Chapter 5

I opened the video.

On the screen, Mia had no makeup on. Her hair was messy, and her face was as pale as a sheet of paper.

She cried in front of the camera. Her entire body shook from her sobs. She wore an oversized white shirt.

As she continued crying, the collar slipped down and revealed large areas of shocking bruises on her shoulders, arms, and thighs.

The video contained an audio recording that had been maliciously edited and muted. Only broken sobs and sounds that resembled a struggle could be heard.

“I really have nowhere else to go… I treated her as my best friend, but her dad took advantage of the fact that she wasn’t home. He forced open the door to my room in the middle of the night…

“He pushed me onto the bed… I fought with everything I had. I begged him to let me go, but he said he had a pension. He said he would buy me expensive bags as long as I listened to him…

“I didn’t dare call the police. They know a lot of people around here. I was afraid they would come after me. Can someone please help me?”

Every word sounded heartbreaking. Every sentence cut deep.

The comment section was in complete chaos. A wave of anger swept across the internet.

[What a monster! He’s already in his sixties and is still acting like this? He should be punished!]

[Look at the bruises on this girl. How much force did he use? That sick old man should rot!]

[Does anyone know this father and daughter? Find out who they are! People like this don’t deserve to live in society!]

[She even targeted her own best friend. His daughter probably isn’t innocent either. Maybe she was helping him!]

Less than thirty minutes later, my dad’s and my personal information had been exposed online.

Our home address, the school where my dad had worked before he retired, and my workplace were all posted online.

Just then, the receptionist from my company rushed into our department. Her face was covered in sweat.

“Charlotte, something terrible happened! The company’s main phone line has been flooded with calls. They’re all insults directed at you. Someone even sent death threats into the mailbox outside our office.

“The boss wants you to stop working immediately and go home to handle this!”

I took a deep breath. I closed my laptop and calmly packed my bag.

That suffocating feeling I knew all too well. That familiar online frenzy.

Kyle, Mia’s unemployed boyfriend, was also the leader of a paid online smear campaign. In my past life, he was the one who planned and controlled everything behind the scenes.

I took a cab back to the neighborhood as fast as I could.

The moment I reached the entrance, I saw an absurd scene.

Kyle wore a black T-shirt with the word “Justice” printed on it. Behind him stood five or six troublemakers with brightly dyed hair and cigarettes in their mouths.

They held a black-and-white banner.

[Punish the Monster, Zach Langley! Give the Victim Justice!]

They had blocked the entrance to the neighborhood with two old vans.

Kyle held up a selfie stick and livestreamed the scene with excitement.

“Everyone watching, this is the neighborhood where the monster lives!

“Today, we’re here to demand answers! If they don’t pay Mia five hundred thousand dollars for emotional damages and kneel to apologize, this matter is not over! Everyone, type ‘Justice Will Prevail’ in the comments!”

A large crowd had already gathered outside the entrance. Rebecca Watson from the neighborhood committee stood among them with a red armband on her arm. She pretended to be reasonable as she shared her opinion.

“I knew it. Mr. Langley always looked like such an upright person, but who could have guessed what he was really like behind closed doors? There’s no smoke without fire.

“Why would an innocent young woman ruin her own reputation by making something like this up?”

I pushed through the crowd and called my dad first.

On the other end, my dad’s voice was filled with panic. “Charlotte, why is it so noisy outside? Mia suddenly ran out earlier and said she wanted to die. What happened?”

“Dad, listen to me.”

My voice was cold and firm.

“Right now, lock the master bedroom door. Put on your noise-canceling headphones and turn the volume all the way up.

“No matter what happens outside, no matter who knocks on the door, even if it’s the police, do not open the door unless you hear my voice. Do you understand?”

My dad did not know what was happening, but he understood the seriousness in my voice.

“Okay. I’ll listen to you. The door is locked.”

After I hung up, I fixed my hair and walked toward Kyle’s livestream camera in my high heels.

My appearance made the noisy crowd fall silent for a second.

“You still have the nerve to come back?!”