"Have you lost your mind? Going through your brother's phone? Delete all that garbage right now!"
In the scuffle, the phone clattered to the floor. Dad brought his heel down on the screen, shattering it.
"Where's your evidence now? Huh? Go on, show me!"
"Let me make one thing clear, Darlene—you're not leaving this house until you make this right and get your brother to calm down!"
"Your brother did all the renovations here. If you don't want to live in this place, then let him have it! Your office has dormitories—go crawl back there!"
Mom was quick to pile on:
"That's right! Give the apartment to Alfred! He's not even married yet—this would make a perfect wedding gift."
"Darlene, you're a girl. You'll marry out eventually. This place should have gone to your brother from the start!"
I stared at the shattered phone on the floor.
Then I laughed—a single, hollow sound.
"Fine. He can have the apartment. Forget the renovation costs. I won't go to the police. Is that enough?"
Alfred's eyes lit up.
"Sis! Now you're talking! We're family—no need for hard feelings. I wasn't trying to take your place, just... you know, crash here for a while..."
I lifted my head.
"But I want a severance agreement. From this day forward, I have no connection to the Pruitt family. Births, deaths, sickness—none of it concerns me."
Mom froze for a beat, then burst into wailing:
"Heaven help us! We raised an ungrateful wretch! Abandoning her own parents over a piece of property!"
Dad snorted.
"Fine. Sign it. As far as I'm concerned, I never had a daughter. But the moment that ink dries, this apartment transfers to your brother immediately!"
"And you'll write a statement admitting the camera was yours—that you framed him. I won't have you running your mouth out there and ruining his reputation!"
"Done."
The word left my mouth without hesitation.
I walked to the accent wall and picked up the sledgehammer.
Alfred flinched backward.
"What are you doing?"
I gestured toward the TV cabinet.
"Writing that statement. But first, there's something I need to show you."
"Since we're cutting ties anyway... it would be a shame not to share one last surprise."
Aunt Diana craned her neck.
"What is it?"
I turned to Alfred.
"When you installed that camera, did you forget that smart TVs can auto-detect devices on the local network?"
"Your little pinhole camera needed WiFi for the live stream, didn't it?"
Alfred lunged at me like a man possessed.
"Don't touch that TV! DON'T—"
I pulled a black USB flash drive from the hole I'd smashed open and plugged it into the port on the side of the television.
Alfred screamed, clawing toward me.
"Stop her! STOP HER!"
Dad grabbed a scrap plank from the renovation debris and raised it over the screen.
My voice cracked through the room like a whip:
"Do it!"
"Smash it, and your son spends the rest of his life behind bars!"
"I've already backed this up and sent it to the Provincial Public Security Bureau's inspection unit! This is playing for one reason only—so you can finally see which one of us has no conscience!"
Dad's arm froze mid-swing.
A video flashed onto the screen.
The background was this very living room.
Alfred sat on an overturned paint bucket, cigarette dangling between his fingers. Across from him slouched two bleached-blond punks.
Beer bottles and cash littered the table between them.
One of them blew a smoke ring, his grin dripping with sleaze:
"Gotta hand it to you, bro—you've got balls. Keeping it in the family, huh? Can't wait to see those VIP boys lose their minds."
On screen, Alfred let out a slimy chuckle:
"Damn right! My sister's got the body, the face—she's flawless!"
"Besides, that uniform fantasy? Where else are those loaded guys gonna see the real deal?"
"I've got it all mapped out. One camera at the bedroom headboard, aimed right at where she changes."
"One behind the bathroom mirror—full view of her showering. Another above the living room couch... total coverage, no blind spots!"
The blond guy gave a thumbs up.
"You're a genius, Alfred! But... if your sister finds out, she'll probably kill herself laughing—or just kill you, Haha! "
Alfred spat on the ground.
"So what if she's my sister? Is she gonna pay off my five hundred grand in gambling debt?"
"Last time I begged her for twenty grand to tide me over, she cried poor!"
"Since she won't show me any loyalty, she can't blame me for returning the favor. Besides, I'm helping her 'debut.' If she goes viral, maybe she'll even thank me!"
"Hahaha! You're the man, Alfred! Cheers to that!"
Aunt Diana's jaw dropped.
Aunt Theresa's expression froze.
Mom and Dad stood rooted to the spot.
I wonder if they'll keep those faces when they see who Alfred's dealing with in the next video.
