My ex-colleague, Brenda Wilson, finds out from an unknown source that I have taken in an adopted son. Because of that, she insists on matchmaking my son with her niece.

"My niece has graduated from a proper college, you know! You don't have to prepare any fancy wedding gifts… Just 800 thousand dollars will do! On top of that, you can put her name on the deed of that fancy deluxe apartment in the city center.

"From the way I see it, there's no need to choose the perfect date anymore. They should get their marriage registered tomorrow and do their best to give birth to a cute baby boy!"

My adopted son has a volatile temper, so there's no way he'll go on a blind date with some random woman. I refuse Brenda's offer on the spot with a cold expression.

Feeling furious and embarrassed, Brenda yells at me for being a stingy old lady. Then, she storms out of my place angrily.

Three months later, Brenda shows up with her pregnant niece outside my residential area. There, they start a livestream and start crying their woes to the Internet.

"Everyone, Emily Parker's adopted son tricked my poor niece, Ashley Collins, into sleeping with him! Yet now, he refuses to claim the unborn baby as his!

"Oh, Ashley keeps crying every day! Can Emily even afford to take responsibility for my darling Ashley if she and her unborn baby end up dying because of that bastard?

"If I gain 100 thousand likes by the end of today, I'll definitely commit suicide right on that Emily hag's doorstep!"

As I look at the comments that demand justice in Brenda's livestream, I almost laugh out loud.

My adopted son is actually a male monkey which has retired from the local zoo. On top of that, he's already neutered.

So, what on earth is Ashley pregnant with? A magical baby monkey?

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 shoved a phone mounted on a ring-light tripod directly into my face, the artificial glare forcing my eyes shut.

"Look closely, everyone! This is the woman right here! She thinks that having a little money means she can cover for that rapist adopted son of hers."

Her niece, Ashley Collins, was sporting a noticeable baby bump. Right on cue, she dropped to her knees and wrapped her arms tightly around my legs.

"Ms. Parker, I'm begging you. Please have Mr. Parker come out and face me!" she sobbed. "This baby is a Parker! He's your own flesh and blood!"

The hallway was packed with a crowd of nosy neighbors, all whispering and pointing fingers at me.

"So that's her?"

"You can never tell with people. To think she'd let her son deceive a young girl like that."

"Look how far along she is. That poor girl."

I yanked my leg free.

"Watch your mouth, Brenda. When has my son ever laid hands on your niece?"

Brenda slammed the tripod down and planted both hands firmly on her hips.

"Three months ago, your son tricked her into sleeping with him! Now she's pregnant, and you won't even show your faces!"

Ashley pulled a wrinkled ultrasound report from her pocket and held it up high.

"Ms. Parker, look! This is my ultrasound report. I'm 12 weeks along. Mr. Parker promised he'd take care of me. He even said he was going to buy me a Porsche!"

I swiped the ultrasound out of her hand, letting it flutter to the floor.

"That's impossible! My son would never do something like that. Get out of here! Stop harassing my family."

Brenda practically jumped.

"Oh, look at you, Emily. Did everyone see that? Right in front of tens of thousands of viewers on the livestream, you just shoved a pregnant woman! Everyone, this woman has no heart! Let her know what you think of her!"

Suddenly, my phone started vibrating violently.

A barrage of calls from unknown numbers flooded. On the end of every single one those lines was someone screaming insults. Only then did I realize that Brenda had leaked my personal phone number in the livestream.

I looked at her twisted expression and sneered.

It always came down to money.

"How much do you actually want?" I asked.

Brenda let out a smug sneer and held up five fingers. "Five million dollars! If you're short even a single penny, we're setting up camp right outside your door!"

Ashley chimed in, "That's right! If I don't get what I'm owed, I'll stay here until I die!"

I crossed my arms, watching their little performance without much emotion. "Five million? What is your niece made of, gold?"

"If you can't come up with the five million dollars, then you're going to sign the deed to this penthouse over to Ashley!" Brenda spat.

She reached into her bag and pulled out a pre-printed Quitclaim Deed.

"I've already prepared the paperwork. All you have to do is sign it. Otherwise, I'll livestream here 24 hours a day and make sure you can never show your face in this city again!"

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 isn't what you think it is, and I'm not signing anything."

Brenda immediately turned toward the camera, her voice shooting up for the livestream.

"Look at her attitude, everyone! She's out here attacking the nice neighbors who are just trying to help! Thank you so much for the galaxy, sir. Keep reporting her account, guys! Hit that follow button and let's keep the pressure on!"

I pulled out my own phone to call the police, but before I could unlock it, Brenda snatched it out of my hand and smashed it against the floor.

The screen shattered on impact.

"You want to call the cops? Not on my watch!" she shrieked.

Ashley scrambled back up from the floor, wrapping her arms tightly around my leg for a second time.

"Ms. Parker, forget the five million dollars!" she wailed. "Just sign the deed to this place over to me so my baby can have a roof over its head, and I'll raise him all on my own! If you don't, I swear I'll throw myself out the window right now!"

I lifted my foot and kicked her aside.

"If you're that desperate to jump, there's a window at the end of the hallway. Don't ruin my carpets."

Brenda lunged forward and delivered a hard shove to my chest. My back slammed against the doorframe, a burst of pain shooting straight through my shoulder.

"Old hag!" she screamed. "How dare you kick a pregnant woman! Keep those gifts coming, guys! Let's get justice for my niece!"

The viewer count was skyrocketing into the tens of thousands.

At some point, several tattooed punks had appeared in the hallway, each one carrying a plastic bucket.

Brenda beckoned them over.

"Paint it!" she demanded.

With a loud splash, thick, metallic-smelling paint completely covered my front door. It dripped down the walls, pooled across the floor, and splattered all over the cuffs of my pants.

"If you don't hand over that deed by tomorrow morning, the next bucket we bring is going to be filled with acid!" Brenda hissed, her eyes wide and menacing as she glared at me.

Linda backed away in fright. The surrounding neighbors immediately started murmuring and pointing their fingers at me in disgust.

"How shameful."

"Look at her, still denying it when things have gone this far."

"She's going to ruin the entire neighborhood."

I swept a cold look over them. "Anyone else want to run their mouth? Because I can easily have the next bucket of paint dumped right on your front door."

The neighbors went dead silent, instantly shuffling backward.

Brenda looked even more pleased with herself as she glanced at me.

"What? You think scaring a bunch of neighbors means you're off the hook? I've got news for you. The internet is already doxxing you as we speak."

I was so taken aback by her audacity that a bitter laugh escaped me.

"Brenda, you keep telling the internet that my son assaulted your niece. Where's your proof?" I questioned.

Ashley froze for a moment before suddenly clutching her stomach and letting out a dramatic groan. "Aunt Brenda, my stomach hurts! I think the stress is affecting the baby!"

Brenda immediately rushed over to support her, her face full of concern.

"Don't worry, sweetie, I've got you. This old hag is going to give us answers today if it's the last thing she does!"

She reached into her bag, pulled out a thick stack of printed documents, and aggressively slapped them right across my face.

The sheets of paper fluttered to the floor.

"You want proof? Here's your proof! Those are the text messages between Ashley and your son, along with proof of the wire transfers. We've got solid evidence. Let's see you try to wiggle out of this one!" said Brenda.

I picked up a page from the floor and saw a printed WhatsApp conversation.

Someone saved as "Mr. Parker" had sent Ashley a barrage of incredibly cheesy and tacky pick-up lines.

"Babe, I'm so in love with you. The second I inherit my mom's assets, we're getting married.

"Babe, my mom is an absolute cheapskate and won't give me a dime. Just hang in there for a bit longer."

Attached were a few screenshots showing wire transfers ranging from thousands to tens of thousands of dollars.

Looking at the poorly edited evidence, the whole situation seemed laughable.

"Do you honestly think you can extort five million dollars from me with this garbage?"

Brenda seized me by the collar.

"Garbage?" she shouted. "This is evidence. If you don't sign over the penthouse today, I'll make sure your name is dragged through the mud until you have nothing left!"

She glared at me. "Ashley already had an amniocentesis done at the clinic. The DNA test results are sitting right inside my bag. There's no escaping this, Emily!"

Summoning every ounce of strength I had in me, I pried her fingers off my collar.

"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 and stumbled backward before landing with a heavy thud straight into the pool of wet paint on the floor.

Ashley immediately let out a piercing shriek. "She's assaulting us! She's trying to kill us!"

Turning to the camera, she sobbed like she had been horribly wronged. "Look at this, everyone! Not only is Emily Parker denying what her son did, but now she's physically attacking my aunt! Keep flooding the chat, everyone! Thank you for the galaxy!"

One of the punks holding the phone started reading the comments aloud.

"One user says call the cops on the witch! And another user says to doxx her, post her address everywhere, and they'll personally ship a funeral wreath to her front door!"

Brenda was throwing a full-blown tantrum on the floor, kicking and screaming in the paint.

The group of thugs instantly crowded around me.

"Alright, lady, you forced our hand," they snarled.

They pulled collapsible batons from their pockets and snapped them open, the sharp metal clicks echoing through the hallway.

I looked at them calmly.

"What's the plan here? Breaking and entering? Aggravated assault?"

The leader spat right onto the floor.

"Cut the crap! Hand over the deed to this place right now, or we're smashing this entire apartment to pieces!"

Brenda scrambled up from the floor, jabbing a finger at my face.

"That's right! Get the deed! Ashley, grab the Quitclaim Deed and make her sign it!" she yelled.

Ashley frantically dug into her bag and whipped out the contract. "Ms. Parker, sign it, and we'll leave you alone."

I didn't even deign to glance at the document. "And if I say no?"

Brenda scoffed. "No? Then you can say goodbye to having peace for the rest of your life! Boys, tear this place apart!"

The thugs swung their batons, violently smashing them against my security door and exterior walls, sending violent crashes echoing throughout the entire hallway.

The neighbors were so frightened that they rushed back into their apartments and slammed their doors shut.

I stood there, watching everything unfold without stopping them.

They could keep smashing things for all I cared.

The harder they smashed, the higher the property damage appraisal would be, and the longer their prison sentences would be.

Ashley held out the contract, putting on a fake, sympathetic act. "Ms. Parker, why are you being so stubborn? It's just an apartment. Your son is incredibly wealthy. He can always make the money back down the road."

I stared at her belly. "Are you sure that kid belongs to my son?"

Ashley's eyes darted away for a second, but she instantly recovered, raising her voice to a defensive screech. "What are you talking about? Of course it's Mr. Parker's baby!"

"Don't you dare try to slander my niece and flip the script on us!" Brenda added.

I smiled. "Is that so? In that case, are you two ready to march right down to a registered notary and perform a DNA test with me right now?"

Brenda planted both hands on her hips. "Didn't you hear what I said? We already did an amniocentesis. Stop trying to deflect, and just sign the deed over to us."

I shook my head. "You really thought you had this all figured out, didn't you? You can't even legally prove who fathered that child, yet you're trying to extort me for money."

Ashley's face went pale with panic.

"Stop slandering me!"

She pulled a lab report from her bag and shoved it in my face. "This is the paternity results for Mr. Parker and the baby. It's right there in black and white! It states that the probability of paternity is 99.9%."

I took the report from her, and when I saw the name "Jason Parker" printed across the page, I couldn't help laughing.

Brenda was visibly creeped out by my reaction, her voice turning sharp as she demanded, "What are you laughing at?"

Ashley hurried to back her up.

"Ms. Parker, you can deny it all you want, but science doesn't lie. That report was issued by a top-tier hospital. It even has the official seal right at the bottom!"

I held up the piece of paper, letting it flutter.

"Issued by a top-tier hospital, you say? You've never even met my son, so what exactly did you use as samples for the test? Do you think I'm too stupid to realize you paid some black-market agency to issue a counterfeit report?"

For a split second, panic flashed across Brenda's face, but she quickly puffed out her chest, forcing a look of righteous indignation.