Reborn, No More Scapegoat

A lightbulb went off in my head; I realized where Brenda was hiding.

Jake kept such a tight grip on her credit cards that she would never dare check into a hotel with Michael. It would leave an immediate paper trail.

That meant the secret house wasn't a gift for me at all. Brenda had bought it as a private nest to carry on her affair.

I smirked. "Fine. You claim Brenda bought that house for me, but you don't have any proof. I don't even know where it is. If you're so confident, take me there.

"If you can prove it's mine, I'll do whatever you want. I'll stay away from Brenda forever and issue a public apology to the press."

Predictably, my defiance rattled his ego.

"You asked for it," Jake snorted, turning to his security detail. "Get her in the car."

"Wait a minute!"

"What, getting cold feet?"

"What happens if that house isn't mine? I'm not risking my reputation for nothing."

Jake was entirely sure of himself, so he didn't hesitate to take the bait. He let out a condescending laugh. "If it's not yours, you can keep the place. Brenda bought it with my money anyway, so I have the right to hand it over."

I nodded. "It's a deal."

...

An hour later, we pulled up to the property Brenda had allegedly bought for me.

The moment I stepped out of the vehicle, a brutal slap caught me across the face, snapping my head to the side. Dizzy and stinging, I turned to see my father, his face purple with rage, and my mother standing right behind him, her eyes already swollen from crying.

"You ungrateful brat!" Robert yelled, shoving a finger in my face. "How could you do something like this? You've humiliated this entire family."

I didn't need to guess who had leaked our location.

Jake and I grew up together; he knew my vulnerabilities better than anyone, and he knew my worst nightmare was disappointing my parents.

He figured that by orchestrating a massive family intervention, I'd lose my nerve, break down, and stop meddling with Brenda.

When Robert raised his hand again, my mother, Linda Kemp, rushed forward to pull him back. "Robert, calm down! She probably just made a mistake."

She turned to Jake, pleading desperately, "Jake, you've known Jessica since she was a little girl. You know her character. She isn't a wildcard who sleeps around. There has to be a misunderstanding. Please, for my sake, don't take this out on her."

Jake shot me a look of pure disdain. "The sweet, perfect girl you think you raised is a total act. She's incredibly manipulative. I fell for her tricks once, but now I see her for who she really is.

"If she would just admit where Brenda is and confess to taking the house, I'd show some leniency. But she's digging her heels in. I had no choice but to call you two out here to deal with her."

Linda grew pale with distress. She clutched my shirt collar, sobbing openly. "Jessica, is any of this true? You've always gotten great grades and been such a good kid. How did things get this bad?

"If you were short on cash, you should have come to us! Why would you go to loan sharks?"

"None of this is true, Mom," I insisted.

But Jake wasn't buying a word of it. "Looks like you won't talk until we force your hand."

He stepped closer, looming over me. Fearing he'd hit me, Linda threw herself between us, tears streaming down her face.

"It's my fault," she wept. "I failed as a mother. But please, can you spare her out of respect for how long her father has worked for your family?"

She was about to bow when I hauled her back up. "Mom, stop! What are you doing?"

Desperate to protect me, she clutched Jake's coat. "Jessica has always cared about you. You promised to marry her when you were kids, and she's never forgotten that. She still has that ring you made her out of wire when you played house."

I was frustrated. "Mom, why are you telling him all this?"

After the initial shock, a flash of disgust crossed Jake's face, as if the mere thought of me harboring feelings for him was utterly repulsive.

I turned to face him. "You really want to blow this up?"

He was unfazed. "Why? You are scared to own up to what you did?"

"No," I replied smoothly. "I'm just worried the audience isn't big enough. If you really want a showdown, let's make it a real party. Call all our mutual friends. Call our relatives, our old high school classmates, and every employee at your company. Invite the media while you're at it."

Jake hadn't anticipated me calling his bluff. He instinctively took a step back. "You're out of your mind."

I stared him down with a mocking smile. "What's the matter, Jake? Scared?"

His eyes bulged with rage. "You want a circus? Fine. Don't come crying to me when you're publicly ruined."

The Carter family basically ran this city. When Jake put out a summons, nobody dared to ignore it. Within an hour, a massive crowd of relatives, family friends, and former classmates began swarming the property.