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

45-year-old Kenneth is dumbstruck when he first meets Ashley, his son's fiancée, and recognizes her as his daughter from an extramarital affair. Then Ashley threatens to expose Kenneth's infidelity and demands money, forcing him to take extreme measures to stop her from destroying his family.

"They're here!" Kenneth rose from the couch to welcome his son, Richard, and his fiancée, who he’d brought home that weekend to meet Kenneth and his wife, Maria.

"Mom…Dad, this is the love of my life, Ashley!" Richard said, a warm glow sparkling in his eyes.

"Hello… it's nice to finally meet you both!"

Ashley appeared from behind Richard with a smile. When Kenneth saw her face, he was swept by a wave of terror.

23 years ago, Kenneth had paid Ashley's mother, Sarah, to keep his infidelity under wraps. Several months back, he’d blocked his illegitimate daughter, Ashley, when she reached out to him on social media.

Never in a million dreams did he imagine Ashley would appear on his doorstep as his son's fiancée. The thought of Richard unknowingly dating his estranged sister made Kenneth sick to the stomach.

"I know her!" he accidentally let slip.

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

Panic washed over Kenneth when he realized he’d said that out loud. Then Ashley intentionally dropped the cake she held on Maria's feet, distracting everyone.

"I'm so clumsy! Gosh...I'll clear it up," Ashley said.

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

While Richard and Maria were clearing the mess in the living room, Ashley quietly sidled up to Kenneth.

"What are you doing?" she whispered venomously. She faked a smile so that Richard and Maria would not notice just how frustrated she was.

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

"Ken, what was that all about?” Maria asked. “Have you met Ashley before?"

Kenneth forced a smile. "Oh...I mixed her up with someone else. Silly me! We have a lovely day ahead of us...let's enjoy the gathering now."

While Maria and Richard were grilling steak outside, Kenneth discreetly approached Ashley, who was chopping lettuce in the kitchen.

"Hi, Dad! Come to help? A third hand wouldn't hurt!" Ashley looked up at Kenneth and chuckled.

"What are you doing here?" Kenneth fumed at Ashley, keeping his voice low to avoid getting caught. "How can you date your brother? It makes me sick to think about it."

Ashley stared Kenneth in the eye. "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! By the way, do you know where my mother is now? She is dead."

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

"Your sorry won't bring back my mother!" Ashley threw the knife and slammed the counter.

"She gave me to an orphanage when I was 5,” Ashley continued. “She did not have the opportunity to raise me. She died when I was 8. Only because she worked two jobs to survive without a husband and her child. Do you know how much I've lost because of you?"

"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!" Ashley replied firmly.

"Are you out of your mind? Where will I get that much money?" he barked.

"It's a low price to compensate for your sin, Dad!" Ashley responded coldly.

"You have two weeks to give me the money...otherwise your dear wife and beloved son will find out everything about your affair with my mother."

The consequences of the truth being exposed threatened every inch of Kenneth's fragile heart. He had to think of some way to stop Ashley from destroying his family.

The next day, Kenneth devised a plan and traveled to the town nearby. He headed to a disadvantaged area notorious for criminal activities. This was not the kind of place he would visit normally. But after a night of inner questioning and exhausting every possible source for the hush money, this was the only door that was left to knock on.

Mustering his courage, he approached a bunch of unruly-looking young men.

"Excuse me..." Kenneth said. "I have an offer for your gang. Can you take me to your boss to discuss it further?"

"What's in it for us? Why should we introduce you to our boss?" One of the men spat on the ground and looked up at Kenneth while the others chuckled.

"Here...I offer $300 right now. And you will get more if I can make a deal with your boss," he proposed.

The thugs agreed. They led him to an abandoned warehouse adorned with graffiti, rubble, and broken windows on the edge of the street. Fear surged through Kenneth as he removed 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 she never comes to my house and bothers me again. I just want you to scare her, that's all…please don't hurt her."

"Consider the deal as done," the gang lord declared as he grabbed the bundle of dollars from the table. "Leave her name, address, and some background information. When do you want us to do this?"

"Tonight. 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 threats, Kenneth left the dilapidated warehouse. It felt like a rock was lifted off his shoulders as he drove back home.

The next day, Kenneth was polishing the windows of his car in his garage when he noticed long, shadowy silhouettes approaching him from behind.

"Oh God...you?" Kenneth grew nervous at seeing the thugs he had met the previous day. "Why are you here?"

"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 agree to never bother me again?"

"Well, everything went pretty well…for us," the thug replied. "Now you owe her $300,000 and the same amount to us. If there's no money by the agreed time, well...you know the outcome…and we know your son and wife!"

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

"Well, it is now!" the thug grimly chuckled. "Her offer turned out to be more interesting...and profitable than yours!"

"Don't even try to play hero and involve the cops." Another thug menacingly leaned closer to Kenneth. "...otherwise someone from your family may disappear...and what might happen to them is 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 decided to take another risk and devise a plan to get the money. The first thing he thought 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. Everything about work was fine, except for Tyler, the workshop owner's spoiled 19-year-old son who worked as an apprentice. That afternoon, Kenneth approached the boy.

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

"Are you sure it's even worth fixing?” Tyler mocked him. “Both you and your car belong in the museum!"

Kenneth ignored the taunts. "I thought you could use my car to learn some new repairs. I saw you have improved quite a lot lately!"

"Fine! I'll look at your car. You can pick it up from the parking lot tomorrow morning," Tyler said. He could not deny the pleasure of being praised in front of the colleagues he constantly insulted.

"Thank you, Tyler. I'll pick it up in the morning!"

Kenneth spoke loudly and clearly so everyone else in the workshop heard him.

Deep inside, Kenneth had something else on his mind. As the day drew to a close, Kenneth returned home, ensuring Maria and Richard noticed how frustrated he was.

"What's wrong?" Maria asked when he threw his briefcase on the couch.

"I had another fight with the spoiled brat today…Someday, 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. He's only 19." Richard tried to calm Kenneth.

"The kid's been getting on my nerves," Kenneth frowned. "...and he better do 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 first thing tomorrow," Kenneth said and retired to his room.

That night, when everyone was asleep, Kenneth slipped out of bed. Grabbing the necessary tools, he crept into the parking lot outside the auto repair shop. The guard was sound asleep in the security booth as Kenneth entered the section where the repaired cars were assembled.

He wore a black mask and approached his old Mustang. Inhaling deeply, he opened the hood and unscrewed the hose that supplied the brake fluid. Beads of cold sweat trickled down Kenneth's spine.

According to Kenneth's plan, he would pick up the car 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.

Kenneth knew his boss and his car service center would fall under public scrutiny. He planned on claiming a huge compensation from the workshop and negotiating a pre-trial agreement with his boss in exchange for more money to keep Tyler out of jail.

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

Warm sun rays pierced through the window as Kenneth stretched awake the next morning.

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

As he entered the living room, he was struck by the sight of Maria, who was sobbing bitterly, clutching the landline receiver.

"Honey, what happened?" Kenneth approached her. "Why are you crying?"

"RICHARD!" She wailed. "He went to fetch your car so you wouldn’t fight with Tyler again. I just...I got a call from the cops...Richard was in an accident on the highway and died on the spot…."

Kenneth dropped to his knees, clutching his chest. "No...it can't be...Our son, Richard...it’s all my fault..."

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