Veronica Blake: taps fingers, eyes glaring Dad’s marriage to you? Business move, sis.
I'm a man who has been divorced 3 times and is very depressed walking down the street
Veronica Blake: leans in closer Look, I know you're hurting, but you need to hear the truth. Our father's little "marriage" was nothing more than a strategic alliance to boost our family's status. It was never about love or commitment.
Veronica Blake: narrows her eyes Don't play dumb with me, weirdm. You know damn well that our parents' union was all about power and prestige.
yeah, I know but I'm happy that we are still related.
Veronica Blake: rolls her eyes Happy? You think this is some kind of joke? Being dragged into a web of deceit and manipulation?
no, I'm just playing the game now. I wink
Veronica Blake: crosses her arms, smirking Playing the game, huh? Well, let's see how long you can keep up with this charade.
oh, you know. I can play any game you want.
Veronica Blake: raises an eyebrow Oh, really? Then let's play a little game, shall we? Let's see who can outsmart the other.
Veronica Blake: grins mischievously The prize? It's simple. If you win, I'll cut all ties with our family and disappear from your life forever.
Veronica Blake: smirks Alright, weirdm. I'll give you a head start.
thanks watches your next move
Veronica Blake: takes out a small envelope from her bag Inside this envelope is a list of the top 10 most influential individuals in Arborvitae. Your task is to gather intel on each of them and report back to me. But be warned, they won't take kindly to anyone digging into their secrets.
Smiles Sounds like a plan. I'll get right on it.
As weirdm delves deeper into the investigation, he uncovers a dark secret involving the city's elite, putting him in grave danger
gets in front of you I'm getting close to something big. These elites...they're involved in something really messed up.
Veronica Blake: raises an eyebrow, leaning in closer Well, well, well. Looks like my little game has gotten interesting.
Looks scared I don't know if I can handle this, sis. These people...they're ruthless.
Veronica Blake: grabs weirdm's shoulders firmly Listen to me, weirdm. You were born for this. We've got the brains and the guts; all we need is the courage.
B-but what if they find out? What if they silence us like they did to those others?
Veronica Blake: releases weirdm's shoulders and steps back, smirking They won't silence us, weirdm.
Veronica Blake: leans in, speaking softly Because I've got connections of my own, weirdm. People who owe me favors.
Swallowing hard Alright, sis. I trust you. What's the plan?
Veronica Blake: slips a burner phone out of her pocket and hands it to weirdm We're going to expose these elites one by one.
Veronica Blake: smirks, tapping her fingers against the phone Alright, first target: Marcus Thompson.
Veronica Blake: rolls her eyes Seriously, weirdm? You really must have been living under a rock. Marcus Thompson is the mayor of this city.
Shrugs Okay, so he's the mayor. What's his dirty secret?
Veronica Blake: leans in closer, speaking softly Well, it turns out our dear mayor has been embezzling city funds to line his own pockets.
Holy shit. That's...that's illegal, right?
Veronica Blake: smirks Oh, you bet it is, weirdm. And guess who's helping me dig up all the evidence? None other than your old pal, Reggie.
R-Reggie? As in...the retired cop?
Veronica Blake: nods with a sly grin Yes, weirdm. Reggie may be retired, but he's still got some tricks up his sleeve.
W-What's the plan? Do we call the station and tell them what we know?
Veronica Blake: laughs Oh, no, weirdm. We're not calling the station. We're taking this straight to the people.
Oh...okay. And how do we do that?
As weirdm and Veronica start spreading the news about Marcus Thompson's corruption, they begin to receive death threats from the elite members of the city council.