Pampered by My Dad's Business Partner

I slung my cheer bag over my shoulder, humming the routine music as the iron gates to my estate swung open.

The driveway was a parking lot of black SUVs.

Red and blue lights painted the white columns of my house in chaotic, flashing strokes.

"Maria? Marcus?" I yelled, dropping my bag on the manicured grass.

Our entire staff stood huddled near the marble fountain. My father’s head of security, a man who usually looked like he chewed gravel for breakfast, stared blankly at the ground.

A man in a navy windbreaker stepped into my path, holding up a gold badge.

"This is a restricted area. Step back, miss."

"I live here." I shoved past his arm. "Where is my dad?"

Another agent, older, with eyes like flat gray stones, walked down the front steps.

"Are you Ivy Montgomery?"

"Yes. What is going on? Why are you in my house?"

The older agent did not flinch. "Your father’s assets are being seized under a federal warrant."

A sharp laugh burst from my throat. It sounded loud, entirely out of place in the quiet evening air. "Seized? For what?"

"Embezzlement. Bribery. Money laundering."

"Impossible! My dad helped homeless people, he couldn't be corrupt!" I shook my head, pointing at the massive front doors. "He builds community centers. He hires people off the street to work on his construction sites. You have the wrong man."

The agent checked his clipboard, his expression completely blank. "Richard Montgomery was under investigation for wiring millions of stolen city funds to offshore accounts."

"Where is the proof?" I demanded, stepping closer.

"We have bank records, authorized wire transfers, and witness testimonies," the agent listed off.

"Anyone can fake a bank record. Let me talk to him. Right now."

"That is impossible."

"Watch me." I took a step toward the porch.

The agent moved sideways, blocking the stairs. "Your father is dead, Ivy."

The world tilted.

"What?" The word barely made it past my lips.

"He committed suicide in his office an hour ago. He left a note confessing to the financial crimes to escape punishment."

"No." I backed away, my sneakers sliding on the damp grass. "No, you are lying. He would never do that. He would never leave me."

The heavy wooden doors of the mansion pushed open.

Two paramedics wheeled a stretcher out. A thick black bag covered whatever lay on top of it.

My stomach violently twisted.

"Dad!" I screamed, lunging forward.

The younger agent caught my waist, dragging me backward.

"Let me go!" I fought him, kicking at his shins, clawing at his sleeves.

The stretcher bumped down the stone steps. A silver watch dangled from beneath the zipper of the dark bag.

My dad’s watch. The one I bought him for his birthday.

The ringing in my ears grew deafening. The flashing lights blurred into a single, blinding white streak, and the ground rushed up to meet my face.

***

The harsh smell of rubbing alcohol dragged me awake.

I blinked against the fluorescent lights of a hospital room.

"She is awake."

I turned my head. Chloe and Mia stood at the foot of my bed. My best friends. My co-captains.

"You guys." I pushed myself up, ignoring the IV taped to my hand. "It is a massive mistake. The FBI... they think my dad did something illegal. They think he is..."

I waited for Mia to rush forward. I waited for Chloe to wrap her arms around me and tell me we would hire the best lawyers in the state.

Neither of them moved.

Mia crossed her arms over her chest, avoiding my gaze.

Chloe adjusted the strap of her designer purse. "We saw the news, Ivy."

"Then you know it is a setup." I reached out, my fingers trembling. "Please, tell me you called my uncle. Or anyone."

"My mom called the school," Chloe replied, her tone clipped, almost robotic. "She requested that my locker be moved away from yours."

I froze. "What?"

"You do not understand, Ivy. My mom is furious," Chloe added.

"Furious about what? I am the one in the hospital!"

"Furious that we ever took pictures on your dad's yacht. The police might confiscate it, and our faces are all over your social media."

"Sorry, Ivy," Mia muttered, finally looking at me. Her eyes held no pity, only embarrassment. "We don't associate with criminals."

The monitor next to my bed beeped faster.

"We have been friends since kindergarten," I whispered, the betrayal stinging worse than the IV needle.

"And now your dad is a thief who stole from the city pension fund," Chloe shot back. "My dad is running for mayor. My parents forbid me from being seen with you."

They turned in unison and walked toward the door.

"Do not leave!" I begged.

The door clicked shut.

I stared at the empty space, my chest tightening until I felt like I was suffocating.

The handle turned again.

Joseph stepped into the room.

Relief washed over me in a massive wave. My boyfriend. The varsity quarterback. The boy who had promised me forever just last weekend at the lake house.

"Joseph." I choked out a sob. "Thank god."

He did not rush to the bedside. He stood near the door, his jaw set, his posture rigid.

"Are you okay?" he asked. The question sounded like he was reading it off a script.

"No. My dad is gone. My house is locked down. Chloe and Mia just walked out on me." I wiped my cheeks with the back of my free hand. "Come here. Please."

Joseph stayed firmly planted by the exit.

"I am leaving soon," he stated flatly.

"What do you mean? Where are you going?"

He rubbed the back of his neck, looking everywhere but my face. "Coach called me. The scouts from Ohio State are coming to the game on Friday."

"Okay. And?"

"And I need to focus, Ivy. I refuse to have distractions."

I stared at him, trying to process the coldness in his voice. "My father died today. I am not a distraction."

"You are a headline." Joseph finally met my eyes. The warmth I usually saw there was completely gone. "The news is everywhere. They are calling your dad the biggest fraud in state history. The scouts check social media, Ivy. They look at who I date."

"He was framed!"

"He shot himself!" Joseph raised his voice, the sound bouncing off the sterile walls. "Innocent people do not blow their brains out when the feds show up."

I recoiled as if he had slapped me.

"You do not believe me either," I whispered.

"I believe what I see." He took a half-step backward, his hand reaching for the door handle. "This is over, Ivy."

Panic erupted in my chest. I ripped the medical tape off my hand, ignoring the sting as I pulled the IV out.

"Ivy, what are you doing?"

I stumbled out of the bed, my bare feet hitting the cold linoleum. I grabbed his forearm, my fingers digging into his letterman jacket.

"You can't leave me too," I cried, the tears finally spilling over. "We were supposed to go to college together. You promised me."

Joseph stared down at my grip.

He ripped his arm away with brutal force.

I stumbled backward, hitting the edge of the mattress.

"That was before," he sneered, his lip curling in disgust. "Before you lost your money. Before your family became a joke."

"Joseph..."

"I don't want my future tied to a criminal's daughter."

He did not wait for my response. He walked out, slamming the heavy wooden door behind him.

Silence swallowed the room.

I sat on the floor, staring at the droplets of blood welling up on the back of my hand where the needle used to be.

This morning, I was Ivy Montgomery. Wealthy. Popular. Loved.

Tonight, I was absolutely nothing.

Every single piece of my life had been stripped away in less than twelve hours.