Chapter 10
561words
Public opinion flipped overnight, the masks my parents and Jason had worn now shredded to pieces.
They panicked as the internet turned against them en masse.
But rather than retreat, their fury only intensified as their scheme collapsed.
Dad lunged for my phone, only to be intercepted by security guards.
"Call the police," I said calmly, still broadcasting live.
Under the harsh fluorescents of the police station's mediation room,
my parents and Jason sat deflated, their righteous indignation and blame game completely evaporated.
Dad's eyes darted nervously around the room, his tongue repeatedly wetting his dry lips.
Mom's theatrical sobs had reduced to occasional sniffles.
She kept stealing glances at me and the officer, gauging our reactions.
Her eyes no longer calculated—they only begged and feared.
Jason seemed desperate to disappear into his chair.
Head down, hands clasped so tight his knuckles whitened.
When the officer mentioned potential harassment and defamation charges,
Jason's head snapped up. "It wasn't me! My parents made me do it! They forced me to come cause trouble!"
His words hit his parents like physical blows.
Their eyes widened in shock.
They stared at their golden child in utter disbelief.
After reviewing the livestream footage, bank records, and other evidence,
the officer delivered a stern lecture that stretched for hours.
"Supporting aging parents is indeed a legal obligation," the officer stated firmly. "But that doesn't give you the right to make unlimited demands or extort your other son. Your actions are bordering on criminal!"
Finally, with the officer mediating, I produced a legally binding document I'd prepared: a "Family Relationship Severance Agreement."
The terms were clear: I would provide the minimum legally required parental support, paid punctually, but would sever all family ties with Robert, Margaret, and Jason Thompson. They would not contact, harass, or make demands of me for any reason, or face immediate legal action.
"Sign it, and all that remains between us will be monthly bank transfers," I said flatly. "Refuse, and I'll see you in court for defamation and harassment."
My parents stared at the document, hands trembling.
Jason opened his mouth to protest.
A sharp look from the officer shut him down.
Under the crushing weight of their situation, they finally signed, faces drained of color.
As I stepped out of the police station,
my phone pinged with a company-wide email.
The message condemned the false accusations against me, expressed full confidence in my character and abilities, and announced my immediate reinstatement.
The weight I'd carried for years finally lifted from my shoulders.
According to family gossip that trickled back to me,
my parents and Jason slunk back to their hometown in disgrace.
Instead of sympathy, they found only condemnation from the extended family.
Great-Uncle William, the family patriarch, called a meeting of all relatives and publicly dressed them down,
then declared: "Robert's family is no longer our concern. No one is to provide them with any assistance whatsoever!"
The same relatives who had attacked me now turned on my parents, calling them greedy opportunists who had driven away their most successful child.
My parents became pariahs in their own community, avoided at every turn.
Jason, once the golden child, now scurried around like a rat, unemployable and house-bound.
My parents no longer doted on him—instead, they blamed him endlessly for their downfall.
