Chapter 1

Someone was banging on my front door early in the morning.

"Mia! Tell that peeping Tom son of yours to come out and apologize to my daughter right now! I can't imagine what horrors he'll pull if he's already secretly watching my daughter while she's in the shower at such a young age!"

I frowned and looked out the window. As expected, my neighbor, Penny Halpern, was standing at my front doorstep once again with her daughter, Monica Ritter.

We'd only just moved in a week ago, but Penny had banged on my front door fiendishly late last night and accused my son, Benedict Geller, of peeping at Monica in the shower from his window.

I raised Benedict myself. I knew he'd never do something like this, but Monica's red-rimmed, tear-filled eyes suggested otherwise.

"I saw him staring at me, and he even snapped pictures of me with his camera! I thought I'd been mistaken at first, then I found out he did this every day! It's creeping me out!" she wailed.

Penny comforted Monica, then turned to me and demanded compensation. "Tell your son to apologize to Monica right now, and pay me 100 thousand dollars as a settlement. If not, we'll let the cops take over. This will be a permanent stain in your son's life!"

100 thousand dollars? I snorted, then promptly chased Penny and Monica out of my house and closed the door.

I didn't think they'd turn up again that day, and this time, they'd brought back-up. I recognized them at first glance as the other neighbors.

They swarmed my front door, blocking the entryway.

"Protecting her kid even after he's messed up. Talk about shameless!"

"If he's peeping at this age, who's to say he won't set fires and commit murder when he grows up?"

"Take your pervert of a son and get the hell out of this neighborhood, lady! We want some peace and safety around here."

I wished I could ignore them, but to my bewilderment, they began to pound on my door. They even smashed the ornaments and destroyed the flowers I kept by the door!

I'd pruned and tended to those flowers for five whole years. It took me a lot of work to move them here from my last house.

Furious, I quickly called the police, then opened the door. "I've already called the cops and recorded your vandalism. I hope you're ready to pay damages after this!"

My appearance only fanned the flames of their rage. "You dare to make us pay after you knowingly protected a peeping Tom?

"Tell your son to come out and apologize right now, then get the hell out of our neighborhood! You're not welcome here!"

I didn't shrink back and instead leveled an angry finger at Penny and Monica. "My son would never peep at anyone! They're lying!"

Monica broke down in tears when she heard this. "Mrs. Geller, all I want is an apology! Why are you being so hard on us? I'm the victim here, yet you'll have me prove my innocence?"

She cried harder as she spoke, and Penny immediately pulled her into her arms. "My poor daughter. It's terrible that she's forced to deal with such an unreasonable family after she was peeped at and secretly photographed!

"We don't even know where those photos were leaked! She's only 14. How will she cope if this leaves her traumatized for life?"

The neighbors grew even more righteous in their anger when they saw Penny's and Monica's pitiful act, turning on me. "Quit pointing fingers, lady! Monica grew up in our area. She'd never lie!"

"Get your son to apologize! If not, we'll barge in and grab him ourselves!"

Some of them were already jostling me. I reached for the broomstick I'd readied in advance and struck the doorframe, the loud thud cutting above the noise.

"Everything requires proof. You claim my son is a peeping Tom, so prove it. Until then, none of you is entering my house today!"