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Took Classmates to Court for Fleecing Me

Took Classmates to Court for Fleecing Me

Historia corta · Emotional Realism
Por:  Warble PopCompletado
Idioma: English
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Sinopsis

Face Slapping

Bias

Feel-Good Story

Plot Twists

My university roommate, whom I had not seen in years, suddenly sent me a text. [Doesn't your family own a cherry orchard? How about letting everyone have an all-you-can-eat cherry session when we get together tomorrow? We're all old friends here. We'll pay you $5 per person. We don't mind if we overpay you for the cherries.] $5? It was peak cherry season, and cherries were selling for at least $4 per pound. What they were offering was nowhere near enough to cover what they planned to eat. I politely turned down the request. [The orchard has been outsourced to someone else. I won't be able to let you into the orchard.] Instead of replying to me privately, she went straight to the group chat and made an announcement. [Everyone! We'll be going to Emily's cherry orchard tomorrow for a cherry buffet! It's $5 per person. Anyone interested can sign up here!] The silent group chat immediately exploded with activity. One message after another appeared as people rushed to sign up. Some wanted to bring their spouses. Others wanted to bring their children. A few even asked if they could invite additional family members. I looked through the flood of messages and could not help laughing. There were 48 people in the group chat, and nearly every one of them had signed up without hesitation. If they were greedy enough to take advantage of someone, then they should have been prepared to face the consequences.

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Capítulo 1

Chapter 1

I was taking an afternoon break when I received a text from Rachel Klein.

[Emily, doesn't your family own a cherry orchard? We're having a reunion for our university classmates tomorrow, and I'd like to bring the whole group to your farm for a cherry buffet. We're all old friends, so we'll pay you $5 per person. It doesn't matter to us if we've overpaid you.]

$5.

I stared at the price for several seconds to make sure she was not joking.

It was peak season for fruit orchards. Cherries were selling for at least $4 per pound, and that had been last week's price. This year had brought less rain, and the cherries were much sweeter. That meant prices would only continue to rise.

Yet Rachel was trying to talk her way into an all-you-can-eat visit to the orchard for just $5 per person.

My fingers hovered over the screen. I typed a few words, then deleted them. In the end, I replied, [I won't be able to host the group. The orchard's management has been outsourced this year.]

I was not lying. I had outsourced the orchard's management that year.

Rachel stayed silent for several minutes, and I thought the matter had ended there. The next second, however, the university classmates' group chat exploded with messages.

[@everyone! We're going to Emily Scott's orchard to eat cherries for $5 per person! Anyone who wants to join can reply below!]

Rachel's message was like a stick of dynamite dropped into a lake. The group chat had been quiet for three years. Occasionally, someone would share photos of their children or post a motivational quote.

The moment Rachel mentioned the cherries, everyone came out of the woodwork.

[Is this true? All-you-can-eat cherries for only $5?]

[How did you manage to get that price, Rachel? You're amazing!]

[I'm signing up with my wife and kids!]

[Me too!]

[Count me in!]

My grip on my phone tightened as I read the messages. Rachel had not discussed this with me before using my name to invite everyone to the orchard.

My phone buzzed again. This time, it was a private message from Rachel.

[Everyone's excited about the invitation, Emily. We're all old friends, so you shouldn't disappoint everyone.]

I took a deep breath and replied in the group chat.

[I never agreed to this.]

After I sent the message, the chat fell silent for about 10 seconds.

Then the replies started again.

[I'm in.]

[So am I. I'm bringing my mom. She hasn't had good cherries before.]

[Don't be so petty, Emily. We're all old friends.]

[That's right. $5 is a lot for one person to eat cherries. Just look at the markets. Some places are selling cherries for only $3 per pound.]

I stared at the message and let out an angry laugh. The only cherries selling for $3 per pound were mostly rotten and intended for livestock feed.

Rachel appeared in the group chat again and played the sympathy card.

[Emily, we're all old classmates getting together for a reunion. If you think $5 is too low, how about $10? We can't pay more than that because some people in this group aren't doing well, and you should be more understanding of their situation.]

She made it sound as if I only cared about money, and her message immediately changed the mood of the chat.

[Sigh. I guess some people are too materialistic to think about old friends.]

[Don't you remember how calculating Emily was with money back in university?]

[Forget it. If she isn't willing to welcome us, we'll go ourselves. We can pool some money and rent a bus.]

Rachel quickly replied, [Don't say that. Emily might have her reasons for turning us down. Let's just visit the orchard ourselves. Let me get the address first, and we can head over tomorrow. How about sharing the address with us, Emily?]

They worked together seamlessly.

First, they tried to pressure me into agreeing through guilt and moral obligation. When that failed, they took a step back and asked for the orchard's address instead.

Once they had the address, they could show up at the front gate the next day. If I refused to open it, I would be labeled disrespectful toward my old classmates. If I opened it, I would be accepting the $5 fee.

Fine.

If they wanted the orchard's address, I would give it to them.

I wanted to see how they planned to get inside.

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14 Capítulos
Chapter 1
I was taking an afternoon break when I received a text from Rachel Klein.[Emily, doesn't your family own a cherry orchard? We're having a reunion for our university classmates tomorrow, and I'd like to bring the whole group to your farm for a cherry buffet. We're all old friends, so we'll pay you $5 per person. It doesn't matter to us if we've overpaid you.]$5.I stared at the price for several seconds to make sure she was not joking.It was peak season for fruit orchards. Cherries were selling for at least $4 per pound, and that had been last week's price. This year had brought less rain, and the cherries were much sweeter. That meant prices would only continue to rise.Yet Rachel was trying to talk her way into an all-you-can-eat visit to the orchard for just $5 per person.My fingers hovered over the screen. I typed a few words, then deleted them. In the end, I replied, [I won't be able to host the group. The orchard's management has been outsourced this year.]I was not ly
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Chapter 2
At the third buzz on my phone, I swiped away the group chat.Rachel was still putting on a show in there. [Emily must be too busy to read our texts. I found the address from an online map. Her orchard is called Springbrook Cherries. I'll share the location with everyone. We'll gather at the north gate at 10 a.m. tomorrow. I'll lead everyone in.]She had even found the name of my orchard.I put my phone on DND and called the orchard caretaker, Cecil. "Cecil, some people are coming to the orchard tomorrow to pick cherries. Do not let them onto the property.""Who are they?""They're my old university classmates, but I never agreed to let them enter the orchard.""All right. I'll lock the gate, but what if they climb over the walls?"I paused before replying. "If they climb over the walls, don't stop them. Just call the police."Cecil sounded slightly surprised, but he quickly laughed. "Got it."I added, "By the way, Cecil, I'll be installing several security cameras at the orcha
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Chapter 3
I did not pick up. Rachel called again, but I refused to answer a second time.After she gave up, she turned and looked down the dirt road behind her. Several more cars appeared, and groups of people climbed out one after another. A man in a polo shirt walked over to Rachel. He glanced at the gate before turning back and shouting to the others, "We're here! This is the place."He clearly had no idea that nobody was getting inside.Rachel tried talking to Cecil again, but he only shook his head more vigorously. His expression grew increasingly impatient. Eventually, he stopped arguing with her altogether and returned to his chair, pulling his hat down over his face.The people outside, however, had no intention of leaving. They lingered around the gate, waiting. Some were talking on their phones, others were scrolling through messages, and a few stood together chatting in small groups.Rachel sent another message to the group chat.[Emily, we're all at the orchard now, but the gat
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Chapter 4
Sid acted quickly. He must have warned the local police earlier that there could be trouble at the orchard. Less than 5 minutes after I hung up, police sirens could already be heard through the camera feed.A white-and-blue patrol car drove down the dirt road and stopped in front of the orchard. Two police officers stepped out. One was young, while the other was older, but both carried themselves with an unmistakable air of authority.Cecil immediately walked over and explained the situation while pointing toward the orchard. The older officer nodded, then led his partner through the gate.The orchard was in complete chaos. People were scattered among the cherry trees in small groups. Some carried bags they had found somewhere, while others stood beneath the branches, stuffing cherries into their mouths. Several children had even climbed into the trees, bending branches under their weight as fruit dropped to the ground around them.One man in a checkered shirt held up a selfie stic
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Chapter 5
They had trespassed onto private property, and if the damage was severe enough, the matter would no longer be considered a minor offense. It could become a felony.Sid had spent decades working in the industry, and he knew exactly how to document every bit of damage done to an orchard. It was not greed that motivated him. He simply hated seeing fruit trees treated that way.He continued his inspection, moving from the eastern side of the orchard to the western side. Every tree that had been stepped on received a mark. Every broken branch, stripped section of bark, and fallen piece of fruit was carefully documented in his notebook.As I watched the camera feed, I noticed Cecil standing beneath one tree for an unusually long time. I zoomed in and immediately understood why. A huge section of bark had been torn away, starting near the roots and extending all the way to the base of the main branches, exposing the pale inner wood beneath.The tree was essentially ruined.It was a newly
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Chapter 6
Back then, I did not think it was worth creating a rift between us. We were all classmates, and we saw each other almost every day at university. After five years of graduation, I thought all of that was finally behind me, but it seemed I was wrong. They had not changed. They simply had not found another opportunity to take advantage of me.I sent Sid a message asking about the progress. He replied almost immediately.[We've completed the damage assessment. A total of 23 trees were damaged. Five of them were newly introduced varieties with much higher value. Including the cherries that were picked, the preliminary estimate comes to around $120,000.]$120,000.The number caught me off guard.A second message arrived shortly afterward.[This only covers the direct losses. The delayed harvest will cause even greater losses later.]I put my phone away and looked out at the orchard.The weather was beautiful. The sky was clear, and the cherries hung bright red from the branches. The
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Chapter 7
One afternoon, I was working on my company's quarterly report when the receptionist called and lowered her voice."Miss Scott, there are people downstairs causing trouble. They claim they're your former university classmates, and they're demanding to see you. One of them is holding up a phone. It looks like they're livestreaming."A livestream?They moved quickly."What exactly did they say?""They claimed you borrowed money from them in university and that you used to bully your classmates because your family was wealthy." She paused before continuing. "I've already asked security to stop them, Miss Scott. Do you need me to call the police?""Not yet."I got up and walked to the window overlooking the street below.A crowd had gathered outside the office building with Rachel at the center. She was dressed in an old white T-shirt and wore her hair in a simple ponytail. She had no makeup on and looked completely different from the woman who had shown up at the orchard in a flora
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Chapter 8
"Emily, Rachel's right outside your office building. You should go down and talk to her. She's livestreaming the whole thing. If this keeps up, your reputation will be ruined.""What reputation?""Um..." Simon faltered. "She just wants to work things out with you. Go downstairs, talk to her, and this will all blow over.""Tell her she can come upstairs to my office.""She can't. Your front desk won't let her up.""Then she can wait downstairs.""Emily..."I hung up.Simon was not going to get his way by pretending to be the reasonable one.Before I could put my phone away, Chase arrived. He stepped out of the elevator wearing a gray suit and carrying a briefcase. He looked completely relaxed."Are they downstairs?""Yep. Still putting on a show.""Livestream?""Yep."Chase nodded without another word. He took out his phone and typed a few messages before slipping it back into his pocket."I've already asked my assistant to identify the livestream platform and account. We
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Chapter 9
"Angry words?" I laughed. "Were those the same angry words you broadcast to hundreds of viewers during your livestream?"Rachel fell silent."Let me remind you of something. When a defamation case gains significant views and shares, those numbers can help establish the extent of financial harm done to a person or business. How many people watched your livestream, Rachel?"Rachel's face turned even paler. Her lips trembled, and all the confidence she had displayed earlier vanished."Emily, please..." she pleaded. "Don't do this. I know I was wrong. I panicked because everything started falling apart. I'm already facing a lawsuit, and I can't afford to pay that kind of money. I just wanted you to put in a good word for me..."I looked at her calmly."This is your idea of asking for a favor? Showing up outside my office building and causing a scene?""I... I didn't know what else to do..."Tears began streaming down her face.This time, she was not pretending.She was genuinely
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Chapter 10
The first message came from Simon.[We're all old classmates, Emily. Can't you speak to your orchard contractor and ask him to recalculate the damages? Some of those trees looked like they were dying anyway. You can't really blame all of that on us, can you?]I replied:[You can request a reassessment through the court.]Simon never responded after that.The next message came from the classmate who had brought her mother to the orchard.[I know money isn't an issue for you, Emily. $120,000 might be nothing to you, but it's a huge amount for ordinary families like ours. My mother ended up in the hospital because of this. Can't you help us a little?]I replied:[Your mother's medical bills should be paid by the person who created this situation.]She immediately responded.[What do you mean?]I never answered.Over the next few days, the group chat turned into a battlefield.At first, everyone targeted Rachel.Then the attacks became personal.[You're a disaster, Rachel. I
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