For Your Troubles

"I think it would be in everyone's best interest if you didn't acknowledge us in public," Margaret put it plainly. 

Though she was prepared for this moment, it still hurt to hear her say it. Still, Maddison had a strong gut feeling that wasn't all that her stepmother had up her sleeve. She stopped eating for a moment to look at her as she spoke. 

"So in exchange for my silence, what will I be getting in return?" Maddison asked plainly.

She could see the smile creeping up on her stepmother's face. This was what Margaret had expected her to ask. Margaret opened her purse to retrieve a stack of cash. It was a stack of thousand-dollar bills. 

"There's $100,000 here. That should be able to get you back on your feet since you've lost your job and all."

Maddison wondered how much Margaret knew about what happened to her. It would seem that the intel she had received was selective. Then again, few people knew of the deal she had made with Elias.