"Beca would never do that," Trish said. "I knew everything you said was a lie. You still want to get your hands on my trust fund."
Beca's phone pings and she looks at it and sees it's from Trish's father. She opens the message and her face pales. Aubrey asks her what's wrong and Beca just shows Aubrey her phone. Aubrey gets Trish's attention and shows her Beca's phone.
"Did you have us followed?," Trish asks her dad angrily. "I see the pictures. It's not what you think."
"Yes, I had Beca followed because I don't trust her," her dad responds. "I'm glad I did. Beca is cheating on you with that redheaded friend of hers."
"You don't know what you're talking about," Trish said. "Beca and Chloe would not do that to me. They have too much respect for me to do that. Which is more than I can say for you."
Trish let out a sob and tears fell down her face.
"You had me fooled with your little act," Trish said through her tears. "I really thought you cared about me and my happiness when all you really cared about is my trust fund."
"That little bitch ruined everything," her dad says. "I owe a lot of money and will lose the studio if I can't pay it back. The trust fund should have been mine. You owe me."
Beca was sitting next to Trish holding her in her arms while she cried and talked to her father.
"I truly hate you right now," Trish told her father.
"Oh, boo hoo," her father said. "You're going to sign over a part of your trust to me. I'll only need fifty million. That will pay off what I owe and I'll have some left over to keep the studio running. Do it and I won't drag your wife's name through the mud. You have until tomorrow and then the pictures go out on all social media. Let's see how far she gets once it gets out that she's already cheating on her dying wife."
Trish hangs up the phone without saying another word. Beca holds Trish while she continues to cry. After a few minutes, she finally calms down and was able to tell Beca what her father had said.
"That fucker," Beca said through clenched teeth.
"We need to get in front of this," Aubrey said.
"How?," Trish asked. "Those pictures look bad."
Chloe started to say something but Trish stopped her.
"I know it's not what it looks like," Trish said. "I trust you and Beca. These pictures are taken out of context but they do look bad for Beca and you."
"What if Trish puts them out?", Stacie asked. "She can post it on her Instagram and caption it with something like 'My clumsy wife. Good thing her best friend was there to break her fall.' We could take extra pictures of all of us and post those as well. Then the pictures won't be that big a deal."
"That's actually not a bad idea," Aubrey says. "We can even hashtag it #trishandbecahoneymoon. Then we can post our own pictures with the same hashtag."
"I've got some of us at the crab boil," Chloe said.
"I've got a few more on the beach," Stacie said.
"This could work," Aubrey said. "What do you think, Trish? Beca?"
"I think it sounds good in theory," Beca said.
"I like it," Trish said. "If we treat them as the innocent pictures we know they are, the fans will treat them the same way. And, if my dad tries to make it out to be something else, he'll be the jerk, not you. No offense, babe."
"None taken," Beca says with a laugh.
"Let's do this," Trish says. "Beca send the pictures to my phone. I'll save them and get started. You guys do the same."
The girls spend the next hour coming up with funny captions for their pictures and getting them posted.
It didn't take long for the girls' phones to ping with comments on the photos. Everyone was talking about how funny and clumsy Beca was and loving the pictures of their friends spending their honeymoon with them. Now they just had to wait for Trish's father's next move.
They found out Mr. Compton's next move as Trish's phone started ringing at 6:00 am on Sunday morning. She ignored her father's calls and he just filled her voicemail with messages filled with hate and foul language. Aubrey had Trish download all the messages to a thumb drive. She then called her father to ask him for legal help. She explained everything that had happened and had him listen to some of the voicemails.
"He hasn't said anything to incriminate himself in any way," Mr. Posen said. "Being hateful and cursing is not enough to have charges filed against him. Keep saving the messages and if you hear any threats towards Trish or Beca, call me. If he mentions anything about the trust fund and the fifty million dollars, call me. He's bound to slip up at some point."
Just then Trish's phone rings with another call from her dad.
"Sorry, dad," Aubrey tells Mr. Posen. "It's Trish's dad again."
"Tell her to answer and put it on speaker," Mr. Posen says. "You put me on speaker so I can jump in if I need to."
Both girls did as Mr. Posen instructed.
"What do you want, dad?," Trish asks answering her phone.
"You know what I want," Mr. Compton said.
"I'm not giving it to you," Trish said. "The trust fund was set up for me, not you."
"It should have been mine to begin with," Mr. Compton tells her. "If I really wanted it, I can have the whole 125 million and there's nothing you or Beca can do about it."
"Are you threatening us?," Beca yells.
"Oh, good," Mr. Compton says. "The little bitch is listening in so I won't have to repeat myself for her benefit. I get what I asked for and your pretty little redheaded friend will make it home safely from her little walk on the beach."
"Where's Chloe?," Beca asking her face going pale.
"She went for a walk on the beach like she always does," Aubrey responded.
Beca and Stacie both ran out the door. Beca saw a commotion down the beach to her left.
"There!," she yelled to Stacie pointing.
Stace and Beca took off. Stacie had Beca height-wise, by a good four inches, but Beca managed to outrun her. When she got close enough she saw Chloe struggling against two men. Beca reached them and started throwing punches, landing a few good ones to one guy's head and face. His grip loosened and Chloe managed to pull herself away from the other. Stacie showed up and used her long legs to kick the second guy in the stomach and groin area. He fell to the sand groaning and holding his junk.
The first guy, started throwing wild punches at Beca. She managed to dodge most of them but he got lucky and got her on the right side of her head, catching her cheek. She went down, hard. Stacie and Chloe both jumped the guy and pummeled him to the ground. They heard sirens in the background and managed to hold both men at bay until the police came running up to them. Chloe ran to Beca and held her.
The two men were arrested. Stacie explained what had happened and they called the LA police to arrest Mr. Compton. The paramedics were loading Beca into the ambulance.
"Go with her," Stacie told Chloe. "I'll get Trish and Aubrey and we'll meet you at the hospital."
Chloe jumped into the back of the ambulance and they took off. Stacie made her way back to the house and grabbed Trish and Aubrey telling them what had happened to Beca. She got them both in the car and raced off to the hospital. It took them almost thirty minutes to get to the hospital. Once they made it, the three girls ran in to find Chloe sitting in the waiting room with her head in her hands.
"Where's Beca?," Aubrey asked as soon as she saw Chloe. "Is she okay?"
"She's fine," Chloe said. "She came to in the ambulance. She has a cut on her cheek that they're stitching up now. She's got a bruised hand from where she punched the guy. And, they want to run a CT scan as a precaution to make sure she doesn't have a concussion. They'll probably keep her overnight for observation."
Trish hugged Chloe and Chloe stood there hugging her back. Chloe pulled out of the hug and wiped a tear from her cheek.
"You should be able to go back to see her before they take her down for her scan," Chloe told Trish.
A doctor comes out and asks for the family of Beca Mitchell. Trish steps forward.
"I'm her, um, wife," Trish said.
"I'm Dr. Harris," the doctor says. "Would you mind coming with me?"
"Chloe needs to come, too," Trish said.
"Who's Chloe?," the Dr. Harris asked.
"Our best friend," Trish said.
"That's fine," Dr. Harris said.
The doctor took the two girls back to Beca's room. The doctor stopped just outside the door.
"We told Mrs. Mitchell that we wanted to do a CT scan to check for a concussion," Dr. Harris tells them. "She won't give us her approval to do the test. We highly recommend that she allow it so we can treat the concussion if necessary. We're hoping you can talk some sense into her."
"I can't," Trish said stepping back.
"Are you okay?," Chloe asked.
"Beca doesn't want the CT scan," Trish said. "Because it reminds her of me. I went in for a simple CT scan because of headaches I was having and that's how they found out I had cancer."
"Oh," was all Chloe said. "Dr. Harris, is there some other way of determining whether Beca has a concussion? Other than the CT scan I mean."
"She did take a pretty hard hit to the head," Dr. Harris said. "But, she isn't showing any symptoms and the scan was just a precautionary measure. I think she'll be fine if we don't do one. We still want to keep her overnight for observation. She can go home later tomorrow."
"Thank you, Dr. Harris," Chloe said.
Trish thanked the doctor as well. Dr. Harris opened the door and entered Beca's room. Beca was sitting up in the bed and looked at the doctor and the two girls he brought in with him.
"Now, Mrs. Mitchell," Dr. Harris said. "We need to keep you overnight for observation. As I was telling your wife and friend, you can go home later tomorrow."
"No brain scan?," Beca asked.
"No brain scan," Dr. Harris told her.
"Okay," Beca said. "I guess I can handle one night here."
"Good," Dr. Harris said. "I'll come by and check on you later."
"Thank you, doctor," Beca said as he left.
"Are you out of your mind?," Chloe yelled at Beca and slapped her on the arm.
"What the hell, Chloe?," Beca said rubbing her arm.
"You could have been killed," Chloe said tears gathering in her eyes.
"She's right," Trish added. "You and Stacie were pretty stupid running out there like that. You were also pretty brave."
"Yeah," Chloe sniffled. "Badass Beca Mitchell lives. Thank you."
"I'd do anything for you, Chloe," Beca said quietly. "You know that."
"I know," Chloe said. "Just stop being a hero. I don't now what I'd do if I lost you."
"We all love you, Beca," Trish said. "And, I personally don't think I could handle a sad Chloe. So, please, just call the police next time."
"Okay," Beca said. "No more stupid heroics."
"Good," Chloe said leaning down and giving Beca a quick kiss.
Chloe had pulled back with a smile on her face. Her face suddenly fell when she realized what she had done. She looked at Beca and then at Trish.
"Oh, my God," Chloe said. "I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have, I, um"
Chloe turned and started to run out of the room.
"Chloe, stop!," Trish said grabbing her arm as she tried to push past. "It's okay."
"No, it's not," Chloe said.
"Trish could you give us a minute?," Beca asked.
"Sure," Trish said. "Take your time."
Trish smiled at Chloe and gave her arm a squeeze before she left. Chloe stood where she was, staring at the ground. Beca got up and walked over to her.
"Chlo?," Beca said gently. "It really is okay."
"I promised I wouldn't do anything like that while you were married to Trish," Chloe said.
"It was a momentary lapse," Beca said. "No harm. No foul."
"But what if we were around other people?," Chloe asked looking at Beca. "It could make things even worse with Trish's father."
They were interrupted by a knock on the door. Chloe answered and Trish walked back in.
"I just got a text from Aubrey," Trish said. "They arrested my father. Those two guys that tried to take Chloe rolled over on him in a heartbeat."
"I'm so sorry, Trish," Chloe said.
"Me, too," Beca said.
"I'm not," Trish said. "He deserves to rot in jail for what he did. I don't know what happened to him. He didn't use to be like this. Now, I don't even know him any more."
"I know this probably isn't the right time," Chloe said. "But, what's going to happen to the studio?"
"It will probably be sold off," Trish said. "My father's name is the only one listed as owner. I have no claim on it."
"Would the fifty million your father asked for be able to buy it outright?," Chloe asked.
"It will probably be sold for only 30 million," Beca said. "It's made a profit in every quarter for the last 4 years that I know of. But, it's also a smaller label and doesn't get many big names."
"It should though," Trish said. "People know who you are. You're the only grammy winner daddy had on staff."
Beca looked tired so Chloe suggested they let Stacie and Aubrey visit a bit before Beca went to sleep and they went back to the beach house. Once they got outside the door, Chloe turned to Trish.
"Can we talk?," Chloe asked. "I have a business proposition for you."
Trish told Stacie and Aubrey they should go visit with Beca. Chloe told Trish what she had in mind while they sat in the waiting room.
"That sounds like a good idea," Trish said. "I'm in."
"Great," Chloe said. "After we get Beca back to the beach house tomorrow, I'm going to go back to LA and get my people on it.
All four girls went to the hospital to pick up Beca the net day. Beca kept slapping Trish and Aubrey's hands away as they tried to take her arm to help her.
"I'm fine," Beca kept telling them. "I can walk by myself. I don't need your help."
As they walked out the hospital doors, the paparazzi were waiting for Beca. Beca sighed and the girls all circled around her hoping they would leave her alone. Cameras were going off and questions about her injuries were flying. The girls managed to push past the paparazzi and get Beca into the car without too much trouble. Stacie drove and went all over the place until they were sure no paparazzi were following them. They finally made it back to the beach house and went inside. Once Beca was settled back in, Chloe came to the living room carrying a suitcase.
"I have a car coming and it should be here any minute," Chloe said. "I need to be in LA for a meeting first thing tomorrow morning."
"I thought you rearranged everything so you could be here," Beca said.
"I did," Chloe said. "This just came up and I have to handle it in person. I'll be back tomorrow night. I promise."
"Okay," Beca said. "Good luck and have a safe trip."
"Thanks," Chloe said. "I will."
The two couples left at the beach house did what they had been doing for the past couple of days. Trish and Aubrey wouldn't stop fussing over Beca, much to her chagrin. Stacie was continually amused at how grumpy Beca would get every time Trish or Aubrey asked her if she was okay.
Chloe arrived at the condo and made several phone calls. She made arrangements to meet with her lawyers early the next morning. She went to bed feeling excited for the first time in a long time.
Chloe woke early and was ready to head to the office when her car finally arrived. She sat in the back seat her legging bouncing up and down nervously. She was glad to see that the lawyers were arriving when she did. They went straight to work. Chloe read over the proposal and suggested some minor changes. The lawyers worked the changes in and Chloe was ready for step 2.
Chloe and the lawyers then got in the car and went to the one place they needed to go to finalize everything - the LA County Jail. Chloe sat nervously with her two lawyers waiting for Mr. Compton to be brought to the visiting room. A guard finally escorted him in and when he saw Chloe his eyes narrowed.
"What the hell do you want?," Mr. Compton spat out at Chloe.
"I am here to make you an offer on your studio," Chloe said.
"I'm not selling," Mr. Compton said.
"Fine," Chloe said. "Then I guess I'll just buy it up when it goes up for auction."
She gets up as if she were leaving.
"Wait!," Mr. Compton says loudly. "What are you offering?"
Chloe sat back down with a smile on her face.
"How much of the fifty million you asked Trish for is to cover your loans?," Chloe asked.
"Twenty-five," Mr. Compton said.
"I will pay off your loans but the studio will be mine," Chloe said.
"No," Mr. Compton said.
"I'm your only solution," Chloe said.
"I still have Trish," Mr. Compton said with a smirk.
Chloe laughed.
"No, you don't," Chloe replied. "You can either sell me the studio for what you owe in loans, and keep your personal funds so when you get out you can start with a clean slate. Or, you can lose your studio outright and have your assets frozen until the loans are repaid and end up with nothing. The choice is yours."
Mr. Compton runs his hands through his hair. He looks at Chloe and then at the two lawyers.
"I really do love my daughter," Mr. Compton tells Chloe. "I just ran into some stuff that I couldn't handle and got scared."
Chloe looks down at her hands, inspecting her nails. She sighs and then looks back at Mr. Compton.
"So?," Chloe asks. "Do we have a deal or not?"
The lawyers pull out the paperwork and lays on the table. Mr. Compton looks at it.
"Deal," Mr. Compton finally says. "Let me see the agreement."
One of the lawyers hands him the agreement. Mr. Compton starts to read it and then stops at looks at Chloe.
"Why are Beca and Trish's name on here?," he asks.
"We're partners in this transaction," Chloe said. "I'm providing the financial backing and they will be running the day to day operations."
Mr. Compton pushed the papers away from himself.
"No," he said. "No fucking way I'm selling to have that Mitchell bitch take it over."
Chloe smiled a small smile and looked at Mr. Compton.
"You said you loved your daughter," Chloe says. "If you do, then you will sell me, us, the studio."
"Bitch," Mr. Compton mutters pulling the papers back. "I need a pen."
The lawyer handed him a pen and showed him where he needed to sign.
"Just give my lawyer the loan info and we will be sure to take care of that," Chloe said.
Mr. Compton wrote down the information. Chloe and her lawyers got up.
"Pleasure doing business with you," Chloe said,
She leaned in to Mr. Compton and whispered in his ear, "If you ever bother Trish or Beca again, I'll see to you that you never see the light of day. I know the only way you got these loans was by fixing your books. I will have no problem bringing that to the attention of the proper authorities. Have a nice day."
The lawyers filed the paperwork to show transfer of ownership of the studio. Chloe contacted the various banks (three to be exact) that Mr. Compton had borrowed from and made arrangements to pay off the loans. The Beale name went a long way in making this all happen rather quickly.
By the time Chloe got int the car to be taken back to the beach house, she was one-third owner of a recording studio. She arrived around 9:30 and knocked on the door. Trish opened it up to find a smiling Chloe holding a bottle of champagne.
"It's done?," Trish asked.
"It's done," Chloe said with a smile.
Trish squealed and hugged Chloe. She ushered her into the living room where she found Stacie, Aubrey, and Beca sitting and chatting.
"Chloe," Aubrey squealed, getting up to hug the redhead.
"Wow," Chloe said. "I was only gone a day."
"I know," Aubrey told her. "But this one here has been a bear since you left."
"Hey," Beca exclaimed.
"She's not lying," Trish told her with a laugh.
"Well, I have some great news," Chloe said.
Chloe and Trish went into the kitchen and came back out with glasses. They set the glasses on the coffee table and Chloe popped the cork on the champagne and started filling them. Chloe and Trish handed a glass to the others and Chloe raised hers.
"Here's to the newest owners of Compton, soon to be renamed, recording studios," Chloe said and tapped her glass against Trish's.
Trish and Chloe both took a sip of their champagne. Chloe looked at Stacie, Aubrey, and Beca, who just stood there, with their glasses in hand, staring at her.
"What?," Chloe asked.
"New owners?," Stacie asked.
"Of Compton Recording Studios?," Aubrey added.
"Yep," Trish said. "Chloe, Beca and I are now the owners of my dad's studio."
"Your company bought the studio?," Beca asked.
"Not the company," Chloe said. "Me. And Trish. It's a sound investment and I needed to pad my portfolio."
"I have no idea what those words mean," Beca said.
"So," Stacie says. "If you and Trish bought it, how is Beca an owner?"
"Well," Trish said. "We made Beca part owner because she is going to run it."
"I don't know what to say," Beca says.
"Say 'thank you'," Trish says. "And say you'll do it."
"Hell yeah, I'll do it," Beca said with a grin, downing her champagne.
Beca pulled Trish in a hug, kissed her on the cheek, and said thank you. Trish pulled out of the hug and nodded her head toward Chloe, who is now sitting on the sofa pouring more champagne.
"She's the one who came up with the idea," Trish whispered to Beca.
Beca goes over and sits next to Chloe.
"Thank you, Chlo," Beca said. "This means a lot to me."
"You're welcome, Becs," Chloe said.
Beca hugged Chloe and pulled back. The two sat there staring at each other.
"God," Trish said shaking her head. "You two are ridiculous. Just kiss already."