Betrayed By Friends I Choose To Close The Inn To Them Chapter 12

Betrayed By Friends I Choose To Close The Inn To Them Chapter 12

“Do we have footage?”

“Yes. There are 2 cameras outside the hotel, covering both sides of the intersection. I had them pull footage from 2 days before the test and 2 days after. It’s clear. No construction at all.”

I finally breathed easier.

“David, don’t post it yet. Wait for the lawyer’s advice.”

“Okay.”

Over the next 2 days, that post spread further and further.

More and more local accounts reposted it.

The headlines became more exaggerated too. Some even directly claimed Bennett Inn cared more about money than students’ futures.

Views quickly passed 1,000,000.

The comment sections were almost entirely filled with insults.

Out of tens of thousands of comments, most were attacking my family’s hotel.

Athens Code Enforcement called David’s phone, their tone serious, saying they needed to investigate.

The Building Department also called, saying they needed to check the noise complaint.

Every step felt like a replay of the first time around.

But this time was different.

The guests who had stayed at Bennett Inn did not stay silent.

During SAT weekend, the people staying at Bennett Inn were out-of-town guests.

Some were students taking the test.

Some were parents accompanying their kids.

One student posted on Facebook.

The title was,

“I Stayed at Bennett Inn During SAT Weekend, and I Want to Clear This Up.”

“I was one of the students who stayed at Bennett Inn during SAT weekend. I booked a room 1 month early and stayed for 2 nights. I didn’t hear any construction noise. The front desk knew I was taking the SAT the next day and even gave me a granola bar, a banana, and bottled water. I don’t know who made the original post, but my stay was quiet, and my test went normally. Before there’s evidence, don’t casually destroy a hotel’s reputation.”

The moment that post went up, the comments exploded.

“Here comes another paid shill. How much did they pay you?”

“Hotel PR works fast, huh?”

“Account made 2 days ago. Who’s buying this?”

“Rich hotels sure know how to manage public opinion.”

The student was attacked by hundreds of comments and replied angrily,

“I’m not a paid shill! I’m just a guest who stayed at this hotel! Believe it or don’t!”

Then people attacked him even harder.

I watched the whole mess unfold, unable to describe what I felt.

The first time around, the 50 classmates who had stayed at Bennett Inn had not said a word.

This time, strangers who had actually stayed at Bennett Inn spoke up, only to be called paid shills.

That was the internet for you.

People picked a story first.

Then they hunted for someone to punish.

The person spreading the rumor had given them that target, and they had thrown every bit of malice at it without hesitation.

Whether the target deserved it was never the point.

The turning point came from the official page of the Athens Building Department.

That account rarely posted and only had a few thousand followers.

But on the 4th day after SAT weekend, it released a statement.

“Regarding the recent online claim that Bennett Inn caused construction noise during SAT weekend, our department has completed its review. City permit records showed no active construction permits or scheduled roadwork near Bennett Inn during the dates in question. No construction activity was found nearby. We are issuing this statement to clarify the record.”

Once that statement came out, the tide started to turn.

People started questioning the original poster.

“The officials said there was no construction. So where did the noise come from?”

“So it was made up?”

“Spreading rumors during SAT weekend is actually disgusting.”

“Original poster, come explain. @flower_half_summer”

The ID called flower_half_summer disappeared.

The post was still there, but the person who made it never showed up again.

I opened the comment section.

Now everyone was attacking the original poster for lying.

Someone found the account’s registration time and location tag.

They discovered it had been created on the day the SAT ended, and the location showed an apartment complex near Columbus.

Someone followed that location further and found that it was far from Ohio University.

There was no way that person had stayed anywhere near Bennett Inn.

More and more people started doubting.

More and more people kept digging.

In the end, someone found the person behind the ID.

It was a 12th-grade girl named Lily Harper from another high school that had taken the SAT.

Her family didn’t have much money.

She’d done badly on the test, spiraled, and posted online to vent.

It wasn’t Chloe.

I stared at the result, stunned.