Chapter 6 - THE UNMASKING OF THE SLANDERGertrudeās world was crumbling faster than a castle built on sand. Her plot to bankrupt me and reclaim the mansion had completely backfired, leaving her buried under a mountain of debt she could never hope to pay.
Desperate, terrified, and cornered like a rabid animal, Gertrude decided if she couldn't take my money, she would destroy my reputation.
The very next morning, a viral video began spreading across Facebook, TikTok, and local news outlets in Bayside Heights.
The video showed Gertrudeādressed in torn clothes, looking frail, weeping hystericallyāstanding outside the iron gates of my mansion.
"Please, everyone, help me!" Gertrude sobbed into the camera in the recorded video. "My son, Ethan, came back from abroad, joined a dangerous foreign cartel, and kicked his poor, sick mother out into the streets! He stole my life savings! He beats his poor wife, Sarah, and keeps her locked away! He is a dangerous, violent man!"
The local news picked up the story immediately. "#1 METRO NEWS: ABUSED MOTHER SPEAKS OUT AGAINST CARTEL SON IN BAYSIDE HEIGHTS."
By noon, a crowd of reporters, angry local activists, and curious neighbors had gathered outside my front gates, waving signs and chanting for my arrest.
Prudence and Marcus were standing right in front of the news cameras, feeding fuel to the fire.
"He threatened to kill us!" Prudence wept dramatically into a microphone held by Channel 7 News reporter Brenda Blake. "My mother gave him everything! He's a monster!"
Inside the mansion, Sarah watched the television screen, her hands shaking as tears filled her eyes again. "Ethan... they're turning the whole city against you! The police are going to come! Everyone thinks you're a criminal!"
I stood by the window, calmly sipping my black coffee.
"Let them gather," I said quietly. "Let every camera in the state focus on those gates."
"Ethan, aren't you afraid?!" Sarah asked, terrified.
"Sunlight is the best disinfectant, Sarah," I said, turning to her with a calm, reassured smile. "They built a circus outside our home. Now, we're going to show them the real show."
I called Arthur. "Is the media feed live?"
"Every major network in the tri-state area is broadcasting live right now, Ethan," Arthur confirmed over the speakerphone. "The Mayor's office is watching. The Chief of Police is watching."
"Good," I said. "Open the gates."
The massive wrought-iron gates slowly swung open.
The crowd of reporters gasped, pushing forward with their high-definition cameras, microphones extended, expecting to see a violent, enraged tyrant walk out.
Instead, I stepped out calmly, dressed in a sharp gray suit. Behind me walked Sarah, beautifully dressed in a elegant white dress, looking healthy, radiant, and holding our son Jamie's hand.
Gertrudeās eyes widened in horror when she saw Sarah looking so polished and dignified.
"There he is! The monster!" Gertrude shrieked, pointing a crooked finger at me. "Police! Arrest him!"
I didn't argue. I didn't yell.
I simply gestured to a large 85-inch mobile LED display truck that pulled up right behind us, facing the news cameras.
"Ladies and gentlemen of the press," I announced, my voice carrying clearly over the crowd. "My mother has given you a story. Now, allow me to give you the truth."
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I pressed a button on a remote control in my hand.
The massive LED screen flickered to life.
