Chapter 2

Our neighbor, Linda Johnson, pushed her way to the front of the crowd and spoke to me earnestly.

"Oh, Emily, just pay them and make this problem go away," she advised. "The poor girl is pregnant. You don't want that kind of bad reputation hanging over your family."

I swiped her hand away.

"This isn't what you think it is, and I'm not signing anything."

Brenda immediately turned toward the camera, her voice shooting up for the livestream.

"Look at her attitude, everyone! She's out here attacking the nice neighbors who are just trying to help! Thank you so much for the galaxy, sir. Keep reporting her account, guys! Hit that follow button and let's keep the pressure on!"

I pulled out my own phone to call the police, but before I could unlock it, Brenda snatched it out of my hand and smashed it against the floor.

The screen shattered on impact.

"You want to call the cops? Not on my watch!" she shrieked.

Ashley scrambled back up from the floor, wrapping her arms tightly around my leg for a second time.

"Ms. Parker, forget the five million dollars!" she wailed. "Just sign the deed to this place over to me so my baby can have a roof over its head, and I'll raise him all on my own! If you don't, I swear I'll throw myself out the window right now!"

I lifted my foot and kicked her aside.

"If you're that desperate to jump, there's a window at the end of the hallway. Don't ruin my carpets."

Brenda lunged forward and delivered a hard shove to my chest. My back slammed against the doorframe, a burst of pain shooting straight through my shoulder.

"Old hag!" she screamed. "How dare you kick a pregnant woman! Keep those gifts coming, guys! Let's get justice for my niece!"

The viewer count was skyrocketing into the tens of thousands.

At some point, several tattooed punks had appeared in the hallway, each one carrying a plastic bucket.

Brenda beckoned them over.

"Paint it!" she demanded.

With a loud splash, thick, metallic-smelling paint completely covered my front door. It dripped down the walls, pooled across the floor, and splattered all over the cuffs of my pants.

"If you don't hand over that deed by tomorrow morning, the next bucket we bring is going to be filled with acid!" Brenda hissed, her eyes wide and menacing as she glared at me.

Linda backed away in fright. The surrounding neighbors immediately started murmuring and pointing their fingers at me in disgust.

"How shameful."

"Look at her, still denying it when things have gone this far."

"She's going to ruin the entire neighborhood."

I swept a cold look over them. "Anyone else want to run their mouth? Because I can easily have the next bucket of paint dumped right on your front door."

The neighbors went dead silent, instantly shuffling backward.

Brenda looked even more pleased with herself as she glanced at me.

"What? You think scaring a bunch of neighbors means you're off the hook? I've got news for you. The internet is already doxxing you as we speak."

I was so taken aback by her audacity that a bitter laugh escaped me.

"Brenda, you keep telling the internet that my son assaulted your niece. Where's your proof?" I questioned.

Ashley froze for a moment before suddenly clutching her stomach and letting out a dramatic groan. "Aunt Brenda, my stomach hurts! I think the stress is affecting the baby!"

Brenda immediately rushed over to support her, her face full of concern.

"Don't worry, sweetie, I've got you. This old hag is going to give us answers today if it's the last thing she does!"

She reached into her bag, pulled out a thick stack of printed documents, and aggressively slapped them right across my face.

The sheets of paper fluttered to the floor.

"You want proof? Here's your proof! Those are the text messages between Ashley and your son, along with proof of the wire transfers. We've got solid evidence. Let's see you try to wiggle out of this one!" said Brenda.

I picked up a page from the floor and saw a printed WhatsApp conversation.

Someone saved as "Mr. Parker" had sent Ashley a barrage of incredibly cheesy and tacky pick-up lines.

"Babe, I'm so in love with you. The second I inherit my mom's assets, we're getting married.

"Babe, my mom is an absolute cheapskate and won't give me a dime. Just hang in there for a bit longer."

Attached were a few screenshots showing wire transfers ranging from thousands to tens of thousands of dollars.

Looking at the poorly edited evidence, the whole situation seemed laughable.

"Do you honestly think you can extort five million dollars from me with this garbage?"

Brenda seized me by the collar.

"Garbage?" she shouted. "This is evidence. If you don't sign over the penthouse today, I'll make sure your name is dragged through the mud until you have nothing left!"

She glared at me. "Ashley already had an amniocentesis done at the clinic. The DNA test results are sitting right inside my bag. There's no escaping this, Emily!"

Summoning every ounce of strength I had in me, I pried her fingers off my collar.