‘I Know Her!’ Dad Turns Pale after Seeing His Son’s Fiancée for the 1st Time – Story of the Day

"I know her!" 45-year-old Kenneth is shaken when he sees Ashley, his son's fiancée, for the first time. She turns out to be his daughter from an extramarital affair. When Ashley threatens to expose Kenneth's infidelity and demands money, he is forced to take desperate measures to stop her from destroying his family.

"Do you think she would be perfect for him? He hasn't told us anything about her," Maria worriedly turned to her husband as she set the dining table with the kettle, tea cups, and saucers.

"I trust my son's choice!" 45-year-old Kenneth confidently grinned as he brushed his mustache. "Glad the kid has finally found the love of his life. What's taking them so long?"

Kenneth and Maria's only son, 24-year-old Richard, lived in the city nearby and rarely visited them due to work. When Richard told his parents that he was dating a girl named Ashley, they were over the moon.

Their joy skyrocketed when Richard told them he would be bringing his fiancée home over the weekend to introduce her to them. So the preparations for the meeting were in full swing that pleasant Saturday morning…

Kenneth and Maria's long anticipation came to a halt when they heard Richard's car pull over outside. The door swung open, and in walked Richard, a mix of nervousness and excitement evident on his face.

"They're here!" a joyful whisper crackled in the air as Kenneth rose from the couch to warmly welcome Richard and his girlfriend.

"Mom…Dad, I want you to meet the love of my life, my fiancée, Ashley!" Richard introduced his girlfriend to his parents, a warm glow sparkling in his eyes.

"Hello… it's nice to finally meet you both!" Ashley appeared from behind him and smiled at his parents. As soon as Kenneth saw the girl's face, he was swept by a wave of terror.

“No…it…it can’t be…” He thought, and his blood ran cold. Kenneth's initial surprise quickly turned into a nightmare, and the room fell eerily silent.

Kenneth was shaken by a dark memory from 23 years ago. He had given Ashley's mother, Sarah, a lot of money to keep quiet and not demand paternity for their child born out of wedlock.

Kenneth did all it took to keep his infidelity under wraps from destroying his family all these years. But now, he was forced to face his worst fears when his illegitimate daughter Ashley appeared before his eyes.

Kenneth stared into Ashley's eyes, fear gripping his heart. It was not the first time he had seen her. Ashley had earlier reached out to Kenneth on social media several months ago, but then, he had blocked her on all his accounts.

He thought that would put the girl away from reaching out to him. But not in a million dreams did he imagine Ashley would appear on his doorstep, posing as his son's fiancée. The very thought of Richard unknowingly dating his estranged sister made Kenneth sick to the stomach.

"I know her!" he accidentally let it slip. Maria and Richard looked at Kenneth with a start for an explanation.

"What…You know each other?" Richard's brows furrowed surprisingly.

A wave of panic washed over Kenneth when he realized he shouldn't have said that out loud. He stood speechless, not knowing what to tell them.

"Uh, I'm so sorry...I'm so clumsy! Gosh...I'll clear it up," Ashley intentionally dropped the cake she held on Maria's feet, distracting everyone from questioning Kenneth further.

"Oh my...that's alright, dear. Accidents happen," Maria said as Richard quickly sprang into action, cleaning up the fallen cake off his mother's dress and floor.

Meanwhile, for Kenneth, the atmosphere remained tense.

While Richard and Maria were engaged in clearing the mess in the living room, Ashley took the opportunity and quietly approached Kenneth and stood beside him.

"What are you doing? Just shut up...are you an idiot?" she angrily whispered to him, her voice dripping with venom. She forced a smile so that Richard and Maria would not notice just how frustrated she was.

Dread consumed Kenneth from all sides, and he immediately deflected the conversation when he noticed Maria approaching him.

Tossing the crumpled tissue into the bin, Maria stood beside Kenneth and looked up at him. "Ken, what was that all about? Do you know Ashley? Have you two met before?"

Boulders were rolling inside Kenneth, yet, he forced a smile and plucked the courage to stand still.

"Oh...it was just a silly misunderstanding, honey. I just mixed her up with someone else. Silly me! We have a lovely day ahead of us...let's enjoy the gathering now."

Maria nodded with a smile. She trusted Kenneth and his attempt to downplay the situation. But only he knew the tension brewing within. Every time he laid his eyes on his illegitimate daughter Ashley, he was afraid of getting caught cheating on his wife.

As time fleeted by, the family got ready to spend their barbecue evening together in their backyard. While Maria and Richard were busy grilling the steak on the open flame, Kenneth discreetly approached Ashley, who was chopping lettuce in the kitchen.

"Hi, Dad! Came to help? A third hand wouldn't hurt!" Ashley looked up at Kenneth and chuckled. Kenneth's face turned red with fury, and his brows furrowed deeply.

"What the heck are you doing here...?" Kenneth fumed at Ashley, keeping his voice low to avoid getting caught.

"What do you want from me? Do you even understand that you cannot be with my son...he's your BROTHER, damn it. How can you date your brother? It makes me sick to even think about it."

Rubbing the edge of the knife between her fingers, Ashley stared Kenneth in the eye. "I'm not here to be with your son," she said.

"Don't worry. I know he's my half-brother...and I know my limits! I came to remind you that you paid off my mother very easily! Oh, by the way, do you know where my mother is now? She is dead."

Ashley's revelation jolted Kenneth. "What? Sarah...she...she died? I'm so sorry for your loss," he said.

"Your sorry won't bring my mother ALIVE!" Ashley threw the knife and slammed the counter hard. "She gave me to an orphanage when I was 5...She did not have the opportunity to raise me. She died when I was 8. Only because she worked two jobs...with hardly any sleep...just trying to survive alone without a husband and her child. Do you have any idea how much I've lost because of you...and your abandonment?"

"Fine...how much do you want?" Kenneth got to the point, attempting to negotiate with Ashley and get her to keep quiet, just like her mother.

"$300,000!" came a firm reply from Ashley, sending shivers down Kenneth's spine.

"What? Are you out of your mind? Where am I gonna get that kind of money?" he barked.

"It's a very low price to compensate for your sin, Dad!" Ashley responded coldly. "You have only two weeks to give the money...if not...your dear wife and beloved son will find out everything about your affair with my mother…and pay the price for your deed."

The consequences of the truth being exposed threatened every inch of Kenneth's fragile heart. And he knew he had to think of some way to stop this threat lurking to destroy the peace in his family.

The next day, Kenneth devised a plan and boarded the bus to the town nearby. He headed to a disadvantaged area notorious for criminal activities. Stepping off the bus, he scanned the surroundings, anxiety gripping his very being.

The sight of men bearing intricate tattoos and donning rugged leather jackets adorned with menacing symbols and patches brewed Kenneth's fright. This was not the kind of place he would visit normally. Mustering his courage, he approached a gang, ready to make a risky move.

"Excuse me..." Kenneth said, distracting the thugs. "I have an interesting offer for your gang. Can you take me to your Boss to discuss further?"

The boys had a long belly laugh together at the height of the strange man's expectations before either of them spoke.

"What's in it for us, oldie? Why should we introduce you to our Boss?" one of the men spat on the ground and looked up at Kenneth while the others burst into a chuckle.

Kenneth's heart raced as he tried to think of the right words to convince the guys. "Here...I offer $300 right now. And you will get more if we can make a deal with your Boss," he proposed.

The gang member grew suspicious. "What kind of deal are we talking about, huh? And why should we trust you?"

"Yeah, we're not in the business of doing favors for strangers," added another. "Go away." The men mistook Kenneth for a cop in disguise and refused to help him.

"I will tell your boss everything if you take me to him. I am not a cop! Trust me!" Kenneth said.

Unconvinced by his pleas, one of the gangsters pulled a pistol from his pocket and aimed at Kenneth's head. Terrified, Kenneth raised his hands, begging him not to pull the trigger.

"Uhm...you look like a chicken...don't worry. It's a lighter!" the thug said. "I just wanted to be sure you weren't a cop and didn't bring your buddies from the department with you!"

"Alright...follow us," they led him to an abandoned warehouse adorned with graffiti, rubble, and broken windows on the edge of the street.

"Boss, we have a new business! He is not a cop…we checked," the bandit chuckled, dragging the chair for Kenneth to sit.

Fear surged through Kenneth as he took out wads of $10,000 from his blazer pocket and laid it on the table before the gang leader.

"Ready cash, huh?! What's the deal?" the kingpin stared Kenneth in the eye.

"I want you to scare my son's fiancée," Kenneth replied. "...so that she never comes to my house and bothers me again. I've been having a little trouble because of her. I just want you to scare her, that's all…But please make sure you don't hurt her."

"Alright! Consider the deal as done," the gang lord declared after a short discussion, puffing out plumes of cigarette smoke into the musky air as he grabbed the bundle of dollars from the table.

"Leave her name, address, and some background information," he added. "...and when do you want us to do this?"

"Tonight. Heard she'll be visiting the neighborhood salon this evening. You can deal with her on the way," Kenneth replied.

Relieved the thugs would sort out his problem and put an end to Ashley's menacing threats, Kenneth left the dilapidated warehouse. It felt like a rock was lifted off his shoulders as he drove back home.

It was a calm and pleasant morning the next day. Elvis Presley's Kentucky Rain on the radio filled the air as Kenneth was engrossed in polishing the windows of his car in his garage. Suddenly, he noticed a silhouette of long shadows approaching from behind and turned around with a start.

"Oh God...you?" Kenneth grew nervous at seeing the bandits he had met the previous day. "Didn't expect to see you here."

His eyes darted around, searching for any signs of nosy neighbors to make sure nobody was watching him talking to gangsters. "Why are you here?" he gasped.

"We came to talk," a thug said dryly.

Kenneth's heart pounded in his chest as he braced himself for the conversation. "Alright...how did it go? Did she get scared...and promise not to disturb my family? Did she agree to leave this place and never bother me again?"

"Well, everything went pretty well," the bandit replied, lighting a cigarette.

A glimmer of relief flickered in Kenneth's eyes. "Good gracious! Thank you...thank you so much. I can't tell you how much this means to me," he exclaimed.

But before he could utter another word of how happy and relieved he was, the gangster's cold words cut through the air, shattering Kenneth's peace of mind.

"Wait...hold on, Oldie! We haven't finished yet. Now you owe her $300,000 and the same amount to us. If there's no money by the mentioned time, well...you know the outcome…and we know your son and wife!"

Kenneth's breath caught in his throat. His world spun out of control, and his worst fears started pressing heavily upon him again.

"What?? But we...we agreed..." he stuttered. "This was not a part of our deal."

"Well, it is now! The one who brings more profits to the table wins!" the thug grimly chuckled. "Her offer turned out to be more interesting...and profitable than yours!"

Kenneth's mind raced, trying to come to terms with the new threat, and he found himself trapped in a bigger, deeper problem now.

"Don't even try to play hero and involve the cops," another thug menacingly leaned closer to Kenneth. "...otherwise someone else from your family may disappear...and what might happen to them is, well, anyone's guess. Understood, Daddy?"

The words chilled Kenneth's heart. It struck him like a thunderbolt when he realized he had put the safety of his loved ones at stake in his rush to get rid of Ashley and hide his infidelity.

As the thugs left his garage, Kenneth stood frozen there, shocked and overwhelmed. His mind swirled in a whirlpool of thoughts about how he would save his family now.

With fear pressing him hard, Kenneth decided to take another risk and devised a plan to arrange for the money. And the first thing he could think of was his job at the car service station.

Kenneth was an accountant at the auto repair shop, utilizing his extensive knowledge and experience with cars. While everything about work was fine, there was only one problem — Tyler — the workshop owner's 19-year-old son.

Tension often brewed between Tyler and him, who had recently joined the garage as an apprentice under his father's influence.

Spoiled and rich, Tyler always held an overbearing attitude towards Kenneth and other employees. However, their strained relationship reached a turning point when Kenneth approached the young boy requesting car repairs that afternoon.

"Hey, Tyler! I was wondering if you could take a look at my car. It needs some repair, and I'll be glad if you fix it up for me," Kenneth told Tyler.

Tyler burst into a giddy chuckle and mocked Kenneth. "You call that thing a car?! Are you sure it's even worth fixing? Both you and your car belong in the museum!"

Kenneth clenched his fist. He could not handle the boy's taunts only because he was an apprentice mechanic working there under his rich father's influence. But Kenneth took a deep breath and relaxed.

"I thought you could use my car to learn some new repairs and have mine fixed. I saw you have improved quite a lot lately!" Kenneth said.

Tyler was least interested in fixing Kenneth's car. However, he agreed. He could not deny the pleasure of being praised in front of the others he constantly insulted.

"Fine! I'll take a look at your car. You can pick it up from the parking lot tomorrow morning," Tyler said, gripping a spanner tight.

A broad smile beamed across Kenneth's face. "Thank you, Tyler. I'll be there to pick it up in the morning!" he said, his voice loud and clear so that everyone else present in the workshop heard him.

Deep inside, Kenneth had something else going on in his mind. And he had to wait a little longer...till midnight, to pull it off. As the day drew to a close, Kenneth returned home, ensuring Maria and Richard noticed how frustrated he was.

"You look worried...what's wrong?" Maria pressed Kenneth's shoulder when she noticed him throwing his briefcase on the couch and angrily unfastening his tie.

"I had another fight with the spoiled brat today...Someday, I won't be able to stand it...and the day I lose it, that kid Tyler will end up in the hospital with a broken nose, missing teeth, and a leg hanging in the air," Kenneth fumed.

"Oh, c'mon, Dad. Don't be silly! He's only 19," Richard tried to calm Kenneth's pent-up frustration. "Maybe he's finding it difficult to adjust with all the older men at work."

"Whatever…the kid's been getting on my nerves," Kenneth frowned. "...and I hope for once he does his job properly...without venting his anger on my precious car."

"Wait...what about your car?" Richard interrupted.

"It's in the garage…I told that boy to have it fixed by morning…I'll have to pick it up first thing tomorrow," Kenneth said and retired to his room.

Later that evening, Ashley dropped by, and when nobody was around, she approached Kenneth for an update on the money.

"Time's running out, Daddy...I hope you still remember our deal?" Ashley sneered.

Her words got on Kenneth's nerves. "Yes...I'm working on it...you don't have to remind me all the time, alright?"

"Cool...the sooner, the better!" Ashley grabbed an apple from the table and walked past Kenneth, who was seething with anger.

That night, once everyone at home had fallen asleep, Kenneth slipped out of bed and approached his garage. Grabbing the tools he needed, he climbed the fence and crept into the parking lot outside the auto repair shop, his heart pounding in his chest.

Kenneth's eyes darted, scanning the dark service station that appeared to be haunted without human activity at night. The guard was sound asleep in the security booth outside as Kenneth stealthily entered the section where all the repaired cars were assembled.

He wore a black mask and approached his old Mustang nestled between the cars in the parking lot.

Kenneth's hands trembled as he picked a pair of pliers from his toolbox. Taking a deep breath, he opened the hood of his car and located the brake wire. Beads of cold sweat trickled down Kenneth's spine.

"Just a little more..." he whispered, unscrewing the hose that supplied the brake fluid.

"Now it'll look like an accident!" Kenneth thought after successfully tampering with his car. He closed the hood and silently fled the parking lot before the security guard woke up.

"This should be enough evidence to hold the workshop accountable for what's going to happen to me tomorrow," Kenneth grinned while walking back home. "...and the owner's son will face the consequences while I negotiate a deal with his father!"

According to Kenneth's plan, he would pick up the car from the workshop's parking lot the next morning and drive home. The brakes would fail on the way, and he would get into a premeditated accident. Investigation and evidence would eventually point to Tyler, confirming he tampered with the brakes while fixing the car.

Once the cops uncovered evidence, Kenneth knew his Boss and his car service center would fall under public scrutiny.

He had planned on claiming a huge compensation from the workshop and negotiating a pre-trial agreement with his Boss in exchange for more money to set Tyler out of jail.

Relieved to be finally able to arrange the money to silence his illegitimate daughter Ashley and the thugs, Kenneth returned home and spent a peaceful night.

The warm rays of the sun pierced through the window as Kenneth stretched awake the next morning.

"Oh boy! I'm getting late...should pick up the car from the garage first thing...and deal with the cops later…after my minor accident!" he whispered with a gentle laugh.

"Don't break a bone too badly in the accident, Ken! Just get away with minor injuries…and maybe a fracture!" Kenneth softly chuckled at his reflection in the mirror as he buttoned up his shirt.

He climbed downstairs, and as he entered the living room, he was immediately struck by the sight of Maria, who was sobbing bitterly, clutching onto the landline receiver.

"Honey, what happened?" Kenneth approached her. "What's wrong...why are you crying?"

Maria struggled to compose herself but in vain. She burst into tears and tried to say something Kenneth could not understand.

All he could hear out of her stuttered words was "RICHARD."

Kenneth's heart skipped a beat, and fear coursed through his veins like an electric shock. "Richard...what about Richard?" He held Maria.

"Honey, what happened...? Maria, where's our son?" he exploded, fear and anxiety crashing over him.

"He...he went to take your car from the auto repair shop..." Maria sobbed. "...he didn't want you to get annoyed with the owner's son and fight with him again. I just...I just got a call from the cops...they informed me that Richard had met with a fatal crash on the highway and died on the spot…."

Kenneth froze and dropped to his knees, clutching his chest. "No...no, it can't be...Our son, Richard...because of me..." he burst into tears.

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