My mom ran a clinic her whole life, charging just five dollars for cold medicine.

After I took over the clinic, I followed her teachings closely, doing my best to care for the folks in our community. However, after I charged an influencer 30 dollars for medication, I got blasted online as a scam clinic that was out to rob people blind.

The entire town showed up at my door, young and old alike, demanding I return the 'overcharged' fees. I gave them exactly what they wanted and refunded every penny before shutting down the clinic for good.

"There you go, just like you wanted. The clinic's closed. From now on, if you've got health concerns, feel free to drive 30 miles to the county hospital for consultation. I wish you all good health."

The very next day, they were back at my door again. Only this time, they were begging me to reopen.

"Thirty dollars? That's daylight robbery!"

The young woman speaking was Faye Lincoln, a social media influencer who had recently returned to town. She was just a bit under the weather, with some mild diarrhea from the change in environment. I had prescribed her the gentlest digestive medication I had.

I replied, "Miss, the medication alone costs 25 dollars. I only charged you five for the consultation, which is more than reasonable."

She waved her phone in my face, screen pointed right at me. "Stop lying to me! I just looked it up online, and the exact same medication sells for 25 dollars! With free shipping! You claim you only charged five for the consultation? What about the government subsidies that rural clinics like yours get for medications? Did you pocket all of that yourself?"

'Subsidies?' I was caught off guard by the word.

I let out a bitter laugh. Those subsidies required complicated applications, and even when approved, the amount barely covered anything. For convenience, I had always gotten my medications through a pharmaceutical contact I knew personally, specifically because their products were effective with minimal side effects.

I had graduated from a top medical school with multiple prestigious hospitals offering me positions. However, Aaron Hayes, our town mayor, had tracked me down and explained how far the town was from the county seat and how hard it was for the elderly and kids to get medical care. He asked if I would consider coming back.

Remembering how the townspeople had helped my mom and me after my dad passed away, I had agreed.

I had been the town doctor for five years and dealt with unreasonable patients before, so I immediately pointed to the price board on the wall.

"All medication prices are posted publicly and transparently. I have to pay for my inventory too, and I haven't overcharged you a single cent."

"Oh, wow! You really put on a good show, don't you?" Faye crossed her arms with a cold laugh.

She said, "But these shady money-making schemes only work on ignorant small-town folks like the people here."

She rolled her eyes at me, then shouted to the patients waiting inside and outside the clinic, "Everyone, come look! Dr. Evan Miller is overcharging us! He's scamming regular people like us!"

As soon as she finished, everyone's eyes turned to me, filled with scrutiny and suspicion.

Thankfully, my neighbor, little Daisy Turman, pushed through the crowd, her cheeks puffed out in anger as she glared at Faye.

"Faye, you're lying! Dr. Miller is a good person! Last time I had a fever, Dr. Miller treated me and even gave me candy! He's so kind!"

A wave of warmth washed over me, and I smiled at Daisy.

However, Faye's expression darkened as she scanned the medication I had prescribed with her phone.

Then, she shoved the screen in Daisy's face. "Look closely. This sells for 25 dollars online, and he charged me 30 for it. That's five whole dollars extra! You little brat! One piece of candy and you're bought off. When you grow up, you'll be the type to get kidnapped by some stranger offering candy!"

"Faye!" Daisy's eyes immediately welled up with tears.

"Watch your mouth," I said, my tone turning cold.

I pointed out the issue with the image on her phone. "Look carefully. These are made by two different pharmaceutical companies. The one I prescribed has better purification processes and fewer side effects, which is why it costs more."

Yet she acted as if she had just caught me in a lie, her smile growing even more smug. "Excuses! Online medical experts have already debunked claims like yours! The ingredients are the same, so how different can the effects be? You just want to make more money, don't you?"

Faye scrolled to a video where some self-proclaimed 'medical expert' was ranting about how expensive drugs are just a rip-off.

After watching it, the expressions of the townspeople around us completely changed.

The feeling of not being trusted made me deeply uncomfortable. Nonetheless, I also knew there was no reasoning with Faye. Besides, I had a line of patients still waiting, so I did not want to waste any more time.

"If you think they're all the same, then go buy it online yourself. I'm not treating you anymore. From now on, you're not welcome at my clinic. Don't come back."

I reached out to take the medication back. However, she clutched it tightly in her hands, looking righteous and indignant. "What's wrong? Feeling guilty and trying to destroy the evidence? Well, I'm not giving it back! I'm keeping it as proof!"

I was so angry at how shameless she was that my fists clenched involuntarily.

Just then, a patient behind her leaned forward and whispered, "Dr. Miller, it's almost my turn. My head's still killing me."

I stopped wasting words and physically pushed her toward the door. "Get out!"

In the end, Faye walked off with the medication without paying a single cent.

I thought that would be the end of it. However, the next day, when I rolled up the clinic's metal door, I stumbled back a step at the sight before me.

The clinic entrance was swarmed with people. It was so packed that I could barely see the street. Nearly everyone in town had shown up, young and old alike.

The way they looked at me had completely changed from the usual respect and warmth to anger and contempt.

"Give us our money back!" someone in the crowd shouted, and suddenly everyone erupted.

"Evan, return the money you overcharged us!"

"We trusted you so much, and you were secretly making dirty money off us!"

I stared at the crowd in shock, my mind going completely blank. "What are you all talking about? What money?"

Aaron pushed through the crowd, looking at me with an expression of pained disappointment. "Dr. Miller, how could you con your neighbors like this?"

He shoved a phone in my face.

On the screen was an article with a screaming headline.

[Exposing a Corrupt Rural Clinic: The Scammer in a White Coat Who Won't Even Spare a Five-Dollar Price Difference!]

The author listed below was none other than Faye.

The video had been maliciously edited, showing only the part where I took the 30 dollars and the final moment when I pushed her out. The accompanying text was designed to manipulate emotions, painting me as a greedy, unethical con artist with zero medical integrity.

The comment section below was an absolute circus.

[Doctors like him should have their license revoked and rot in prison!]

[He's so disgusting, preying on innocent rural folks.]

[Support the influencer for exposing him! Justice will always win!]

I was shaking with rage. "This is all lies! She edited it maliciously! In all my years running this clinic, when have I ever overcharged anyone? The treatments I provide and the medications I prescribe are all practically at cost. I only charge a small consultation fee! Sometimes when neighbors are struggling financially, I even cover the difference out of my own pocket!"

As I was speaking, Faye emerged from the back of the crowd. She was holding a selfie stick, livestreaming everything.

"See that, everyone? This is what a corrupt doctor looks like, still making excuses! If it were really a money-losing business as he claims, then why has his family kept this clinic open for so many years? He's not stupid, obviously; clearly, there's profit to be made, plus he gets everyone's gratitude and respect."

She added, saying, "The townspeople trusted him so much, and he has been playing them for fools this whole time... How hypocritical!"

The crowd's anger erupted completely.

Helen Reid, who regularly got free physical therapy at my clinic, shuffled forward with trembling hands and pointed at my nose.

She accused me, saying, "My back hurt last time, and you treated me for half a month before it got better. Were you deliberately using slow treatments so you could charge me more?"

I stood there dumbfounded. I had used the gentlest therapeutic approach specifically to avoid damaging her system long-term. She had grabbed my hands back then and thanked me over and over again.

Connor Barnes pushed through with his son, Isaac Barnes.

His face twisted in rage as he bellowed, "Isaac broke his leg last time, and he came here for treatment. You definitely overcharged him, too! Give us our money back right now, or I'll smash this dump of a clinic to pieces!"

I remembered clearly how Isaac's accident happened in the middle of the night. I had dragged myself out of bed to treat him as an emergency, worked until sunrise, and only charged 300 dollars for materials.

Then, there was the guy I had literally saved from death's door. He was now grinning like an idiot in front of Faye's livestream camera, pointing at me like I was some kind of joke.

He said, "Guys, this is the shady doctor who performed an illegal surgery on me! My wound still hurts, so it's definitely because his skills are terrible and left me with complications!"

To save him, I had rushed to clean and stitch the wound outside in an emergency situation. Unfortunately, the life-saving act had somehow become my 'crime' in his words.

My mom rushed out. Her frail body stood in front of me, trembling with rage. "Y…You can't be this heartless! You know exactly what kind of person Evan is! For you people, he gave up jobs at major hospitals and came back to this small town. How can you treat him like this?"

Yet, no one listened to her.

All they had in their eyes was anger and greed, whipped up by the mob.

Just then, a vehicle marked 'Health Inspection' pulled up at the corner. Several uniformed officials stepped out, their expressions stern.

"We received reports from the public accusing you of practicing medicine illegally and raising drug prices unfairly. You need to shut down this clinic immediately and cooperate with our investigation."

In the livestream, the comments exploded instantly.

[The authorities are here! That proves it!]

[Justice served! He needs to be punished severely!]

Looking at the chaos in front of me, I felt the world spinning around me. After taking several deep breaths, I yanked open my drawer and pulled out all my procurement receipts and billing records from the past few years.

"You want evidence? Here's your evidence! These are all my purchasing invoices and billing records! See for yourselves! Not only did I not overcharge you a single penny, but I've also sunk over 30,000 dollars of my mother's retirement savings into this clinic!"

Everyone froze at the sight of the mountain of receipts and ledgers piled on the desk.

However, Faye immediately jumped in again, screeching her rebuttal. "How do we know you didn't just make up these ledgers yourself? Receipts can be forged, too! You're the only one who knows the actual amounts, aren't you?"

I glared at her with bloodshot eyes. "Why don't you go ask around outside or check with the county hospital? All of these receipts have the pharmaceutical companies' official stamps. How could they be fake? Go and verify them yourself!"

I thought that presenting hard evidence would finally shut them up. Instead, Faye let out a cold laugh and dropped another bombshell.

"So what if your fees are a little lower than elsewhere? Does that give you the right to use it as a cover to sexually harass female patients in this town?"