Chapter 3

"I can pay to help you clean up your reputation. I'll even give you a payout to leave this city and start over.

"Well, what do you say? I'm only doing this for Tiffany's sake, and to protect the Wilkinson family name."

Isaac stood on his moral high ground, practically glowing with self-righteousness.

My relatives nodded and showered him with praise.

"Look at Isaac! He's so mature and generous!"

"Shawn, what are you waiting for? Get on your knees! You won't get another chance like this!"

I settled my mother against the couch cushions and slowly straightened up. Instead of getting angry, I laughed.

"Get on my knees? Start fresh? Isaac, do you have any idea that forging evidence and attempting to frame an active-duty officer is a felony? You're looking at doing serious hard time."

When my relatives saw that I was not grateful and was even talking back, they completely lost it. To curry favor with Isaac, the so-called 'rich kid', they were ready to grind me into the dirt.

Uncle Richard slammed his cup down hard.

"Shawn, don't push your luck! For the sake of the family's reputation, you're going to apologize and beg for Isaac's forgiveness! Otherwise, I'm cutting you out of the family!"

Aunt Patricia's eyes lit up even more, her mental calculator working overtime.

"That's right! Not only do you need to apologize, but you also need to pay damages! We're all relatives who've been humiliated because of you. Shouldn't we get compensation for emotional distress?

"Hand over all that 'dirty money' you've made these past few years and split it among everyone. Consider it your way of making amends!"

I looked at those greedy faces and found it laughable. They were supposed to be family, yet when it came to personal gain, they had thrown away even the pretense of decency.

When Tiffany saw I was not budging, she got even more fired up. She pulled out her phone and opened a live streaming app.

"Since you refuse to admit your mistakes, I'll let the internet judge you!

"Hey everyone, come watch! This is my cousin Shawn, who works as a 'male escort'! The evidence is rock solid, but he still won't admit it, and now he's throwing a tantrum at home!"

She shoved the camera right in my face.

The viewer count skyrocketed instantly, and comments flew by at lightning speed.

[Holy crap, he's actually pretty hot. I can't believe he does that for a living!]

[Only two hundred bucks? Where's the address? I want in!]

[What a shameless guy!]

Isaac leaned into the frame at just the right moment. His eyes rimmed with red, looking like he had suffered the greatest injustice.

"Everyone, please don't attack Shawn. He probably just made a mistake... I only wanted to help him see the error of his ways, but he... He even tried to hit me..."

That performance instantly set the livestream ablaze with emotion.

[This guy's too kind! Why is he still helping someone like that?]

[Expose him! Let's run his life!]

Tiffany watched the screen fill with virtual gifts and twisted her mouth into a wide grin. Seeing the rising excitement, she decided to push things even further to boost her popularity.

"Ladies and gentlemen, let's make him get on his knees and apologize to everyone watching!"

I took a deep breath, forcing down the rage building inside me. My fingers dug into my palms, and I was barely holding back my anger anymore.

Nonetheless, I knew I was a police officer and could not just lash out at people.

When Tiffany saw that I was not reacting, she flexed her fingers.

"Damn it. I told you to kneel. Didn't you hear me? Do I really have to do it myself?"

She raised her palm, about to slap me across the face. The instant her hand was about to come down, I moved.

My left hand shot out like lightning and locked precisely around Tiffany's wrist. I twisted it against the joint and applied pressure.

Tiffany squealed in pain, her whole body forced to bend forward.

I stepped in smoothly, my right hand pressing down on the back of her neck as I shoved hard. Her face hit the solid wooden dining table hard, rattling the plates and utensils. Half her face was instantly distorted from the impact, and her curses turned into muffled cries of pain.

The entire room went deathly silent.

Uncle Richard's cup fell from his hand and shattered on the floor, while Aunt Patricia's jaw dropped open.

No one had expected that I, who had always seemed quiet and bookish, would move with such speed and precision.