My sister, Fiona Miller, has recently opened a luxury spa for business. As such, I bring Dad along to check it out.

Of course, we pick the most expensive treatment package available.

But barely a few presses from the male therapist, and Dad feels a sharp pain in his chest and can't seem to breathe properly.

All the color drains from his face, and cold sweat starts beading on his forehead.

I call the manager over, but he seems annoyed.

"Oh, he just has poor blood circulation. He'll be fine after the massage. That's just a normal reaction."

I can't believe what I'm hearing. "My father has a heart condition. What are you lot even doing to him?"

The manager, Seth Zeller, explodes as if I've insulted him and raises his voice.

"That's his own pre-existing condition. How is that our problem? We run a legitimate business here. No refunds once treatment begins. Got it?"

I gesture at the credentials displayed on the wall.

"I don't see your name anywhere up there. You're not even certified. Is this the kind of operation Fiona's running?"

Seth folds his arms across his chest, looking down his nose at us.

"I'm the boss here. You and your dad look broke as hell. I can tell you're just trying to get a free massage and walk out without paying."

"Let me spell it out for you. This package is 38,000 dollars. Adding in the cost of my emotional distress and lost time, the total is 100,000 dollars. Pay up now, or I'm having you both arrested."

A massage that almost kills Dad costs 100,000 dollars?

So that's why Fiona was suddenly so eager to open this spa. As it turns out, she and her boyfriend are running a fraud scheme.

I reach for my phone to call her, but Seth is already making a video call.

"Babe, you need to get here right now. A couple of deadbeats are trying to get a free massage and walk away without paying."

"Seth, just handle it however you see fit. Don't let trash like them ruin your day. We run a luxury spa, not a charity."

The voice coming through the video call was unmistakably Fiona Miller's. But what she said sent chills down my spine.

"You hear that, deadbeat?" Seth Zeller shot me a smug look and added, "She said that I should handle this my way."

Before I could react, he snatched my phone and threw it into a nearby water bucket. It hit the surface with a splash, and the screen went black in an instant.

Just like that, we had no way to contact anyone for help.

"What the hell are you doing?" I yelled.

"Teaching you scammers how things work around here, that's what," Seth spat, his voice full of malice.

Suddenly, Dad let out a choked gasp beside me, and his whole body seized up.

I quickly steadied him and saw his face turn purple while his breathing came in short, shallow gasps.

I knew it was a heart attack. And with his serious heart condition, any stress could kill him.

"Dad! Dad, what's wrong?"

I pounded on the locked glass door frantically, my voice breaking.

"Open this door right now! My dad's having a heart attack. I need to get him his medication!"

But Seth didn't look concerned at all. In fact, he pulled out his phone and started a live stream, aiming the camera at us.

He deliberately zoomed in on Dad's pain-twisted face and my desperate expression.

"Check this out, everyone. This father and son duo tried to receive treatment at our spa without paying. After we caught them, they started faking illness.

"They've even gone all out and pretended to have a heart attack. That one's acting like he's about to die. Give this man a Best Actor award."

The live stream chat exploded with comments from people who had no idea what was really happening.

"Holy crap! Are scammers really that desperate nowadays? The guy's literally playing with his life."

"This old man's acting is really convincing. It's a shame that he didn't audition to become an actor."

"Don't worry, dude. We've got your back. These losers don't deserve any mercy."

I was shaking all over with rage and screamed, "We're not scammers. I'm Fiona's older brother, and this is her father. Open this damned door right now. You won't get away with it if something happens to my father."

"Fiona's brother and father?"

Seth doubled over laughing as if I'd just told a joke.

"Look at you two deadbeats. You say you're related to her? Tried to skip out on the bill, and now you're claiming to be her family? You think dropping her name will scare me into letting you go?"

The two male employees behind him chimed in.

"That's right. Our boss is Ms. Miller's sweetheart. Who do you think you are?"

"They're professional scammers, Mr. Zeller. Don't fall for their lies."

Panic tore through me. Dad's breathing was so faint that I could barely hear it anymore.

Then, it hit me that his emergency pills were in my bag.

I sprinted toward the shelf where I'd left it. But I'd barely taken two steps when someone grabbed my shoulder from behind.

Someone wrenched me backward with brutal force. Before I knew it, the two employees had thrown me to the floor.

My body slammed against the tile, and pain exploded through me, making my vision blur.

Seth just stood there holding his phone, scrolling through the live stream comments with a smug grin spreading wider across his face.

"You guys are amazing. I love the suggestions you're giving me. Today, I'm going to teach these freeloaders a lesson and show you all how it's done."

A wave of dread hit me. I knew something terrible was about to happen.

The next second, a hard-soled shoe stomped down hard on my hand. I screamed as a piercing pain shot through me, and I felt my bones crack.

Seth tilted his phone to capture my face contorted with pain and shouted excitedly into the camera, "See that, everyone? He's losing it. We caught him skipping the bill, and he got so embarrassed that he tried to attack us. But we've got him under control."

"Dad…"

Still in excruciating pain, Dad saw my broken, twisted hand, and his body started convulsing violently. He was about to pass out.

I couldn't let anything happen to him.

Seth was reading the encouraging comments on his live stream, and his smile turned vicious. He walked over to Dad and stood over him.

"Stop faking it, old man. Keep it up, and I'll give you a couple of kicks to turn that fake illness into a real one."

Seeing him lift his foot like he was about to kick Dad's chest, I felt my breath catch in my throat.

"No! Stop!" I screamed until my voice gave out.

His employees held me down while I struggled, making me unable to move.

Dad's body was going into shock now, his consciousness gradually fading. If this kept going, he was really going to die.

"Medicine… The medicine…" I stretched my arm desperately toward the shelf.

Seth followed my gaze and strolled over casually. He pulled the pill bottle from my bag and toyed with it, smirking.

"Want this?"

My eyes were bloodshot as I begged, "I'll pay. No matter how much you want, I'll give it to you."

"You should have said that earlier. Could've saved us both some time," Seth said. "The treatment fee is 38,000 dollars. Adding in my emotional distress and lost wages, let's round it up to 100,000 dollars."

It was an absurd amount, but I had no choice. I told him my payment passcode without thinking twice. With a single chime, the money was transferred.

I'd assumed that after the payment was made, this nightmare would end.

But Seth had no intention of giving me the medicine.

"You want the pills? Fine. Crawl over here," he said.

I froze.

"Get on all fours and crawl to me. Bark like a dog with every move forward. And make sure everyone in the live stream can hear you admit you're a scamming piece of garbage who fucked up. Do that, and I'll give you the medicine."

The demand was sick, but I had no choice. I bit down hard on my lower lip until I tasted blood.

Looking at Dad lying there unconscious, I swallowed my humiliation and begged, "Please, don't do this…"

"My dad… He really is Fiona's father and the husband of Silverbrook's wealthiest woman. If something happens to him here, none of you can handle the consequences."

Seth doubled over laughing.

"Still pretending to be related to Silverbrook's richest woman? Who do you think you are? Some random nobody who married into wealth?"

One employee immediately rushed forward to flatter him.

"Exactly. Everyone knows that our boss is the future son-in-law of the Miller family. Ms. Miller is madly in love with him."

Another chimed in, "She even said that if we killed you both today, she'd cover it up."

Seth's satisfaction grew with every word of praise.

"Guess I haven't taught you enough of a lesson. Guys, give him something extra to remember. Show him what happens when he crosses me."

The two employees grinned wickedly as they cracked their knuckles menacingly.

Dad's breathing grew fainter by the second. By now, all the color had drained from his face.

I knew time was running out.

I unclenched my fists and lowered my head, choking out the words.

"Fine. I'll do as you say."

Like a zombie, I crawled mechanically toward Seth and barked.

"I'm a scamming piece of trash. I was wrong."

In the room, Seth and his employees howled with laughter. Even the live stream exploded with jeering comments.

When I finally reached him, I looked up at him.

"The medicine… Can I have it now?" I asked.

Seth should have had his fill of watching me degrade myself. But he lifted his foot and kicked me hard in the chest.

The impact sent me flying backward, and my head slammed hard against the floor. I tasted blood in my throat. And a moment later, it came pouring out.

My vision kept blurring in and out of focus. It felt like all my organs had been knocked out of place.

I could only watch in despair as Seth unscrewed the medicine bottle and dumped every last pill into that bucket of dirty water.

The medicine was gone, and with it, Dad's last hope.

Something inside me snapped as I watched Dad convulse one final time before going completely still.

I screamed, "Seth! I'll kill you."

I swallowed the blood pooling in my mouth, snatched a metal ornament from the floor, and swung it at his head.