Chapter 6 - Golden Boy’s Ultimatum
The screen went black as Toby slammed the disconnect button.
For a moment, the only sound in the diner booth was the low hum of the refrigerator behind the counter. Dad stared at the darkened phone screen, his hands curling into tight fists.
"He threatened your clinic," Dad whispered, his voice trembling with a mixture of shock and fury. "His own sister's livelihood. After everything you did for him—paying his car insurance during his sophomore year, helping him pass his entrance exams... he threatened your career."
"Toby doesn't view people as family, Dad," I said quietly, setting the phone down. "He views people as resources. When a resource stops providing, Toby treats it as a broken vending machine. He kicks it until something falls out."
"He's desperate," Daniel noted, calmly cutting into his sandwich. "He told you they broke their condo lease. That means they were already banking on moving into Evelyn’s estate rent-free to mask their insolvency. Toby probably couldn't afford the rent on their luxury loft anymore, and Vanessa’s 'influencer lifestyle' is burning through cash faster than he can make it. Without that waterfront house to project wealth, their entire illusion collapses."
Arthur’s advice echoed in my head: *Never interrupt an opponent when they are making a fatal mistake.*
Ten minutes later, the notifications began rolling in like a barrage of mortar fire.
My phone dinged, then chimed, then buzzed without pause. A ping from Instagram. A ping from Facebook. A text from a colleague at my private pediatric therapy clinic.
I unlocked the screen and opened the app. Vanessa had wasted no time.
The video was posted under the title: **"Heartbroken. When Jealous Family Members Try to Destroy You 💔 #FamilyBetrayal #Greed #NarcissisticAbuse."**
There was Vanessa, sitting in the passenger seat of Toby's car, wearing oversized sunglasses pushed up into her highlighted hair. Soft, sorrowful piano music played in the background. Her cheeks were streaked with carefully placed mascara tears.
*"Hey guys..."* Vanessa’s voice wavered with Oscar-worthy vulnerability. *"I usually try to keep things positive and uplifting here, but today something truly traumatic happened to our family. Toby and I have been taking care of his elderly grandmother’s memory, working so hard to honor her legacy while supporting his sweet mother, Linda. But today... Toby's sister, Pamela Harris, ambushed an elderly woman at a bank."*
She took a shuddering breath, looking away from the camera before continuing.
*"Pamela manipulated legal documents to steal my mother-in-law’s home right out from under her. She’s kicking an elderly, grieving mother onto the street. And all because she was jealous that Grandma Evelyn loved Toby and trusted him to carry on the family name. Pamela even threatened to destroy our lives if we didn't hand over family heirlooms that were legally given to us to pay for our family’s medical needs."*
The comments beneath the reel were already exploding:
*“Omg that’s disgusting! Family can be so evil!”*
*“Drop her workplace! People like this shouldn’t be around kids!”*
*“Is this the Pamela Harris who runs the children’s therapy clinic in Dover? Boycott her!”*
Dad watched the screen, his face white with horror. "This is slander! She's lying through her teeth! Evelyn never gave them permission! Linda stole those jewels from a locked box!"
"Breathe, Dad," I said, though my stomach churned with nausea at the sight of my name being dragged through the mud. "They want us to panic. They want me to call Toby, offer a settlement, and sign over half the estate just to make the video go away."
"Which is exactly what you are not going to do," Daniel said, his eyes narrowing as he tapped his own tablet. "Vanessa just committed defamation per se. She accused you of elder abuse, document fraud, and theft, all while tagging your public professional profile."
"Can Arthur get an injunction?" Dad asked anxiously.
"An injunction takes days," I replied. "By then, the damage to my clinic's reputation could be irreversible. If a parent sees that video and thinks I'm an unethical predator, they won't bring their autistic child to my clinic. Toby knows that. This is extortion."
Just then, my clinic manager, Sarah, called my personal line.
"Pamela?" Sarah’s voice was tense. "I’m so sorry to bother you on your day off, but our front desk phone has rung eight times in the last twenty minutes. Strangers are calling, leaving nasty reviews on our Google page, claiming the clinic is run by an 'elder abuser.' What on earth is going on?"
"Sarah, listen to me carefully," I said, my voice steady despite the adrenaline hammering in my chest. "Do not engage with anyone on the phone. Temporarily suspend public Google reviews through our business portal—I’ll send you the administrative link. And record every single voicemail that comes in. We are taking legal action against the source within the hour."
"Okay... but Pamela, are you alright?"
"I’m fine, Sarah. In fact, I’m about to show my brother what happens when you threaten the wrong sister."
I hung up, looked at Daniel, and smiled a cold, razor-thin smile.
"Daniel, do you still have the backup hard drive containing the digital copies of Grandma’s estate audits and the security footage Mr. Marcus gave us from the pawn shop?"
May you like
Daniel smiled back—a wolfish grin that told me he was already two steps ahead. "High-definition video, timestamped audio, certified appraisals from the Gemological Institute of America, and Linda’s signed receipt accepting forty-two thousand dollars in dirty cash. All backed up to cloud storage."
"Good," I said, standing up and sliding my purse over my shoulder. "Toby and Vanessa wanted an internet audience. Let’s make sure they get one they will never forget."
