The death of the Parkers wasn’t the only tragedy in Mr. Dalton’s life before he started college. A house fire killed Mr. Dalton’s foster parents, Michael and Dorothy Brown of Belchester, Nebraska, only a week before his high school graduation. There is still no clear evidence of who killed Michael and Dorothy Brown. The case has remained unsolved for seven long years.
Starting his studies at Heartland University three months after the fire, Mr. Dalton dropped out and moved to Brooklyn during the summer between his first and second year. Soon after, he started his company Dalton Enterprises, with his inheritance and trust fund that his adoptive parents left for him. It didn’t take Mr. Dalton long to get the interest of investors as his innovative technology quickly changed the way businesses process and analyze their data.
If it weren’t for our intern, we would have missed all this about Mr. Dalton’s past, as he has kept a low profile. It wasn’t until last year that his public breakup from social media influencer Corinna Fitzgerald-Garcia caught the public’s attention and made him a household name. Before that, Mr. Dalton was only known in the business world and by the fans of Fitzgerald-Garcia. Now his name is on the lips of every gossip-loving person of the country.
After the media scandal, it has taken plenty of work from him to build his company’s reputation back up where it once was. The city-based company has recently acquired many of its competitors, bringing more work and money after the loss of business last year. Many people have been left unemployed, which has created negative press. Still, it seems like Dalton Enterprises is having the best business year so far if you don’t consider the latest scandal threatening the company and its founder.
Our sources tell us that Corinna Fitzgerald-Garcia has recently claimed that Mr. Dalton has something to do with the fire that killed the Browns and knows more than he’s letting on. However, the police records show that the officers brought Elijah Peter Parker for questioning after the events. The officer on the case concluded that Mr. Dalton couldn’t have killed Michael and Dorothy Brown since he was out of town.
We still wonder if it was all planned or purely coincidental. Elijah Peter Parker became Elijah Theodore Dalton overnight and started his new business Dalton Enterprises, which is about to make its founder a billionaire, only a year after the fire.
The timing just seems too perfect to be a coincidence.
What do you think?
Let us know on social media using the hashtag #DaltonRagstoRiches.
Text by Carol Whitman
Photos by Marianne Toussaint
* * *
What the heck was that?
How did they publish an article like that in the most respected business magazine like Bridgeway?
I process the article I just read. It was atrocious and just plain terrible. Not sure how to describe something so awful in any other way. It sounded more like a gossip magazine than a well-respected business magazine. Something doesn’t add up.
Looking back at the article on my side table where I tossed it after a reread, I finally notice who wrote it. It wasn’t Rose, but someone called Carol Whitman.
Why does that name sound familiar?
Oh yes, I know her! She’s the journalist who was supposed to interview me first. I felt grateful for her until now—her day off meant that Rose came back to my life. But now I just want to get her fired. Needing a plan and help to move forward, I grab my phone. I ignore all the missed calls and unread texts. Finding Jax’s number on my phone, I call him first. The phone rings three times before a groggy Jax picks up.
“Who the fuck is calling me before the normal people wake up? It can’t be my brother as he would know not to call me before my morning coffee.” I bark out a laugh. Jax always hated the mornings. He doesn’t even work before the afternoon most days.
“Shower, have your morning wank, and then a cup of joe and meet me in an hour.I need you, man.”
“Oh shit. What’s going on?”
“I don’t have time to explain. But let’s just say that I might kill someone later—but that’s beside the point here. Just get ready to see Ollie and me in 58 minutes. Tick tock, time’s running out.”
“Asshole. If it isn’t important,I’llbe the one killing you, brother.” Jax says and hangs up.
Yeah, he really hates mornings.
My conversation with Ollie goes over as expected. Uncomplicated and to the point. He was in the middle of his morning run when I called. I suggested that he run over to my place and shower here. Just in case, I have a change of clothes for both Ollie and Jax at my home. It sometimes pays off to be prepared, just like today.
Before I can chicken out, I call Lopez and interrupt his morning yoga.
He isn’t too happy. There’s silence before I hear some of the most creative curses in my life. Lopez rarely curses, so I must have finally broken him with my constant PR nightmares. But as it’s his job, he says that he’ll be in my place after showering and changing his clothes.
* * *
My brothers and PR guru are all with me an hour later. I ordered a breakfast spread right after talking with them on the phone.
I quickly explain what’s going on and show them the article.
