The Love Of Money - Episode 213
01-08-25 (08:05)
"I know an influencer named Charming Charity is set to
be released from the hospital tomorrow. She was shot
in the stomach but will make a full recovery."
"You talked to her?" I asked.
"Yeah," Julia sald and gave me a smile. "She sounded
good. She also told me that someone was taking care
of all her medical bills."
"Well, it wasn't her fault she got shot. I don't see why
she has to pay for it any more than she did."
"She sounded grateful enough to not divulge the name
of her benefactor or what they were doing when the
attack happened," Julia said. She turned and leaned
against the railing, mirroring me.
"So you don't think she was the one to leak that
image?"
"I think she was on too much Dilaudid to be a good
liar."
"Hmm," I said, taking another sip and admiring Charity's
ability to keep her mouth shut.
Julia continued, "I also talked to Steven Vann and Karly
Titus. Steven didn't have much to add except that he
liked you. Karly told me that she took in your friends
after you were kidnapped. She said they had nothing
but praise for you."
What a fucking world I lived in now. My name was on
the lips of people like Steven Vann and Karly Titus. Old
Marcus would never have believed it.
"That's good to hear," I said. "I enjoyed meeting them."
"So, what happened?"
I sighed, set my drink on the railing, and looked at the
beautiful reporter. "Someone wanted me captured alive
and hired a bunch of goons to come after me. They
killed one of my bodyguards and almost killed Charity. I
guess there were a couple more deaths and a few
more injuries, but I didn't see any of it. They knocked
me out. The next thing I knew, I woke up in a
warehouse or bunker or... something. Some mercenary
guy beat me and kept me blindfolded most of the time.
A couple of notable figures showed up and asked me
questions. One of them really had it in for me... he
wanted to kill me when they got whatever information
out of me they were looking for. They had me for two
or three days, and then
my security team showed up, killed a lot of them, and
got me out."
I owe my life to Chloe Tanner and her team... especially
the bodyguard who died. His name was Ray. He and
his husband were in the process of adopting. His funeral
is next week, and I'm going to make sure his family
never has to worry about money again. I'll also make
sure his husband can adopt if he still wants to."
"One of my friends was kidnapped along with me. They
beat her, and I'm pretty sure they did a lot worse. She's
still recovering."
"What's her name?" Julia asked.
I shook my head. "She can talk to you if she wants, but
I won't reveal that."
"You'll make sure she knows I'm interested?" Julia
asked.
"I'll tell her," I said.
"What kind of questions were they asking you?"
"I can't comment on those. It's part of an investigation,"
I said.
"You're not giving me much," Julia said.
"Not giving you much?" I repeated. "Mrs. Lyons, you
know a hell of a lot more than any other journalist."
Julia studied me for a moment and then said, "Yes, sir.
You can't blame a girl for trying, though. is that
everything you're willing to share right now?"
"I'm afraid I don't know a whole lot more. My
bodyguard can tell you the location of the place...
maybe a few more details. If you want to know more,
do whatever journalists do, I guess."
I looked down at my drink and considered my last
words. Finally, I said, "I guess there is one more thing. I
lost a friend that night and nearly two others." My gaze
came back up to meet Julia's. "I'm going to go after
whoever is responsible with everything I have."
"To the fullest extent that the law will allow?"
Silence filled the few feet of space between us for a
beat longer than it should have, and then said, "...to the
fullest extent that the law will allow."
We stared at each other as the sounds of the party
washed over us. Then she broke out in a crooked smile
and gazed out at the night sky. "So, what's next for
New York's most eligible bachelor and business
tycoon?"
I side-eyed her, unsure of why she said it like that.
"Well, I'm familiarizing myself with VistaVision and am
hoping to get more Involved there. I'm also taking a
closer look at his other holdings to see if there's
anything I'd like to change. I'd also like to maybe set
up some non-profits or something. Give something back
to the community."
"That's really admirable." She looked back at me and
said, "You're..... different than I imagined you. Based on
the interview, I didn't expect this kind of conversation."
"To be fair," I said, "Being kidnapped changes people."
"Have you considered getting a publicist or a PR team?"
she asked.
"Not really," I said. "VistaVision has one. My assistant
has used her a little.
"You would really benefit from a dedicated one just for
you. You're getting a lot of press, and it's not coming off
in the best light."
"How come?" asked.
"A lot of people see you as one of the luckiest, clueless
people to ever walk the earth."
"Off the record?" I asked.
She chuckled. "Sure."
"I am," I admitted.
"Not everyone needs to know that, though," Julia said.
"I know some people in the PR world. I spent some
time there. I could send you some recommendations."
"What about you?" I asked. "You looking for a job?"
"I have a job," she said.
"What about a better job?" said. Don't forget to leave a Comment 
