Mag-log inI continued, "Brenda went to desperate lengths just for livestream views. She riled up strangers online, encouraged them to attack me, and even tried to have me physically hurt."If I hadn't preserved the evidence, and if the son I adopted hadn't happened to be a monkey, my reputation would've been destroyed by now, and I would've lost my home."I paused for a moment before raising my voice and delivering my final statement."I'm asking the court to give them the punishment they deserve and to make sure people like this don't get to destroy someone's life for clicks and cash."The trial lasted the entire day, but the verdict was delivered that same day.Brenda was convicted of extortion, harassment, and defamation. The judge sentenced her to 12 consecutive years in prison, followed by two years of supervised probation, along with a 50,000-dollar fine.Peter, as one of the primary masterminds of the scheme, was sentenced to ten years behind bars.Brandon was handed an eight-year
The footage had been sent to me by that thug who was running the livestream the day before.Desperate to shave some time off his inevitable prison sentence, he had handed over every single video he secretly recorded on his phone.The setting was a private room at a local dive bar.In the video, Brenda was counting a thick stack of cash."Peter, this one's loaded," she said. "Once we get Emily's apartment, we'll move into a mansion."Peter sat beside her, drinking beer. "Good job. I didn't push Ashley out there as bait for nothing. Once the money comes in, I'll pay off the loan sharks first."The neighbors heard the audio and immediately crowded closer.By the time the video finished playing, the entire crowd had gone quiet.Peter's face turned a deep, ugly shade of crimson. "W-Where the hell did you get that? That's fake! You edited it!" he roared.I calmly slid the phone back into my pocket. "The police will be more than happy to figure out whether it's fake or not. Weren
"That's not even the best part," I said. "She also wanted me to sign my penthouse over to her so she could, apparently, spend the rest of her life with my monkey. It looks like your shame could span the entire ocean, Brandon."Brandon was shaking with fury. "Let me go! I'm going to kill that bitch!"The police officers maintained their hold. "Shut up. You're in a police station."Watching Brandon fly into a rage made me smile. There was nothing better than watching two bad guys tear each other apart.I pulled another file from my bag and handed it to the officer."Officer, I have one more set of evidence. It shows that Brandon Cross, Brenda Wilson, and Ashley Collins have been working together."They specifically target wealthy older people who live alone, then use Ashley's pregnancy to set up honey traps and extortion schemes. I've already found three previous victims, and their contact information and wire transfer records are all indexed right there."Brandon's face drained
"Squeak, squeak!"I gently patted Jason's head. "Well done, Jason. I'm picking up some fresh apples for your dinner tonight."I went on my laptop to compile the surveillance footage and the scanned copy of the fake paternity test report Ashley and Brenda had handed me.If they wanted to play games, I was going to make sure we played by my rules and make sure they lost everything.…The next morning, I walked into the local police station with the full chain of evidence.While I was giving my statement, the officer in charge reviewed my flash drive, which contained neatly indexed folders of the surveillance footage, the fake paternity test report, the money trails from their illicit brokers, and files on their previous victims.The officer couldn't hide his surprise."Ms. Parker, your investigative work and evidence processing are honestly more thorough than the officers on the force," he admitted. "These amateurs really picked the wrong house. Imagine trying to pin a pregnancy
Jason moved like lightning, seizing a fistful of Brenda's hair and yanking her head backward with everything he had.Brenda shrieked at the top of her lungs."Help! The monkey is killing me!"Jason climbed onto her neck and clawed at her face while Brenda rolled across the floor in pain.Ashley screamed and stumbled backward, crying, "Get away from me! Get away!"Even Robert and the neighborhood watch women were so terrified that they were huddled in the corner of the hallway."Emily, control your monkey!"I kept my arms crossed over my chest, watching the spectacle with a detached calm. "Hold on tight, Jason. Don't let her shake you."Jason understood me perfectly.He leaned forward and clamped his teeth hard onto Brenda's ear. She burst into tears, snot and tears running down her face as she screamed, "I was wrong. I won't do it again! Emily, please! Make it stop!"Seeing Brenda get mauled, Ashley grabbed a broom from the floor. "Get off her, you little freak! I'm going t
A flash of brown fur shot out of the room."Squeak, squeak!"Jason, wearing a red toddler's vest, nimbly launched himself onto the entryway console table. He snatched a banana from the fruit bowl, deftly peeled it back, and started stuffing his face.As he chewed, he tilted his head and scanned the crowd outside.The entire corridor fell completely silent.Robert's jaw hit the floor while the neighborhood watch women rubbed their eyes, disbelief written all over their faces.One by one, the batons slipped from the hands of the thugs, clattering against the floor.Brenda stood frozen with her phone still raised. Meanwhile, Ashley still had tears streaking her face, though she looked like she had just seen a ghost."W-What is that thing?" Brenda stammered.I walked over, gently scratching the top of Jason's head, and he immediately nuzzled affectionately against my hand."Everyone, allow me to introduce my son, Jason Parker," I announced. "He's a macaque and a retired zoo perfo
"Bullshit! The report is real!" Brenda shrieked. "I already did my homework with the management's office. Your son's name is Jason Parker! Of course the DNA sample belongs to your son!"Ashley made sure to keep a card up her sleeve. She secretly gathered strands of his hair from the hotel room spec
"Fine, I'll wait," I said. "And stay away from me. You smell awful."Brenda's face flushed red with rage. "You arrogant bitch, how dare you insult me!"She raised her hand to slap me, but I stepped out of her trajectory and used her momentum to give her wrist a firm shove.Brenda lost her footing
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
Bang, bang, bang!The heavy thuds against my security door were accompanied by a stream of high-pitched screeching that pierced right through the metal."Emily Parker! Get out here, you shameless old hag with no real kids of your own!"I pulled the front door open.Brenda Wilson immediately shov







