I was driving my brand new Honda and I felt free and happy since I had finally saved up enough to buy.
This car. It didn't look like much, but I didn't care.
I loved it. I petted my Frenchie.
Do you like your new ride, Bubbles?
He had a big smile on his face, then licked me.
Good, because we're going to be taking a bunch of road trips in it.
I heard the snapping sound of an engine kick in and nervously gripped onto the wheel.
I looked back in my rearview mirror and saw a Hellcat roaring towards me way too fast.
I was going the speed limit and tensed up because the Hellcat was storming towards me.
Go past me. Go past me.
I saw the Hellcat coming right at me and braced myself and put an arm around bubbles to protect him.
It slammed into my back bumper and sent my Honda careening and swerving across the street.
I felt a sharp sting of whiplash on my upper back and struggled to maintain control of my car.
Bubbles flipped over my arm, bashed into the dashboard, and let out a yelp.
I looked up and saw that I was heading straight towards a light pole.
I slammed on the brakes and looked away.
I held on tight to Bubbles's leash and rammed into the light post.
My head hit the top of the steering wheel.
I was in a daysaze. Saw stars.
Then I heard the most obnoxious voice I've ever heard in my life.
What the hell is your problem?
Where did you learn how to drive?
I gathered myself, checked on Bubbles, and saw that his right leg was injured.
You okay, bud? I'll take you to the vet real soon.
Okay. I shoved my damaged door open and slowly stepped out to see the driver of the Hellcat pacing frantically and pointing.
At his busted engine. His hood was blown open and the front of his car was mangled and destroyed.
I asked you a question, you nerd.
Who taught you how to drive?
I just bought this Hellcat, and it's ruined because of you.
You were the one speeding, lost control of your own car, and slammed into the back of me.
By law, you're already in the wrong.
So, who taught you how to drive, dumbass?
He looked at me completely shocked.
Do you have any idea who you're talking to right now?
Was this guy for real? I do.
An entitled a-hole who thinks he's above everyone else, but I'm done talking.
I found my phone and dialed 911.
The pain in the back of my neck and shoulders was burning.
Within 2 minutes, a police officer arrived and stepped out.
Is anyone hurt? This dick in his dumb Honda got in my way and caused this.
I didn't even feel the need to defend myself.
The evidence of the wreck. Said it all.
The officer spoke into his walkie.
I need an ambulance at my position.
He turned towards me. Why don't you go ahead and tell me what happened.
It's pretty simple. I was going the speed limit.
Saw his hellcat in my rear view and hoped that he wouldn't slam into me.
But as you can see, he did.
What a blatant friaking lie. I was minding my own business, driving well below the speed limit, and this pulled right in.
Front of me, cut me off, caused me to lose control of my car, and made me hit him.
Officer Hunter could read right through the guy.
What's your name? My name's Todd Builtmore.
Yes, Builtmore. Does my last name ring a bell?
It sure doesn't. Is it supposed to?
Clearly, you live under a rock.
Charles Builtmore is my father, and when he finds out about this, he will own both of your asses.
I shared a look with Officer Hunter.
Both of us amazed at the nerve of this dick.
A Rolls-Royce Phantom pulled up and the backseat window rolled down to reveal a man in his 50s with salt and pepper.
Hair and black shades. Is my son under arrest?
No, he is not. You show these a holes whose boss, daddy, shut your pie hole, boy, and get in the car.
Sorry, Daddy. Todd hung his head and got into the Rolls-Royce.
My name is Charles Builtmore of Builtmore and Sons.
I will see you and this delinquent in court.
His window went up and they took off.
Officer Hunter shook his head. I can't stand guys like that.
Me neither. I'm going to fill out a report because we will be seeing those a-holes in court.
And unfortunately, I think that no matter what you do, you'll probably lose.
That was alarming because I was thinking the same thing.
I immediately rushed Bubbles to the vet and he was okay, but would have to wear a bandage on his right leg.
Until the bruising went down. I could tell he was in pain, which infuriated me.
Inside the Rolls-Royce,.
I just bought you that stupid car yesterday, and you already destroyed it.
Not only do you fail at the difficult things, you also fail at the simple things like driving.
You don't deserve anything I've gotten you.
I'm really sorry, sir, but it wasn't my fault.
That Honda pulled out right in front of me, and I didn't have a chance to swerve out of the way.
Your mother was right about you.
You're a pathetic loser, and you will never be anything more than that.
Todd starts crying. Charles sees it and slaps him across the face.
Weakness enhances weakness. Stop that crap immediately.
You will be up at 6:00 a.m.
Sharp to start rehearsals. The court case arrived and my stomach was in knots.
As I walked in with my lawyer, Frank, I had never been in a real case before.
I looked over at my dad who was in the audience and he gave me a reassuring confident nod.
You got this. I nodded back, didn't feel confident at all.
I heard the courtroom doors swing open behind me and tensed up when I saw Charles Todd and two massively muscular bald.
Security guards escorting them in. I heard them whisper something to each other in Russian.
That's weird. I when I looked closer at Todd, my jaw dropped because he was wearing a neck brace and he had.
A black eye. I shared a look of astonishment with Officer Hunter and grew really nervous.
The case started and Todd was the first one to be questioned by Charles.
Tell us what happened on that awful day of July 29th at 11:00 a.m.
When Todd answered, he slightly shook his right hand and spoke in this quiet, pathetic sounding voice.
I was going the speed limit, driving with both hands on the steering wheel in the 102 position.
When the Honda recklessly darted out in front of me, cut me off, and forced me to slam onto my brakes.
I was so annoyed at how much he was acting.
Then my life flashed before my eyes and I didn't have a choice but to make contact with his Honda.
I hit the side of my head into the steering wheel which explains how I broke my orbital bone and got this.
Horrible black eye. I haven't been able to see out of this eye at all which made me fail a math test.
In school and get dumped by my girlfriend Linda because she said I looked like a oneeyed freak.
He lowered his head and put on the most fake trembling sos I've ever seen.
I was completely panicked on the inside and that only made me want to laugh out of being so uncomfortable.
But then I quickly went dead still when I saw the jury all staring at me as if I was a monster.
That was horrendous because they were already judging me without even hearing my side.
Charles turned towards the jury. As you can see, my son has suffered devastating lifealtering.
Injuries. All because this maniac was given a driver's license.
I beg of you, give my son the small taste of justice that he deserves.
I was shocked and really infuriated at how much these jerks were performing.
They had clearly rehearsed this many times.
Things got even worse when Charles said, "When Officer Hunter arrived, my son was given no medical attention whatsoever."
In my humble opinion, this was a complete systematic breakdown of justice.
I call for Officer Hunter to be terminated immediately and this arrogant defendant to be put behind bars and taught a lesson.
My son was innocent and now his fragile body is riddled with strange injuries that he will be dealing with for the.
Rest of his life. Now, he brought out the tears.
He even held his hand on his desk as if he was so traumatized that he had to steady himself.
I closed my eyes because the dumb jury was buying it.
I noticed a small tattoo of an AK-47.
Rifle on Charles's wrist. Weird. The jury glared at us and I knew I only had one shot at convincing them.
I braced myself, hoping they'd recognize the truth.
At the plaintiff's table, Charles whispered, "You missed four words, you idiot."
"What? No, I didn't. I said every word I remembered.
You screwed up the dialogue and you didn't shake your hands enough to show the intensity of the trauma.
If I lose this case, it will be because of your inadequacy.
Todd hangs his head and trembles in fear.
They called out my name and I got up on the stand and took a long deep breath.
Even though I was afraid of the outcome, I stayed strong and told the truth.
Officer Hunter followed me and did the same.
We waited in an eerie silence while the jury deliberated.
I kept telling myself that it would be okay because I had the truth on my side.
But there was a darker part of me that was insecure as my palms kept sweating.
An hour later, the jury handed their verdict to the judge and she read it out loud.
We the jury find the defendants.
I held my breath, prayed quietly to God for justice.
Guilty on all counts. We moved to have the defendants given the most severe sentences possible.
My stomach dropped. I clutched onto the table and all I could do was shake my head.
Astonished at the complete breakdown of the justice system inside the back of the Rolls-Royce.
It's time to pop the champagne, son.
Really, Dad? I did okay. Well, other than missing a few words and not gesturing enough.
You did very well. I love my job.
Getting to watch the life get drained from those idiots eyes when the judge read the verdict.
That's always my favorite part. The ability to wield that much power over someone feels glorious.
It was so cool, Dad. You're so amazing at what you do.
I know I am, and I do believe that it's time to take your knowledge of the family business to the next.
Level. My hands trembled as I had to pay a $20,000.
Fine and got a year of probation.
Those were savings that I had spent my entire life building.
Gone within seconds. Officer Hunter got fired without any pay.
His entire career was ruined over a jury believing the lies.
I told Hunter when I saw him in the hallway.
All I can say is karma is on the side of the truth and someday karma will find them.
We have to work together to expose the Builtmore's corruption.
Hunter thought on it. Let me see what I can do.
I was hellbent on figuring out some way to expose the Builtmores, but I had no idea how.
The madness didn't stop there. The next morning, I woke up and read the newspaper headline, "Arrogant journalist receives justice for reckless.
Driving. My picture was plastered all over the front page.
I dropped my coffee mug, smashing it to pieces.
Bubbles got scared and lunged away.
Sorry, bud. It's okay. Not only was this family making me go broke, they were ruining my reputation."
Not even a minute later, I got a call from my boss at the paper.
I'm sorry to tell you, but I need to fire you for this.
My guts churned. What? It's a hit job.
Aren't you even going to ask me what happened?
No, because as you know, these days it's less about the truth and more about the perception of it.
If the paper is going to retain any sense of dignity, we have to let you go.
But wait, he hung up the phone before I could even respond.
My boss for the last 15 years turned on me that quickly.
Infuriated,.
I started writing down each and every fact in the style of a news report that I could share on social media.
And whatever outlet would take it.
I filmed myself telling my side of the story and posted it onto all my socials.
Inside Charles's office, Charles sits at his desk and gets a phone call.
Yes, he already made a video.
I will send you a new transcript to replace it with immediately and have the team do it as quickly as possible.
Within 20 minutes after posting, I got a call from my dad.
Why the hell did you just post that?
What do you mean? It's the truth.
No, it's not. It's you threatening their lives.
My heart sank and I was taken over by confusion.
I turned on my own feed and saw the video I had posted of myself talking.
I'm here to let the world know that just because I cut off this Builtmore turd and busted up his eye and.
Got him talking all soft and pathetic, if I see him in person, I am going to lay down the ass whooping.
Of a lifetime on that fool.
I was beyond shocked. They had somehow hacked into and doctorred my video to change all of my dialogue.
They socially weaponized AI. My heart was racing and I was trembling.
I realized that they must be connected to my devices in some way and they could be watching.
Then the texts started pouring in from my family and friends.
I can't believe you just posted that.
Don't ever call me again, dude.
I know we're cousins, but lose my number,.
This is Aunt Helen. You're a disgusting piece of This is Uncle Cal.
You've disgraced our family. I dropped my phone, horrified.
Inside Charles's office, he lit a cigar, watched the hacked footage, and cracked up laughing.
Genius little hackers. I only had one person I could reach out to.
I checked the old police report for Officer Hunter's phone number and texted him to meet me.
We met at a dive bar and I told him what happened.
He was already seven shots in and his eyes bulged and he shook his head disgusted.
These bastards messed with the wrong cop or should I say ex cop.
Check this out. He handed me a case file.
I still have a lot of friends on the force and they're willing to help.
I had my pals dig in hard to the Builtmores and they discovered a lot of unexplained things.
>> >> That file only lists some of what they've been up to, but all I can say for sure is that.
They are hiding a massive secret.
What kind of secret? All I can tell from the file is that it has something to do with import export.
They have done everything they can to keep whatever it is they're bringing in.
A total secret. I checked my phone and saw that I had 47 text messages and 19 missed calls.
It was every single one of my family members thinking that I had lost my mind.
I ignored the calls for now.
Look, I'm a journalist. You're a cop.
Even if we've both been fired and publicly disgraced, let's go find out some real on this corrupt family and bring the.
Bastards down. Our investigation started with us sitting at the docks and watching a cargo ship that was connected to Builtmore at.
The port. Hunter looked through his binoculars and saw five armed gunmen stepping down off of the ship and starting to unload.
Large wooden crates with tractors. When we find out what's in those crates, we'll find out what they're trying to hide.
We snuck up to the port and hopped into the water so we could swim around to the back of the boat.
We found a ladder and climbed aboard.
Hunter used a hammer and busted open a hole in the side of the crate.
I shined my flashlight inside and we both saw stacks and stacks of machine guns and bullets.
I took a closer look and saw Russian writing on the side of the boxes.
They came from Russia. I heard a Russian accent.
What are you doing? We both swung around and saw a Russian gunman staring at us.
Hunter didn't hesitate. He bullrushed him and slammed him into the side railing.
Both men went back and forth struggling for the gun.
The Russian man headbutted Hunter and busted open his nose.
The Russian got full control of his gun, aimed it at Hunter, and was about to pull the trigger, which compelled me.
To tackle the Russian man over the railing and fall about 20 ft down into the water with the crazy Russian.
At least I saved Hunter. But now what?
Under the water, the Russian man clawed at my eyes and I swallowed a bunch of water and started freaking out.
The Russian man wrapped his arms around my neck and started choking me.
I grabbed his hands, trying to pry off his fingers, but he had a metal death grip on my throat.
I started seeing stars, traces of flickering light, and felt my body start to lose energy.
My arms and legs went limp first, and I was plagued by horror.
All I could see was a wildeyed Russian man trying to end me.
Then, like a torpedo, Hunter dove down into the water and landed all of his weight on top of the Russian man's.
Head, forcing him to lose his grip and fall down deeper into the depths, completely unconscious.
Hunter dragged me out of the water and plonked me down onto the shore.
I sucked in as many deep breaths as I could and came back to my senses.
We both heard loud whistles and saw the five armed guards heading towards us.
Hunter helped me up to my feet.
Let's go. We rushed away and made it back to our car and stayed low.
We watched the shipment of guns get loaded into the back of a semi-truck and then followed it across town to a.
Warehouse with a sign that readilmore.
And Sons Manufacturing.
Charles sat in the back seat across from Todd and he listened on the phone.
Charles's eyes get wide and he turns red with rage.
Send every man out to find them and if you fail, you're done.
Am I making myself clear? What happened, Dad?
A threat has surfaced. You are about to learn a lesson in the importance of power over human life.
When the king of the jungle has to feed, he doesn't care what he eats.
I'm not sure I understand. That's okay.
You will. We both sat in the car, genuinely shocked.
Hunter shook his head. That's ballsy, man.
He's not even trying to hide his name from doing illegal That's how cocky he is because he's always gotten himself off.
The hook using the legal system.
Yeah, it's disgusting. My boss at the paper has to find out about this.
We're going to need harder evidence, something concrete that I can take to the FBI.
Right now, we just have some guns that they might be tied to.
We need to get inside this warehouse and search.
You up for it? I was terrified, but knew that this was the only way to get my life back.
Let's roll. I texted my boss my whereabouts just in case this whole thing goes ary.
We snuck up around the back of the warehouse, made sure the coast was clear, and climbed into a window.
We were in a long hallway with several closed doors on each side.
I heard a strange sound of tapping from behind one door.
Opened it up and saw 10 workers sitting at their computers, furiously typing away.
I looked closer at one of the screens and saw the person writing code, which meant he was hacking into something or.
Someone. The workers were so busy hacking they didn't even notice we were there.
We headed further down the hallway.
Then I heard a quiet voice of crying from behind one of the doors and stopped cold.
You hear that? We both put our ears up against the door and heard the cries.
The door was locked and we jammed it open, walked in and saw three women in their 20s shivering and crying on.
The ground. In a thick Russian accent, she said, "Please don't hurt us."
Hunter and I were completely horrified and shocked.
We thought it was just guns.
This is even worse. Are you hurt?
Can all of you walk? They nodded.
Yes. My clothes were still soaking wet, so Hunter offered his jacket to one of the girls.
She turned it down. No, I cannot take it.
They will look at this as a betrayal and will kill all of us.
They've already eliminated over 20 of us.
We are all that's left. That made me so enraged.
I started trembling. A low voice spoke behind us.
Look who decided to join us.
Hunter and I turned around to see the two massive bodyguards that escorted Charles into the courtroom holding guns.
The girls rushed away from us and hid in the corner of the room.
We weren't going anywhere with them.
Please don't blame us for their actions.
Please shut your mouths. You're coming with us.
As they grabbed me, the terrified Russian girl bumped into me and we locked eyes.
5 minutes later, we found ourselves chained to a metal pipe in a small room.
I was filled with fear since I understood the severity of this situation and I understood what these people are capable of.
The door swung open and Charles stepped in with his dork of a son, Todd.
The same two Russian bodyguards were behind them.
They both looked at us surprised.
Then Charles got in our faces.
I never would have guessed that these two losers would have the skill set to actually find this place and see what.
We're doing here. I must say I am impressed.
None of our other victims going back over 30 years ever came this close to my operation.
Congratulations.
You'll both receive the death penalty.
He nodded at the Russian guards and they dragged us out of the room.
We stepped out into the hallway and something had shifted.
I looked around and noticed the doors that were all closed before were all wide open and completely empty.
Charles, Todd, and the two Russian bodyguards were also surprised by the sudden emptiness.
Charles asked, "Where is everyone?" Todd shrugged.
We kept walking and came out of the back of the warehouse and saw my boss standing with 10 cops behind, all.
Aiming their guns. Charles and Todd suddenly broke into character as if they had actually rehearsed this.
"Thank God you're here," Charles pointed at the Russian bodyguards.
These men kidnapped us and have held us against our will for the last 2 days.
These two Russian maniacs are monsters that have been running a human trafficking organization and we just stumbled upon it.
Arrest them, my boss, and none of the cops moved at all.
I said, "Arest them. Don't you know who I am?
I will have every one of your badges, you imbeciles.
I am Charles Builtmore of Builtmore and Sons."
Hunter and I smiled and I reminded Charles, you may want to remove the chains that are still around our hands before.
You try and go looking like the victims here.
My boss and the 10 cops busted out laughing hysterically at Charles and he turned bright red with embarrassment and rage.
I will bring hell upon you.
I am a man of justice.
I had to let him know the cold hard truth.
You are a ridiculous little man of corruption.
Then I glanced at one of the Russian men and he was enraged.
He grabbed Charles, spun him around, and stabbed him in the gut.
Charles squealled like a stuck pig and dropped to the ground in agony.
Todd dropped to his knees and hugged his father.
Daddy, I'll save you. To my surprise, Todd scooped up his dad and they ran back into the warehouse and disappeared.
Several cops rushed in after them and started searching the premises.
Inside the Hellcat car, Todd hops into the driver's seat and Charles gets in next to him.
I hope you know how to drive this thing, son.
Leave the driving to me, Dad.
I got this. The fate of our family falls on you to get us out.
Head straight to the airport so we can take the jet out of the country.
Our pilots's waiting. Go, go. A few minutes later, the front doors to the warehouse popped open and Todd was behind the.
Wheel of his newly refurbished Hellcat.
Charles was in the passenger seat, clutching his stomach.
Todd slammed on the gas and peeled out.
He got the Hellcat up to about 50 mph,.
Accidentally lost control of the car, swerved, spun out, and flung himself into a huge ditch.
The Hellcat was once again destroyed.
The cops casually walked over to Todd and Charles, dragged them both out from under the flipped over Hellcat, and arrested them.
Charles yelled out, "You fool! You can't even drive straight.
Your mother was right. You're a failure."
Hunter and I pointed and laughed in their faces.
I had to remind Charles. Karma is on the side of truth, "You corrupt cock."
Charles started trembling and crying, finally realizing that his act was over and he was about to face some serious consequences.
I smiled at him and he glared at me through tears.
2 days later, I got rehired and for the first time, I got to go on the news and report the story.
Myself. I shared every fact and every detail and the real truth finally came out about these bastards.
Then I walked over to my boss.
I want a raise and an apology for firing me.
That was and you know it.
He apologized by doubling my salary.
Charles and Todd were both given life in prison without the possibility of parole.
I started receiving texts from my dad and the rest of my family apologizing for jumping to conclusions and believing the hype.
Your uncle and I always knew you were a good kid.
Your cousins and I all said you were innocent.
I responded to all of their texts.
Yeah, sure you did. Hunter and I meet at the same dive bar every Wednesday night and have dinner together.
He got reinstated and got promoted up to detective for making the biggest bust of his life.
We shared a toast. Ears to the truth.