CHAPTER ONE

What seems like a smooth sail for the Carters hits rock bottom as dark clouds cast by the effect of Nathaniel’s escapades begin to loom. 

The bright summer sun with a gentle breeze from the vibrant streets of LA brushes through Bethany Carter's brightly colored silky shirt as she sits in her convertible, driving through. She arrives at Carter Group for a usual day of work. Just as she steps into the front door, she’s met by a rather nerdy but smartly dressed young lady.

“Good morning, Miss Carter, you look amazing!” Melissa said.

“As usual” Bethany replies with a smile. “What’s my Itinerary, Melissa?”

“…. uhhh, you have a meeting with a representative from CASA Group at 10 am, Mr. Fernando from LA Sports Club at 12 pm, and the Head of Operations said he’d like a word with you, so I scheduled a meeting for 3 pm.

Oh yes, Mr. Cruz from LA Media has been calling, he said he’d like a meeting with you, would you like me to schedule a meeting?” Melissa replied.

“No thank you, Melissa, I’ll just call him back”.

“Please get me a cup of coffee”.

Everything seems to be going well until the Law Enforcement Agency arrives at Miss Carter's office with a warrant for an arrest. Accused of being involved with drugs and arms dealing, Bethany Carter is arrested and escorted out.

“Please call my Lawyer, and cancel all my appointments for today”. 

With the help of her Lawyers, Bethany Carter was let out on bail but not acquitted of the charges brought against her. After further investigation, it is discovered that the culprit is Nathaniel Carter, the younger brother of Bethany Carter. After the passing of their parents, Nathaniel Carter seemed to have chosen a destructive path. He Squandered and misused the assets committed to his care as he fell prey to a deliberately mapped-out plan to destroy his family’s reputation and leave the remnant of the Carters with nothing. Lured into becoming a gambling addict, Nathaniel Carter gave away all his family’s properties in his possession and found himself in enormous debt. His life was in danger, as drug Lords he owed money to sought to kill him. Nathaniel Carter is on the run as he is declared wanted by Law enforcement, the media, and even people he had some shady dealings with. However, Nathaniel Carter is nowhere to be found.  

Like wildfire, the news of Bethany Carter’s arrest made headlines and spread through LA and beyond. The blogs magnified it, and even the social media had put up defamatory assumptions of both the lady and the organization.

“How dare they say such things about me? I’m going to sue them for this”, she tosses the phone away angrily.

This ordeal caused a significant fall in business activities for Carter Group, as a good number of business Partners and investors began to pull out, Clients retrieved their contracts, and no one wanted to identify with the ongoing scandal that seemed to have tainted the reputation of the Carters and their company. As she tries to manage the situation, Bethany Carter has to take drastic measures for the organization’s survival. Carter Group decided to downsize and lay off some staff as the company was not making enough to support the payment of all staff at the time.

The bank Loan is due, and the organization is unable to pay. The bank sends a note to the CEO, Bethany Carter, with a date to pay, as failure to do so will lead to halting activities in the organization and subsequent confiscation of the company’s building. At this time, all properties of the Caters were confiscated by the government until all investigations were over and all charges dropped. Several attempts on Bethany's side to bring in investors failed. She needed a timely investment that wasn’t coming forth to prevent the company from going bankrupt. Her last resort seemed to be a property their grandmother gave as a gift to her and her brother before she passed on, but she realizes that wasn’t within her reach either, as her brother had lost their most cherished property to gambling. Gradually, Carter Group goes bankrupt, and after a short while, the bank seals the property. This news makes Headline of the week as Carter Group, one of America’s biggest Automobile Companies by net worth, folds up.

CEO of Carter Group Bethany Carter, driven by resilience, was unwilling to submit to the circumstances that led to the fall of her company and the ruin of her family name. She resolves to get it all back. This determination leads her back to the drawing board where the journey of the Carter family began. She was confident she would find the strength and motivation relevant for her next line of action.

For months, Miss Carter was nowhere to be seen. During this time, she left Los Angeles and went back to Stowe, Vermont. A small farmhouse where she lived with her family while growing up. There, Bethany made the best memories of her life. It was just what she needed as she was away from all the noise and alone, able to coordinate her thoughts and find a way out. She resolved to achieve two goals: to restore her family’s honor, retrieve her company, and get it back to its former glory, but how she was going to attain these wasn’t certain, as she had no money and no one wanted to identify with the Carter’s, neither old friends nor business partners.