I watched coldly as Isaac flashed a smug smile while nestled against Tiffany's shoulder.

It was the taunt of a victor.

Fine. If that was the game he wanted to play, I would gladly play along.

I reached into my pocket and pulled out my phone. I had planned to call for backup right away, but after pressing the button twice, the screen stayed pitch black.

I silently cursed at my luck. I had worked overtime too late last night and forgot to charge it, so it had died.

I frowned and set the phone back on the table.

Isaac caught that detail immediately with his sharp eyes. He gasped with fake concern, his voice dripping with insinuation.

"Oh, what were you trying to do with your phone? Were you going to prove your innocence? Why aren't you showing everyone? Oh, right, if your father saw those group chat messages, he'd probably have a heart attack, wouldn't he?"

When Tiffany heard that, the look she gave me was filled with pure disgust. "Shawn, you make me sick."

At that moment, rage churned in my chest, but I had to hold it in.

I was a cop, badge or no badge. I was going to make these people lose so thoroughly that they had no choice but to accept it and understand exactly how they had been played.

"Give me that phone!"

To show off in front of Isaac, Tiffany suddenly lunged forward and snatched the phone off the table.

I instinctively tried to grab it back, but she was too fast. "If you're too scared to look, then I'll do it for you!"

She pressed the power button several times, but nothing happened.

"No battery? I bet you planned this."

Tiffany let out a chuckle and carelessly tossed my phone back onto the table.

She used too much force, leaving several scratches across the screen.

That was not just any ordinary phone. It was a token of love that Elena Monroe had given me. I slowly raised my head, and my gaze turned ice cold.

Tiffany flinched at my expression and took a step back, but her embarrassment turned into anger.

"What are you staring at? It's just a few scratches. I'll pay you back for it, as long as you admit you're selling yourself!"

Isaac seized the opportunity and pulled out a stack of print-outs from his bag.

"Tiffany, don't get upset. If the phone's broken, it's fine, I've got backup copies of the chat logs."

He distributed those forged records to all the relatives present. "Everyone, take a look! I'm hoping I got it wrong too, but this profile picture, this username..."

I glanced at the paper in my Uncle Richard's hand. The profile picture was definitely stolen from my social media, and even the username 'Northwind' was identical.

The content was even more explicit and nauseating.

[Hey, gorgeous. It's 200 dollars for tonight, and 500 dollars for the whole night. Full service guaranteed.]

"Shawn, what do you have to say for yourself?"

Uncle Richard's wife, Barbara Jefferson, shrieked as she read out several of the vulgar lines, spittle flying everywhere.

"Oh my goodness! How can anyone say things like this? Have you no shame left?!"

The whole room erupted in outrage. The way those relatives looked at me was filled with utter revulsion.

"What a disgrace!"

Aunt Patricia pointed right at my mother, Ariel Manson, and scolded her.

"Is this the fine son you raised? The apple doesn't fall far from the tree! I bet you're no better. What kind of parenting is this?!"

"You..."

My mother's chest heaved with anger, her breath catching as she clutched her chest and slumped onto the couch.

"Mom!"

I rushed over to support her.

Her face was deathly pale, her breathing rapid, with tear tracks still visible at the corners of her eyes.

I looked up and stared daggers at Tiffany and Isaac, my voice squeezing out through gritted teeth.

"Spreading false accusations carries criminal liability."

Tiffany scoffed dismissively and looked down at me from her high horse.

"Still running your mouth? At a time like this, you're trying to scare people with legal threats? Isaac comes from money. His family owns a company worth tens of millions!

"You think he'd be jealous of you and that he'd frame you? Get real and take a good look at yourself. Everything you're wearing adds up to less than two hundred dollars of cheap knockoffs!"

Isaac walked over and sighed like he was trying to be the bigger person. He reached out to grab my arm, but I shook him off hard.

He did not get upset. Instead, he put on a pitiful expression.

"I know you're just doing this because life's been tough. Here's what we'll do... As long as you quit this line of work and get on your knees right here in front of everyone to apologize and admit you were wrong."

"I can pay to help you clean up your reputation. I'll even give you a payout to leave this city and start over.

"Well, what do you say? I'm only doing this for Tiffany's sake, and to protect the Wilkinson family name."

Isaac stood on his moral high ground, practically glowing with self-righteousness.

My relatives nodded and showered him with praise.

"Look at Isaac! He's so mature and generous!"

"Shawn, what are you waiting for? Get on your knees! You won't get another chance like this!"

I settled my mother against the couch cushions and slowly straightened up. Instead of getting angry, I laughed.

"Get on my knees? Start fresh? Isaac, do you have any idea that forging evidence and attempting to frame an active-duty officer is a felony? You're looking at doing serious hard time."

When my relatives saw that I was not grateful and was even talking back, they completely lost it. To curry favor with Isaac, the so-called 'rich kid', they were ready to grind me into the dirt.

Uncle Richard slammed his cup down hard.

"Shawn, don't push your luck! For the sake of the family's reputation, you're going to apologize and beg for Isaac's forgiveness! Otherwise, I'm cutting you out of the family!"

Aunt Patricia's eyes lit up even more, her mental calculator working overtime.

"That's right! Not only do you need to apologize, but you also need to pay damages! We're all relatives who've been humiliated because of you. Shouldn't we get compensation for emotional distress?

"Hand over all that 'dirty money' you've made these past few years and split it among everyone. Consider it your way of making amends!"

I looked at those greedy faces and found it laughable. They were supposed to be family, yet when it came to personal gain, they had thrown away even the pretense of decency.

When Tiffany saw I was not budging, she got even more fired up. She pulled out her phone and opened a live streaming app.

"Since you refuse to admit your mistakes, I'll let the internet judge you!

"Hey everyone, come watch! This is my cousin Shawn, who works as a 'male escort'! The evidence is rock solid, but he still won't admit it, and now he's throwing a tantrum at home!"

She shoved the camera right in my face.

The viewer count skyrocketed instantly, and comments flew by at lightning speed.

[Holy crap, he's actually pretty hot. I can't believe he does that for a living!]

[Only two hundred bucks? Where's the address? I want in!]

[What a shameless guy!]

Isaac leaned into the frame at just the right moment. His eyes rimmed with red, looking like he had suffered the greatest injustice.

"Everyone, please don't attack Shawn. He probably just made a mistake... I only wanted to help him see the error of his ways, but he... He even tried to hit me..."

That performance instantly set the livestream ablaze with emotion.

[This guy's too kind! Why is he still helping someone like that?]

[Expose him! Let's run his life!]

Tiffany watched the screen fill with virtual gifts and twisted her mouth into a wide grin. Seeing the rising excitement, she decided to push things even further to boost her popularity.

"Ladies and gentlemen, let's make him get on his knees and apologize to everyone watching!"

I took a deep breath, forcing down the rage building inside me. My fingers dug into my palms, and I was barely holding back my anger anymore.

Nonetheless, I knew I was a police officer and could not just lash out at people.

When Tiffany saw that I was not reacting, she flexed her fingers.

"Damn it. I told you to kneel. Didn't you hear me? Do I really have to do it myself?"

She raised her palm, about to slap me across the face. The instant her hand was about to come down, I moved.

My left hand shot out like lightning and locked precisely around Tiffany's wrist. I twisted it against the joint and applied pressure.

Tiffany squealed in pain, her whole body forced to bend forward.

I stepped in smoothly, my right hand pressing down on the back of her neck as I shoved hard. Her face hit the solid wooden dining table hard, rattling the plates and utensils. Half her face was instantly distorted from the impact, and her curses turned into muffled cries of pain.

The entire room went deathly silent.

Uncle Richard's cup fell from his hand and shattered on the floor, while Aunt Patricia's jaw dropped open.

No one had expected that I, who had always seemed quiet and bookish, would move with such speed and precision.

Tiffany was pinned to the table with her face squished sideways, still struggling desperately.

"Let me go! Shawn, you psycho! I'm calling the cops! I'm charging you with assault!"

The relatives all backed away when they saw I meant business, though their mouths kept running.

"He's lost it! He's actually assaulting her!"

"What kind of escort is this? He's like a gang member!"

"I think he's lost it completely. He's gone completely insane!"

Suddenly, the front door was shoved open violently from outside. The security door slammed against the wall with a loud bang, making everyone jump.

A tall figure strode in. She wore a black trench coat over a dark gray designer suit dress. Her features were beautiful, and there was a commanding authority in her gaze.

It was Elena.

My heart skipped a beat, wondering why she came. Before long, I realized that my broken phone must have triggered a location alert that worried her.

The moment Elena entered, her eyes swept across the chaotic living room before finally settling on me.

Seeing that I was unharmed, her tense shoulders relaxed slightly. However, when she noticed Tiffany pinned under my hand and the relatives pointing fingers all around, a storm instantly brewed in her eyes.

The relatives did not recognize that elite socialite. All they saw was an extremely beautiful, well-dressed woman barging in.

Isaac's eyes darted around, then he suddenly pointed at Elena and shrieked.

"I remember now! I've seen this woman's photo in that group! She's the 'top patron', right? The rich woman who's keeping Shawn! Oh my, she actually tracked him down to his house? Is she here for another session?"

That outburst immediately branded Elena's identity.

Even though Tiffany's face was pressed against the table, her mouth kept running as she spat out some blood and mocked me.

"Shawn's pretty busy with his business, huh? Clients chasing him all the way home? He looks all respectable on the outside, but he's actually into this kind of thing.

"He's so handsome... I bet he's just a pretty boy living off women, right? Maybe he's in the same line of work?"

Elena's body went rigid. She slowly turned her head, glaring at Tiffany.

I knew that look all too well. It was the look she had when she intended to kill.

Elena walked up to Tiffany and did not waste any words. She raised her hand, about to bring it down hard. If that punch landed, Tiffany might not end up paralyzed for life, but her brain would definitely be scrambled.

I quickly released my hold on Tiffany and stepped sideways to block Elena.

I reached out with both hands and caught her raised arm. "Elena! Stop! Getting an assault charge for trash like this isn't worth it."

The violence in Elena's eyes barely subsided under my gentle tone. She grabbed my hand in return, her gaze landing on the red marks on my wrist from the earlier scuffle.

She looked as pained as if she had been the one hurt. "Did they hurt you?"

"It's nothing, just a little scratch."

I patted the back of her hand reassuringly, then reached into her trench coat pocket and pulled out her phone.

My phone was already broken, so I had to use hers. I unlocked it smoothly, dialed a number, and put it on speaker.

In the dead silence of the room, a gruff male voice came through the phone. "Hello? Ms. Monroe? What can I do for you?"

I was using Elena's phone, so the person on the other end obviously thought it was her. I took a deep breath, and my voice instantly switched to work mode: cold, authoritative, and brooking no argument.

"This is Shawn. Jake Harrison, bring the entire Squad Two, fully equipped. Be at the location I send you within five minutes. We're arresting a Class A wanted fugitive. Charges include organized prostitution and large-scale fraud."