mired in grief instead of the obvious greed that is pouring off the two of you.
You all thought that Aldrich was going to be an easy target not realizing that he didn’t just deal with anyone.
Your daughter, angry at his rejection, decided to take a sport out of getting him.
I’ve seen a lot of determined groupies in my day but I got to say, the one you raised takes the cake.
” Marcus shook his head as he took over talking cash shit about their kid.
“Our daughter was not a groupie. She was a good girl until he decided that he was going to toy with her.”
“I’ve never said a word to your daughter.
Yet I have to live with the fact that my first child was born because of a disgusting act that your daughter forced on me.
So don’t talk to me about her being a good girl.
Good girls don’t stalk people. They don’t drug them and they don’t assault them.
So please get out of my face with trying to reframe how she’s seen in the media. ”
“You need to recognize that Mr. Dinero is doing you a favor by not discussing any of this in the media. He’s raised his daughter quietly but if you continue this pursuit we will absolutely do what is necessary not only to clear his name but to prevent you both from being anywhere near her or him.
Delusion might be heredity but just in case it’s a nurtured trait, I will use all of my considerable power to ensure that none of you lay eyes on her again unless it’s through a TV screen or a magazine spread.
And the harassment of his girlfriend needs to stop.
” Billy was back making demands but it was falling on deaf ears.
“Well, I think that the media would like to see what actually happened between the two of you.”
“I relish the thought of you thinking you’re going to embarrass this young man who is doing what he can to raise his daughter.
That will open up a multitude of avenues that I am more than happy to explore and they all leave you guys the same way: broke, embarrassed and shunned.
Choose your actions carefully.” Parker was calm as he observed from his end of the table but I was sure he meant every word.
“He’s got some other woman parading around our grandbaby like our daughter didn’t even matter.”
“As a woman who almost died herself when I was losing my first child, I sympathize deeply with you. I am only here by God’s grace.
But as saved as I am and happy to be a living testimony, I will drag you all to the gates of hell and deliver you to the devil himself if you try to do anything to my client or his family.
Your daughter was a rapist. She’s also guilty of attempted murder of a fetus and if she hadn’t died herself Aldrich and our entire firm would’ve lobbied whoever we needed to in order to have her charged.
Don’t forget this is Texas and they take every birth of a baby seriously.
Now, they might not give a shit once it’s out of the womb, but the way your daughter could’ve caused harm to her child and to others she would’ve deserved to go to jail. ”
“We have substantial bills that he needs to pay. The hospital, the insurance for her car. They won’t pay us since the accident was ruled her fault.
” Her father said all of this with a straight face and I wanted to rock his shit.
This man was trying to hold me responsible for his daughter who was a stranger to me.
“I have already had my insurance cover almost a quarter million dollars in hospital bills. I’m not asking y’all for any of that back but you think I’m going to pay the hospital charges for the woman that raped me?
That tried to kill my daughter to gain sympathy because I didn’t want to be with her?
She slandered me for months and I didn’t say a word.
She died and I still didn’t say all that could’ve been said.
My good nature only goes so far and right now y’all are pushing me far beyond the bounds of it. ”
Bryan sat forward with his arms folded and I knew this was going to be good because he was normally the fun one. But the look on his face let me know he meant business.
“I’d think carefully about what you want to do.
I’m not a father, nor am I a woman like my partner here.
Truthfully, I’m the asshole in the room.
The shark. Between myself and Marcus, his business lawyer and Money’s PR team I would have testimony from every man your daughter ever slept with, stalked, or harassed.
Her name would be synonymous with being a crazy slut because although I don’t feed into that narrative, the public does.
They’re always looking for a way to make a woman out to be the bad person.
Here, it happens to be the truth. The same way you’re harassing this man, imagine a legion of fans and chauvinists unleashed on you.
Gone would be the false narrative you’ve been painting about the grieving grandparents who just want to see their granddaughter.
You’d be the people who raised an attempted baby killer.
The parents of a woman who raped a famous football player and then falsely accused him of abandonment.
Hell, they might blame her for the Desperados not going to the championship last year because that’s when she started all this nonsense.
So hear me clearly: tread very fucking carefully with your next steps.
We don’t play about our family and I will do everything necessary to eviscerate you if you even think of sullying his name any more than you already have. ”
My mouth wanted to drop open because I had never heard Bryan speak like this to anyone. Whatever had gotten into him I liked to see it. Billy sat back with a smile on her face probably happy that she didn’t need to play the bad guy.
Their lawyer blinked slowly like he was trying to figure out where he could still find a win for his clients but there wasn’t one. He knew that their daughter couldn’t be tried for what she’d done, but in the state of Texas her memory would be completely tarnished because of what she’d done.
“I don’t understand why you all aren’t willing to play ball with us here. There is still the tape—””
“Yes, the tape. That poses a problem.” Marcus was nodding his head and I wanted to speak up but I needed to let them do their thing. “What is it that you plan to do with it since you’re not going to use it against him for custody?”
The Zahrans looked confident again, as though this was something they could exploit for leverage.
“It can be leaked. My daughter is dead and the amount of shame that she brought on us within our community will follow us if we stay here. If you don’t want it leaked, then you will pay for us to move and start over elsewhere.
” Mr. Zahran was nodding his head like his solution was the best one for everyone.
It was like he was oblivious to the fact that he was still committing a crime by attempting to get money out of me.
“Your client is sitting here trying to extort money from ours. Do you want to advise him about why that isn’t a good idea?”
Their lawyer paled and glanced at the Zahrans who didn’t seem to care about the potential consequences of their actions. Marcus’ words meant something to him since he’d gone to law school and knew how they’d messed up.
“They are simply making a request—”
“Request denied.” Sterling interrupted and I saw Billy and Bryan both smile.
Marcus was nodding as if Sterling had taken the words directly out of his mouth.
She was looking at the Zahrans but was somehow looking down at them as well.
It had to be something that generational wealth had to teach you because she had the look down.
The way her shoulders were rolled back and neck was elongated in her cream suit jacket.
She looked fine as hell and the wide-leg pants and dark pink shirt with her hair half up and half down.
“You don’t have anything to do with this.”
“I do, since I will legally be Amisha’s mother before the end of the year.”
“Over my dead body.” Mrs. Zahran looked like she wanted to spit at Sterling and if she did that I knew this old lady would get bodied.
Sterling had been a nurse so even without the lifting we’d been doing together she was stronger than the average woman.
But now? This old lady wouldn’t stand a chance.
My girl just smiled at her as though she were silently promising that her death could be arranged if she kept fucking with her.
Damn, she got the money to do something like that, too.
“You all will need to give us a minute so that we can discuss things with our client.” Marcus spoke up before Sterling could put words to her silent threat and the Zahrans and their lawyer looked pleased like they’d won another round.
I waited until they left before I turned to the people I trusted with my life. “What do you think they’ll do?”