The Wolf of Los Angeles

[Chapter 263: The Manipulator Behind the Scenes]

It was nighttime when the lawyer completed the bail paperwork and handed Rachel over to his client, Carroll.

Carroll, along with her fiancee Veronica and Veronica's daughter, left the detective agency and got into the Lexus parked outside. Once inside the car, Veronica's expression soured, and she scowled, asking, "Rachel, why did you do this? You've embarrassed us!"

Rachel's round face was even fuller than her mother's. "Embarrassed? You care about embarrassment?"

The girl was clearly in her rebellious phase, rejecting everything her mother did or said. "I wanted the Tiffany necklace, and you wouldn't buy it for me! I wanted the Chanel dress, and you wouldn't buy it for me! I wanted Paris Hilton's shiny accessories, and you wouldn't buy those either! I wanted an Hermes bag, and you still wouldn't buy that for me!"

Her voice grew louder, "I used to be the queen bee at school, but after a few parties where I had to keep swapping out my dresses, wearing cheap jewelry, everyone laughed at me! Those girls from wealthy families called me what? A country chicken pretending to be a peacock!"

Carroll quickly played the peacemaker, "Honey, you can't speak to your mom like that."

"I've had enough of her!" Rachel shouted, directing her frustration at Veronica. "You sent me to the best private school in Beverly and Sherman Oaks, but now I'm a laughingstock! Do you even know what I want? You never ask! I want to be Paris Hilton! I want to be the glamorous girl like Paris Hilton! I want to rule the school parties!"

At just under fourteen, Rachel, despite her Asian features making her look about twelve, had a mature mindset and an even more mature sense of competition.

Before meeting Carroll, Veronica had owned a small business, but her hectic work life had meant she was often neglectful of her daughter. Compared to the average person, she was wealthy, richer than 90 percent of families in the United States, so she chose the best private high schools in Beverly and Sherman Oaks for her daughter. She even hoped Rachel would mingle with kids from higher-tier families.

But in an area like Beverly Hills and Sherman Oaks, notorious for its wealthy residents, even with the combined assets of Veronica and Carroll, they weren't considered truly affluent.

Now hearing Rachel's words, Veronica couldn't help but wonder if she had made the wrong decisions.

Fatigue and heartbreak washed over Veronica's round face as she hesitated to respond.

Carroll interjected, "Let's go home and talk about this."

Rachel turned her head away, staring out the window. Carroll started the Lexus, driving them toward Beverly Hills.

...

Veronica's house was also a single-family home, but it was not in as prime a location as those further down Beverly Drive.

Rachel usually hung out with kids from similar backgrounds, and when they reached Beverly Hills and parked in front of their house, Rachel dashed out of the car and bolted inside, slamming the door to her room behind her.

Veronica wanted to chase after her to give her a piece of her mind, but Carroll held her back.

"Right now, she's just being impulsive. If you go in there, you'll only end up in another argument," Carroll advised.

"Why is this happening?" Veronica cried out in frustration, "How did she become like this?"

Carroll pulled her down from the car and into the house, handing her a bottle of water from the fridge. "Just calm down for a moment."

Veronica took a big gulp of cold water, and the redness on her round face receded a bit.

She sighed, "I've raised my daughter to be a thief!"

"It's alright, it's alright," Carroll reassured her. "Who doesn't make mistakes as a kid? Rachel is still young. I'll have the lawyer work hard; worst-case, we pay some fines. She's a minor; she won't face jail time."

But Veronica's real concern went deeper than that. "The cops took Rachel straight from school, and the school had a representative with them. This will definitely spread around the School. We already face discrimination as it is. How will Rachel fit in at school after this? It's hard enough to get into another private school in Los Angeles; the interviews will be a nightmare."

These were the very results Carroll had been striving for. He sighed and admitted, "It won't be easy to navigate this. I can help you business-wise, but I don't have connections at the school."

He looked apologetically at her, "I'm sorry, but my hands are tied..."

Veronica interrupted him, "No, don't blame yourself. You've helped me so much since we met. My business collapsed, and you connected me to the Ackerman family, becoming a supplier for the Ackerman Charity Foundation. You've made my company run smoothly again. I don't even know how to thank you."

Carroll gazed at her with affection. "You marrying me would be the best return."

Her small company could thrive substantially with just a little contract from the Ackerman Charity Foundation.

None of this came without a price.

Veronica felt deeply moved, reaching up for a warm kiss, her hands attempting to slide down Carroll's waist.

Carroll quickly reminded her, "Rachel is still in the house."

Veronica reluctantly contained her desires.

Carroll shifted the topic back to the serious matter at hand. "We need to address Rachel's education issues; that's our priority."

Veronica covered her face with her hands. "How did she become like this?"

"I believe it's environmental influences," Carroll said, steering the conversation where he wanted it to go. "Rachel wasn't always like this. Ever since she got involved with that boy Nicholas and a few other girls, she's changed so much."

Veronica pondered for a moment. "That does seem to be true."

Carroll added, "Perhaps a change of environment could help Rachel."

"A change of environment?" Veronica frowned. "As long as we're in this city, those bad influences will still reach her."

Carroll waved his hand dismissively. "Then we'll change cities."

Veronica hesitated, feeling slightly intrigued but even more apprehensive. "But my company is in Los Angeles, not to mention my house and friends..."

"No, your business wouldn't be impacted," Carroll assured her. "The company mostly supplies medical materials to the Ackerman Charity Foundation, which is establishing a new medical center and bio-lab in Maryland. We can move to Baltimore. You won't have to worry about housing, medical needs, or Rachel's schooling; I can handle that smoothly."

Such changes couldn't happen overnight, and Veronica countered, "I need to think this through."

Carroll had more options but refrained from pressuring her.

A little while later, the phone rang.

After a few words on the line, Carroll looked at Veronica, "Sorry, there's an emergency at work. I need to head to the foundation for a bit."

"Go ahead," Veronica replied, understanding.

Carroll cautioned her, "Just try not to argue."

Veronica nodded vigorously.

...

Carroll left, driving off in his Lexus away from the neighborhood.

Not long after, he arrived at the Norlin Cafe near Melrose Avenue, passing through the open area and heading directly upstairs.

The second floor contained only a father and son.

The boy among them was Nicholas, who had been caught with Rachel earlier that afternoon.

Carroll sat across from them, saying, "You both did well."

Nicholas, now fourteen, had a father who was the president of a film production company associated with Ackerman Pictures. Having grown up navigating the complexities of Hollywood, he understood and experienced far more than most boys his age.

When his father's company thrived, he would even use his characters to seduce those girls and do things that only adults would do.

Unfortunately, after the collapse of Ackerman Pictures, which affected his father's company, things had turned grim for them.

Seeing this opportunity, Carroll had manipulated the father and son, blackmailing them into playing their part in leading Rachel astray.

Rachel was obsessed with stars and had an enormous sense of competition. Once Nicholas transferred to Brooklynn School, he purposely befriended her, encouraging her to stray from the right path.

Teenage girls often don't have the best relationship with their mothers. Carroll first inserted himself into Veronica's life, helping her in business, and opened the door for further influence over her.

Stepfathers were often unwanted figures. A non-biological father dating his mother was rarely well-received.

In solitary moments, with subtle suggestions here and there, an inexperienced girl could unknowingly fall into a trap.

With this dual method at work, Rachel found herself in her current predicament.

The small theft ring that emerged in Beverly Drive was no coincidence; it was all at Nicholas's instigation.

Carroll planned for Rachel to get caught.

He had even arranged for someone to report her.

Johnny, sipping his coffee, remarked, "We did what we promised you. Now it's your turn to keep your end of the deal."

Carroll produced a card. "This is an anonymous account at Credit Suisse, holding the balance. You don't need me to explain how to transfer it, right?"

Johnny took the card, smiling, "Easy enough."

Before Carroll finished speaking, he added, "One more thing; starting tomorrow, Nicholas will call Rachel at home, and while Veronica is there, he should visit to see Rachel. It'd be great if he brought along Rachel's friends."

"Sure thing." Nicholas, handsome and confident, resembled a young Edward Furlong, the protagonist from Terminator 2.

He boldly responded, "Just say the word, and I can get them all into one room."

Carroll laid out the allure, "Aren't you hoping to be a star? Once you complete this, we'll take care of you."

Johnny chimed in, "Sounds good."

He saw no chance to revive his career, but his son still had hope.

...

After leaving the cafe, Carroll got into his Lexus and drove back to Venice.

Once home, he entered his study and opened a hidden safe, retrieving two medical reports.

They belonged to Veronica and Rachel, stemming from a check-up at the Ackerman Medical Center a few months prior.

One line noted both of their blood types -- Hh blood type, also known colloquially as Bombay blood!

The Ackerman family had set their sights on these two women!

Carroll was tasked by Melissa Ackerman to bring them both in.

However, with Veronica running a business and maintaining extensive connections, including many employees handling substantial amounts of money, her sudden disappearance would raise alarms.

Just the financial channels alone would trace back to her.

Rather than outright snatch her, the Ackerman family would systematically undermine her business, forcing Carroll to swoop in like a savior, using his charm to consolidate his position.

Ultimately, their aim was for Veronica and Rachel to sever their connections and willingly leave Los Angeles behind.

Once they left this familiar city, they would become a ghost.

*****

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