Tempted Trapped and Too Late to Run
Chapter 61

Clara's lips twitched up in a quick smirk.

Meanwhile, across town, Quinn was nestled in her luxury car, her mood sour as she eyed the group of farmers surrounding her ride. Seriously, why were they pinning the blame for the spoiled apples on her? She'd already forked over a million bucks to help out these rural folks, and now they had the nerve to ask her to cover the platform's penalty fees, too?

The online platform was getting hammered with negative reviews from thousands of unhappy customers, which meant their fines were extra steep this time around. The farmers were supposed to shoulder these costs themselves. If they didn't, South Ashford apples wouldn't see the light of day on the platform again.

Even with her stacks of cash, Quinn had no intention of being the fall guy. She'd been streaming non-stop, and instead of a thank you, they were blocking her car. She wasn't about to budge.

The farmers had initially put their faith in her, especially after she ponied up a million dollars. But people could honestly be pretty self-centered. Those penalties meant they'd be emptying their own pockets, and after busting their butts all year with nothing to show for it, they weren't about to be swayed by Quinn's good looks.

"This mess is on you. You owe us an explanation."

"We shipped out tons of apples, and now we're hit with fines?! Where's the fairness in that?"

"Unless you give us some answers, you're not leaving here!"

Quinn and Simon were in the car, listening to the angry shouts. Quinn's eyes welled up as she leaned on Simon's shoulder. "Simon, I've busted my tail streaming for days, and this is my thanks? I'm so disappointed."

Simon noticed the tears threatening to spill and felt anger rising. "It's just a few million in fines. I'll handle it for you!"

"No, it's not about the money. I won't let these bullies push me around. I'm just going to see what they think they can do!"

Simon rested a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "C'mon, don't let them get to you. They're not worth it."

Right then, Quinn's phone buzzed. It was Johnny on the line. "Quinn, what's going on in South Ashford? A buddy just told me you messed things up there. I'm not mad, but fill me in on the details so we can figure out how to fix this."

A spark of anger flashed in Quinn's eyes. She was genuinely ticked off. "Dad, the farmers are about to trash my car. They were mad at Clara, and now they're dumping it all on me. No matter what I do, they're not going to be happy. I'll be alright and back soon."

Clara, again!

Johnny was fuming. He thought Quinn had slipped up, but it's actually Clara who was behind the chaos. He remembered Clara had tagged along to South Ashford, likely to mess with Quinn's success. She probably brewed discontent among the farmers and left Quinn to clear up the mess.

Johnny believed Quinn was taking the fall for Clara's antics.