The Unlucky Turn by Mark Twain 271
Leilani glanced at the documents, her brow furrowing slightly. Carola Conner? Tamara’s lackey?
Callahan’s voice came through the phone, calm and composed. “Do you need me to handle Carola for you?”
Leilani shook her head, a cold glint flashing in her eyes. “Not for now. Before long, she’ll face the consequences of her own actions.”
Two days ago, she had happened to accept a house call for the matriarch of the Conner family. The old lady had developed sudden leg issues and couldn’t walk. Leilani was curious to see the look on Carola’s face when she showed up at their door.
Although Carola had given the account management to Tamara, she wasn’t careless enough to ignore it completely. She had been monitoring public opinion online.
After the post was taken down, a lingering sense of unease settled in her heart. Sitting in her bedroom, she repeatedly refreshed her feed, watching the tide of public opinion turn overwhelmingly in Leilani’s favor. Her fingers unconsciously tightened around her phone. Even though she had given Tamara access permissions, the post had originated from her.
She thought about how the public had turned on Clive before, the insults and abuse hurled at Leilani. As one of the instigators, even she found it terrifying to watch. If they dug her out…
Carola grew more panicked the more she thought about it. She couldn’t help but send a message to
Tamara.
[Tamara, did you pay for those bots? You went too far! Now that the post is banned, people won’t track this back to me, will they?]
Not long after the message was sent, Tamara called.
“Carola…” On the other end of the line, Tamara’s voice sounded choked, as if she had just been crying. “Are you blaming me?”
Carola paused, her initial interrogation getting stuck in her throat. “I… I didn’t…”
Tamara sniffled, her tone sounding aggrieved and fragile. “I know what you’re worried about, but… I really didn’t hire those bots. It might have been Clive. He saw how Leilani kept bullying me, and then she got him on the trending topics. He was angry for a moment, so he just… Carola, go ahead and blame me. If it weren’t for me, you wouldn’t have made that post, and you wouldn’t be…”
Her voice grew quieter as she spoke, even trembling slightly.
Listening to her sobbing, Carola couldn’t recall her earlier anger or indignation. Her heart softened instantly.
“Tamara, don’t cry…” she quickly comforted her. “I don’t blame you. I was just… a little scared.”
Tamara continued to sob. “I’m sorry. It’s all my fault for dragging you into this. But Carola, don’t worry. The post has been taken down now. The situation shouldn’t escalate any further. Even if the worst
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happens, rest assured, Carola, I absolutely won’t let you get dragged down.”
Tamara’s tearful voice carried a hint of determination. It sounded as if she was prepared to sacrifice herself for Carola.
Carola’s original suspicions vanished instantly at the sound of her crying. That’s right. The post was banned, so what consequences could there be? Tamara was so good to her; how could she doubt her? Tamara was even willing to sacrifice her own reputation for her sake.
Carola felt a mix of emotion and guilt. She quickly softened her voice. “Tamara, don’t overthink it. I don’t blame you. Let’s just leave it at that. Leilani didn’t lose anything anyway.”
Tamara finally laughed through her tears. “Carola, you’re so good. Thank you for always being there for me.”
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