She Stole My Career, I’ll Send Her To Jail

Chapter 4

"Ashley, do you really have to push Melissa to her breaking point before you're satisfied?"

I was drenched in sweat, bracing myself with both hands, just as I was about to stand up when a furious shout startled me and sent me crashing back to the ground.

Brian stormed in, holding Melissa, who was tearful right there, tightly.

"Why haven't you been responding to Melissa? Ignoring her messages is one thing to blame. Why did you block her?"

I gritted through the pain and looked up, expressionless. "Is this really what you came here for? Something this trivial? If so, leave. I am currently processing my treatment."

Brian's face darkened instantly.

Seeing the sweat beading on my forehead, he instinctively reached out to wipe it away. I flinched, dodging, but he grabbed my chin and wiped it anyway.

"If you keep behaving like this, I'd pause your mom's treatment anytime."

This time, my face stayed blank. "What else can someone like me even do?"

What he didn't know was that I'd already used most of his money to hire the best orthopedic surgeon for my leg.

And as for my mother, I'd had her transferred to a new hospital, too.

Maybe he figured we were all just old, weak, sick, and broken. Whatever the reason, Brian had never once bothered to check on us.

Melissa wiped away her tears and choked out.

"Ashley, the TV station crew came to another interview again today. I wanted to have a live connection with you, so everyone could see how hard it's been for you. But I had no idea you'd blocked me. Everyone watching the broadcast saw it happen."

Brian carefully lifted me back into my wheelchair, his tone icy.

"Ashley, I went out of my way to set up this segment for you. I want people to know that the new team leader is someone you saved, someone you trained yourself.

"I've even thought of the topic. 'The Little Girl I Saved Back Then, Now Walking the Path I Once Walked'.

"I want everyone to know that the name Ashley Jenkins means more than just a single mistake."

If he were truly willing to reopen the investigation, how would I still be stuck on this pedestal of shame?

My eyes filled with undisguised sarcasm.

"Brian, are you really doing this for me? Or is this about Melissa again?"

Two casual remarks that cut deeper than any wound.

In the past, the media had always wanted to interview me, but he'd turned them all down on my behalf.

"Ashley, don't be vain. Don't get too caught up in outside praise. Rescue work isn't a performance."

If it weren't for that, the media wouldn't have dragged my name through the mud the moment I "screwed up".

He paused for a beat, and then exploded. "Ashley, can you stop being so childish? Stop shifting all the blame onto Melissa like that!"

He snatched my phone and unblocked Melissa himself.

And, without my permission, he opened my Twitter account and tweeted, "MY ACCOUNT WAS HACKED."

After all that, Brian took Melissa and left.

That night, he called me. And I could tell that his tone was softened.

"Ashley, you need to cooperate with the clarification in three days. The new team leader cannot be involved in such gossip. Please consider the entire honor of the rescue team."

Three days passed in a blink.

The live chat was flooded with complaints.

A: [Ashley must be jealous watching her own discipline succeed. She pretended she was hacked and dared not to admit it. How embarrassing!]

B: [The Bri-Lissa couple is the real deal! Cripple, just step down already!]

Brian was losing his mind, because he was unable to reach me at all.

His phone kept buzzing with bank messages.

A: Mr. Jenkins, your mortgage and car loan are seriously overdue. Please settle the payment by 17:00, or asset forfeiture proceedings will begin.

He frowned and muttered curses, dismissing all the messages one after another. "What the hell? Scammers are everywhere these days."

Just when he was at his wit's end, my express delivery finally arrived.

He let out an audible breath of relief. "Ashley's clarification is here!"

But when he pulled the contents from the envelope, he froze right where he stood...