One day, my stepdad Arlo, who\u2019s in his mid-40s and has been married to my mom for 5 years, called me into his room. We\u2019ve never had the best relationship, but I\u2019ve tried to be civil with him. However, he hasn\u2019t always been nice to me. Anyway, he said, \u201cHey Daisy, I need to talk to you about something important.\u201d<\/p>\n
I asked him what it was, and he brought up the money my dad left me. He said that I should give it to my stepbrother, David, because he needed it for his college education. He wanted to go to university just like me, and Arlo thought I should hand over the inheritance money to him.<\/p>\n
I was shocked by what I heard. I couldn\u2019t believe that Arlo was asking me to give away my own money. I told him, \u201cI don\u2019t think I can do that, Arlo. This money was left to me by my dad. What if I need it in the future?\u201d<\/p>\n
Arlo didn\u2019t agree with me and said, \u201cDon\u2019t be silly. You don\u2019t need that money, and even if you do, David needs it more.\u201d<\/p>\n
I firmly replied, \u201cI\u2019m sorry, but the answer is no.\u201d<\/p>\n
Arlo got angry and warned me, \u201cDaisy, don\u2019t push me.\u201d<\/p>\n
I told him calmly, \u201cThere\u2019s no need to get angry. I answered your question honestly. Saying no isn\u2019t meant to disrespect you, it\u2019s about setting boundaries. I\u2019m standing my ground. And if you\u2019re getting mad because I said no, you need to think about your attitude. Arlo, don\u2019t forget you\u2019re a guest in this house too, so let\u2019s be civil.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWell, I don\u2019t think that\u2019s going to happen. Goodbye,\u201d I said before he could say anything else.<\/p>\n
Arlo\u2019s behavior didn\u2019t surprise me at all, given his past actions. I knew he\u2019d eventually ask me for the money. You might be wondering where my mom was during all of this. Well, that\u2019s another story. My mom didn\u2019t seem to see Arlo\u2019s flaws. She stood by him no matter what, almost like she was under a spell. She loved me, but I didn\u2019t want to ruin her view of him, so I tried to get along with Arlo for her sake. It\u2019s strange how, even though I was one of the youngest in the house, I often had to act the most mature.<\/p>\n
My mom, Rose, was out of town at the time, which is why she wasn\u2019t here. If she were, she\u2019d have been furious. That\u2019s why Arlo felt like he could boss me around. But little did he know, I was on to his sneaky plans.<\/p>\n
Arlo followed me out of the room, scolding me and calling me a bad sister because I didn\u2019t want to give money to David, which wasn\u2019t true. I do want to help David, but not at the expense of my own future.<\/p>\n
When people say \u201clike father, like son,\u201d they might be talking about David and Arlo. These two troublemakers are like Pinky and the Brain. You can decide who\u2019s who based on what happened next.<\/p>\n
\u201cHey, don\u2019t walk away while I\u2019m talking. You need to listen and do what\u2019s right,\u201d Arlo called after me.<\/p>\n
\u201cArlo, can you give me a good reason for that?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cWell, it\u2019s what\u2019s going on with you too. Your arguing woke me up. David, tell Daisy about what we talked about earlier.\u201d<\/p>\n
David yawned and said, \u201cSure, what was it again? Oh right, the inheritance money. Yeah, Daisy, Dad and I were talking, and we demand this money because of that important thing we talked about.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou mean the business?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat business?\u201d Arlo said.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou said this money was for my university tuition,\u201d I replied.<\/p>\n
\u201cYeah, that\u2019s because that\u2019s what it\u2019s for,\u201d David added.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes, it\u2019s for university. I have an interest in attending university and I demand the money for myself. Thanks.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWell, that\u2019s a cute attempt, but not cute enough. The answer is no,\u201d I said firmly.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy not, Daisy? He knows what he wants. This wasn\u2019t up for discussion. We\u2019re getting that money.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ll see about that,\u201d I replied.<\/p>\n
The rest of the evening was filled with tension. While Arlo was known for his silly pranks and attempts to test my patience, this new effort to annoy me was quite unusual. I had met a really immature and selfish person. This situation was pretty big, but I didn\u2019t want to tell my mom about it yet. I wanted to keep dealing with them, especially after I found out this.<\/p>\n
\u201cDaisy, stop playing around. You need to be a grown-up and do the right thing,\u201d Arlo said late that night.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd the right thing is giving away my money?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cAre you okay, Arlo?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cJust wait until I tell Mom,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n
\u201cDon\u2019t tell Rose anything,\u201d Arlo warned.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy not? She\u2019s my mom. She deserves to know how I\u2019m being treated,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou think she cares? Listen, I\u2019m just trying to help you. If you bring this up to her, she\u2019ll get upset at you for wasting her time and being selfish.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWell, Arlo, that\u2019s a risk I\u2019m willing to take,\u201d I said calmly.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m warning you, don\u2019t tell your mother,\u201d he said, his angry tone surprising me. I had never seen him so worked up, especially over something like this. Something was going on, especially with that business idea David let slip. They think I\u2019m not smart enough to catch on. Arlo is acting so strongly against me talking to my mom about it.<\/p>\n
I talked to my mom as soon as I could. \u201cHey, Mom, how are you doing?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m good, baby. How about you?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNot very well, Mom. Something\u2019s off with Arlo and David, especially Arlo. He\u2019s acting weirder than usual.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOh, Daisy, don\u2019t be paranoid. I know you don\u2019t really like him, but he\u2019s not weird.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMom, he asked me for the inheritance money.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat? Really?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cActually, he demanded to get the money. Both him and David.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s not true. He wouldn\u2019t do that.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know you love him, Mom, for whatever reason, but this is true. He said it\u2019s for David\u2019s education, but I think something fishy is going on. He even got pretty aggressive when I told him I\u2019d tell you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know, baby. I just feel like I need more proof.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDon\u2019t worry, I\u2019ll get all the proof. Just wait and see.\u201d<\/p>\n
Even though my mom wasn\u2019t ready to fully believe me yet, I kept telling her that man put a spell on her. I was still determined to figure out this strange behavior.<\/p>\n
Late at night, I used the family computer and found something shocking. Luckily, it seemed Arlo forgot to log out of his email. That was a big mistake. I saw something very concerning. Arlo had been sending emails to a lady named Bella. These emails weren\u2019t nice at all. It looked like he was having an affair. I took notes on what I found, but the next thing I found was even crazier. The emails talked about Arlo divorcing my mom and running away with her. He said they\u2019d get a lot of money soon for some business, but from what I read, it seemed like a shady business.<\/p>\n
Arlo isn\u2019t dumb enough to put illegal stuff in his emails, but he\u2019s dumb enough to have an affair and forget to log out. I knew I needed to gather more info, and I thought I could maybe get something out of David. So the next day, I talked to David with my phone recording our conversation.<\/p>\n
\u201cHey, David.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHello, Daisy. You seem happy today.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy not? It\u2019s a beautiful day. I have some questions for you. I\u2019ve been thinking about what you and Arlo said, and I\u2019m thinking about giving you the money.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cReally? That\u2019s great. I\u2019ll let him know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNot so fast. Before I give you this money, it is for your college, right?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOh yeah, right. My college tuition. Yes, right. Anyways, I need to be sure you\u2019re serious about getting this money.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes, I\u2019m very serious.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAre you sure? And Bella, is she serious?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBella? Who\u2019s Bella?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOh, she\u2019s, um, a student adviser for the college.\u201d<\/p>\n
David and I were scared. We didn\u2019t know Arlo had come into the room.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t appreciate you interrogating my son,\u201d Arlo said angrily.<\/p>\n
\u201cI wasn\u2019t doing that. I was just asking how my money would be used,\u201d I replied.<\/p>\n
\u201cWell, once you give someone money, it\u2019s not yours anymore, so it\u2019s not your business,\u201d Arlo snapped.<\/p>\n
\u201cIs that any way to speak to someone who\u2019s thinking of giving you money?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n
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\u201cYou\u2019re not thinking. You\u2019re giving me that money. If you don\u2019t, I\u2019ll kick you out.\u201d<\/p>\n
I was shocked, and it seemed like David was too. \u201cDad, this wasn\u2019t part of\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShut up! I\u2019m the parent, and I make the rules. If you don\u2019t give me that inheritance money, you can leave.\u201d<\/p>\n
I decided not to say anything. Little did Arlo know, I was still recording this conversation. I had caught him in the act.<\/p>\n
I walked out of the room, shooting Arlo an angry look, and locked myself in my room. I started collecting all the evidence I could find against him. It felt like those detectives on TV who gather clues and put them up on their walls. I had voice recordings and screenshots of Arlo\u2019s conversations with Bella. I prepared myself for the upcoming storm.<\/p>\n
After I had everything, I called my mom.<\/p>\n
\u201cHello, Mom?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHey, love. How are you?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMom, are you sitting down?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy, what\u2019s wrong?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m afraid I have some really bad news to share, and you won\u2019t like it.\u201d<\/p>\n
I began telling my mom everything I had discovered. She kept denying it until I made her listen to the audio recording I had made earlier. At that point, she started to crumble.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy would he say those things to you? Why would he do that to me? Why would he be so cruel?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause he\u2019s a bad man. I\u2019m sorry to say it, but you married a monster.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is just terrible. I can\u2019t believe I left you alone with those two sickos.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAbsolutely not. I\u2019m coming home right now. You stay where you are. Have you locked your door?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes, ma\u2019am.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m going to ruin that man and make sure he never shows his face in public again. When I\u2019m done with him, he\u2019ll wish he never married me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s the spirit, Mom. Now hurry up and get home. We need to make a plan.\u201d<\/p>\n
My mom arrived several hours later and came straight to my room. We hugged and cried for what felt like hours. I could tell that this news was tough to hear, but I was glad she was in the angry stage because it motivated her to take action. We talked for hours, and by the end, we had a plan.<\/p>\n
Several days passed, and Arlo couldn\u2019t figure out why my mom had come home early from her work trip and why she was ignoring him. He acted very happy, almost too happy, to convince her of his innocence. However, she saw through his act and was ready to kick him out.<\/p>\n
My mom decided to hire a private investigator after I showed her the suspicious messages about his supposed business. She also felt strongly that the money wasn\u2019t going to be used for legal purposes. This made her furious because she couldn\u2019t understand how a parent could be so cruel and scheming. She knew we couldn\u2019t handle this situation on our own.<\/p>\n
The private investigator shared the findings with my mom, who then told me, \u201cI\u2019m speechless. What did the investigator find?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWell, it turns out he\u2019s planning to use a laundromat for money laundering. It\u2019s an old trick.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWow. That\u2019s not all, is it?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo, it\u2019s not. This woman, Bella, whom he\u2019s cheating on me with, has a criminal record for drug-related activities. She\u2019s been arrested multiple times for conspiracy to sell illegal substances. So, it wouldn\u2019t be surprising if their business involves drugs too.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s unbelievable. I would have never expected this. I feel like a veil has been lifted from my eyes. Now I can see that the man I married isn\u2019t a man at all but a sick and twisted person.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen are we going to confront him, Mom?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cRight now. Follow my lead.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWait, let me get my camera.\u201d<\/p>\n
We went to the living room and found David and Arlo discussing their shady business.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ll have to use this as a cover for our business. It\u2019s all going to be hidden. Just act like you don\u2019t know and serve the customers,\u201d Arlo was saying.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut what about\u2014\u201d David started.<\/p>\n
\u201cOh, hey, everyone! We\u2019re just finalizing stuff for David\u2019s college application.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCut the act, Arlo. The game is up. We know everything.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat do you mean? Your innocent act won\u2019t work anymore. Smile for the camera.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cGet that out of my face, you spoiled brat! I mean, Daisy.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe know everything, Arlo. Do you know how many years you\u2019d spend in jail for planning these crimes?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know what you\u2019re talking about. Maybe we should call Bella and see what she has to say.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou two think you know everything. Bella is just a friend.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWell, the explicit photos suggest otherwise. Who even uses emails to cheat nowadays? It\u2019s so dumb.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou two went through my things? How dare you?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo, Arlo. How dare you? How dare you threaten my daughter multiple times to give you money that doesn\u2019t belong to you? How dare you threaten to kick her out of my house? Are you sick in the head? How dare you put your son in your foolish schemes, endangering him? And how dare you plan to use this money for illegal activities? Now you\u2019ve got nothing to say, huh?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe know everything, and we\u2019re going to take you down.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cGet that camera out of my face!\u201d<\/p>\n
Arlo tried to lunge at me, but I moved too quickly. His aggressive behavior was scary. \u201cYou want to attack my daughter? It\u2019s like you want to go to prison.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re crazy. Do you think you know anything? You know nothing!\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYeah, well, tell that to the police who should be here any second now.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPolice?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes, the police. Your behavior today makes me not want to call the cops, especially with how you\u2019re acting.\u201d<\/p>\n
At that moment, we heard police sirens approaching our neighborhood. I had never seen Arlo look this way before. He was always smirking, like he was smarter than everyone else, but when he heard those sirens, it was like all the color drained from his face. He looked terrified.<\/p>\n
\u201cPlease, Rose, you don\u2019t have to do this. I could explain everything.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSave it for the judge, you cockroach. You disgust me. And David, don\u2019t think you\u2019re off the hook for this. Both of you are getting arrested. That should teach you a lesson about mistreating my daughter and me. I know you\u2019re a kid, but you\u2019re old enough to know better, and for that, you need to be punished.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes, Mom.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCome on, Jasmine. Don\u2019t you think all of this is a bit too much?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOn the contrary, it\u2019s not enough.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow\u2019s our live stream, Daisy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve got over 3,000 people watching the live stream. This is going to be big.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOh, and in case it wasn\u2019t clear, I want a divorce.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s right, folks. Over 3,000 people witnessed the whole mess, and surely enough, the news made it to local newspapers and tabloids. It was crazy to be in the middle of all this with my sick ex-stepfather and his son, but it was also satisfying to see his downfall.<\/p>\n
He lost his job, his friends, and even some family members who don\u2019t want to speak with him anymore. He\u2019s facing charges for all these schemes, and if the judge sees fit, he could spend up to 20 years behind bars just for this.<\/p>\n
The police also found Bella, who had been in hiding when all of this was blowing up. She\u2019s facing the same charges.<\/p>\n
Life was good on our side, though. My mom and I grew closer due to this situation. On weekends, we\u2019d often relax on the patio, drinks in hand, and laugh at how foolish and evil Arlo was.<\/p>\n
Good riddance.<\/p>\n