Chaprer 2

Stunned by my aggressive stance, the neighbors fell silent.

But that lasted only for a moment, for Monica burst into tears. "The camera is proof! The man was taking photos of me with his camera! My photos must be inside!"

Penny took her daughter's side right away. "Exactly! There must be a camera in your son's room. Go on, I dare you to take it out and let us have a look!"

"There's not a single camera in my house."

I frowned. Benedict couldn't possibly use a camera, and I wasn't a photography lover. We never bought a camera.

"Well, I won't believe you unless you let us in and search your house!"

They had already destroyed my flowers by the front door. I would be a fool to let them into the house and cause more damage.

"No. You're not the cops and have no authority to do this." I raised the broomstick, refusing to let them through.

As we stood off against one another, Monica suddenly screamed, "Mom! Someone put my photos up on the internet!"

Penny quickly grabbed Monica's phone, then angrily showed me the screen. "See for yourself! Judging by the angle, the photo was taken from your house!"

The photo was, indeed, of a nude body in the shower.

At first glance, the angle was very similar to the one outside Benedict's window. But after scanning the photo, I shook my head and denied it. "No, my son couldn't have taken that photo."

"Why are you still in denial?" Penny took the phone back, raising her voice. "My daughter's naked photos are on the internet, and you're still defending him? Monica's whole life will be ruined if these photos start to spread!

"If you're defending your son now, he'll grow up and commit bigger crimes! You're enabling him!"

Tears began to roll down Penny's face as she spoke, looking at the neighbors as if this were an interactive stage play. She sobbed, "I feel so useless as a mother! All I want is an apology after finding out that my daughter's privacy has been violated! I just want to do right by her, and I've failed at that…"

At the sight of this, the neighbors' sense of justice rose to the surface as they fixed me with disgusted, furious looks. One of them vowed, "We'll drag that punk out by his ear and make him remove those photos and apologize today!"

Before he finished speaking, he charged toward me, reaching for the broomstick in my hand. I gripped it stubbornly, refusing to let go, but I was no match for him. With a hard shove, he sent me staggering backward.

The rest of them pounced on me the next second. Someone was pulling my arm, and others were jostling my back. It was one against many, and it didn't take long for them to fell me. The back of my head hit the edge of the shoe cabinet, the pain sharp and surprising.

"Go in and find that brat!"

They stormed into my house like a pack of feral, rabid beasts. The moment they stepped past the threshold, they made a beeline for Benedict's room.

But Benedict wasn't home. I'd dropped him off at my parents' place after Dad said he wanted to see Benedict yesterday.

When the neighbors didn't see Benedict, they began to ransack the drawers and cabinets in his room in a frantic search for proof that he was peeping at Monica.

"I told you, we don't have a camera at home! Stop rummaging!" I yelled, wanting to rush forward to stop them. However, I was held firmly in place by a few of the neighbors.

At that moment, Penny suddenly held up a black digital camera and shouted, "I found it! This is the proof she wanted!"