LET'S BREAK THEM

CHAPTER 10: AFTERMATH

Step 8: End it.

Step 9: Make them pay for real.

The video hit 2 million views in 48 hours.

#PromTrap #CharityCaseKudo #CarterScandal

It was on t****k. i********:. Twitter. The news.

"High School Scandal Rocks Billionaire Family"

Comment sections were war zones. "Lock her up" "She deserved it"

Ben didn't come to school for a week.

His i********: went private. Then deleted.

No team. No friends. Nothing.

Arya transferred out. "Family reasons."

Carter Group stock dropped 15% in one day. Board members were resigning.

And me?

I was suspended.

"Cyberbullying. Defamation. Unauthorized use of private property."

Principal's words. Delivered to my mom on speaker during our meeting.

3 days suspension. Possible expulsion. Legal action pending.

Mom cried in the car after.

Worth it.

Every second of it.

On day 2 of suspension, someone knocked on my door.

3 sharp knocks. 2pm. Rain outside. Cold.

Not Daniel.

Not a reporter.

Not a delivery guy.

Mr. Carter.

Ben's dad.

In a $10,000 suit. Cufflinks. Hair perfect. Smelling like expensive cologne.

Holding a manila folder. Two bodyguards waiting in a black SUV outside.

They looked like secret service.

"Miss Kudo," he said. Cold smile. Like he was at a board meeting.

"We need to talk."

I didn't invite him in.

I stood in the doorway. Arms crossed. Heart pounding.

"What do you want?"

"To make a deal." He opened the folder.

Inside: photos. Of me. Leaving school. Of my mom at her night shift at the hospital.

Of our tiny apartment. The peeling paint. The broken window we couldn't afford to fix.

Bank statements. Medical bills. Mom's hospital debt from last year. $42,000.

"We can pay all of this," he said. Smooth. Too smooth. "Medical. Rent. College.

Or we can make sure you and your mother are on the street by Friday."

My hands shook.

"You can't— that's illegal— that's blackmail—"

"I own the bank, dear." He cut me off. "And three law firms.

And the judge who would hear your case.

I don't blackmail. I negotiate."

He slid a paper across the small kitchen table.

Contract. NDA. $500,000.

"Sign this. Delete everything. Apologize publicly. Take full blame.

Say you edited the video. And leave town. Tonight."

I looked at the number.

Half a million. More money than my family has seen in 10 generations.

Mom wouldn't have to work 2 jobs.

We could move. Get a real house. Be safe. No more choosing between rent and medicine.

"Or?" I asked. Voice barely above a whisper.

"Or I bury you." He smiled again. "Defamation lawsuit.

Hacking charges. Your mom loses her job. Her house.

You think the internet will save you? I own the internet."

The door closed behind him.

Soft. Final. Like a coffin.

That night I couldn't sleep.

I sat on the floor with the contract in my lap for 4 hours.

Daniel texted: `We won. Why do you look scared?

Everyone hates them. You're a hero.`

Because winning wasn't supposed to feel like this.

Because $500,000 felt like a leash.

Because if I took it, I became them.

Because if I didn't, my mom paid the price.

My phone buzzed again.

Unknown number.

`You think this is over? You have no idea what you started. -B`

Ben.

I stared at the contract.

Money. Safety for my mom.

Or... war.

Or going down swinging.

Step 9: Make them pay for real.

But first, I have to decide what "pay" means.

And if I'm willing to pay the price too.

`Chapter 10.

They offered me money to disappear.

They threatened my mom.

They should have known I don't run.

-K`