Chapter 4 - Viral JusticeMila figured that was the end of it. She would buy cheap ramen, finish her shift cycle, and curse the name Victor Vance under her breath.
She was wrong.
By 8:00 AM the next morning, Kate was hammering on Mila’s apartment door with the frantic energy of a hummingbird on espresso. Mila, who had managed a glorious three hours of fragmented sleep, stumbled to the door in her oversized t-shirt, squinting against the harsh morning light.
"Mila!" Kate screamed, shoving her phone directly into Mila’s bleary eyeballs. "Look! Look right now!"
Mila blinked, trying to focus on the glowing screen.
It was a TikTok video. Posted from an anonymous account, but the background was unmistakably clear: the immaculate lawn and infinity pool of the Vance estate.
In the video, Brutus the Cane Corso was standing majestically on top of a patio table, wearing a tiny, custom-tailored black fedora. In his jaws, he was delicately holding a fresh Tupperware container. The caption read: "The Godfather of Elm Street strikes again. Mission: Retrieve the stolen pot roast debt. Pay your local mobster, folks."
Mila stared, paralyzed, as she watched the view counter spin like a slot machine. 10K views. 50K views. 100K views.
"Kate... what is this?" Mila whispered.
"You’re viral, babe! Look at the comments!" Kate scrolled frantically.
“Give that good boy a cigar!”
“Who is the angry nurse in the background? She looks like she’s about to file federal charges against a dog!”
“I stan the pot roast bandit. All hail the Don!”
Mila grabbed the phone, scrolling back to see the previous frames. In the wide shot of the video, her own furious face—red-cheeked, exhausted, wearing scrubs and a scowl that could curdle milk—was captured in glorious, high-definition 4K as she yelled at Victor Vance.
Her face. To millions of internet strangers.
"Delete it," Mila choked out. "Delete this right now or I will commit a felony."
"I can't delete it! It's not my account!" Kate gasped, her eyes wide as saucers. "And look at the tag... Mila, look at the tagged location and the comment pinned by the creator!"
Mila leaned in. Pinned at the top of the comment section was a message from an account with a verified blue checkmark and the username @Victor_Vance:
May you like
“To the furious nurse next door: Brutus extends his sincerest apologies for the hostility. He insists the pot roast was a 'mandatory tax.' To make amends, Brutus and I would like to formally invite you to dinner tonight. My chef makes a roast that even your high standards might approve of. 7 PM. Don't make Brutus break in again.”
The comment had 45,000 likes.
