I sit at the head of the conference table with Miabeside me.
On the screen in front of us is a paused video frame. Nothing graphic, but enough to know exactly what it is.
The lawyer across from me clears his throat. “Technically, Ms. Callahan, no crime has been committed yet.”
I turn my head slowly and meet his gaze.
“You’re right,” I say. “Which is why we’re not waiting for one.”
Lily sits outside with my assistant. She doesn’t need to hear this part. She’s eighteen and still trying to apologize for trusting someone who didn’t deserve her breath, let alone her heart.
She did nothing wrong.
I slide a folder across the table. Inside it is everything. Screenshots. Messages. Metadata. IP addresses. A tidy timeline showing intent, coercion, and threat. I’ve also included his football scholarship details, his internship offer, and his mother’s high-ranking position at that very conservative nonprofit. Apparently, it has extremely strong opinions on morality.
I bet her son’s activities will go down like a lead balloon.
I didn’t have to dig far. Men like this never think they’ll be held accountable, so they leave a trail of digital breadcrumbs a mile wide.
“This,” I continue, tapping the folder, “is evidence of extortion. Revenge porn statutes apply the second he hits upload. Which he hasn’t. Yet.”
The lawyer swallows hard.
“But here’s the fun part,” I add. “We don’t need to wait for him to do it.”
Mia finally speaks. “What do you mean?”
I turn to her, my expression softening. “It means we take away his power before he realizes he’s lost it. Here’s what’s going to happen,” I say. “Today, my office sends a cease-and-desist so aggressive it will make his hands shake. We CC his parents. His university. The athletic department. The company offering him that shiny internship.”
The lawyer opens his mouth to protest.
I hold up a single finger. “I’m not finished. We don’t accuse him publicly. We don’t leak. We don’t threaten. We present facts. We make it very clear that if a single image is shared, even privately, we will pursue criminal charges and civil damages so extensive that his future will be reduced to a footnote. Then,” I continue, “we offer him a choice.”
“A choice?” Mia asks, leaning forward.
“Yes,” I say. “Disappear quietly, or explain to every institution invested in him why his name is suddenly linked to extortion and sexual exploitation.”
The lawyer exhales a shaky breath. “He’s only twenty.”
“And Lily is eighteen,” I reply evenly. “She’s the one being terrorized. I think my priorities are exactly where they need to be.”
That shuts him up.
“This isn’t about ruining him,” I say, though a dark part of me doesn’t care if it does. “It’s about protecting her.”
Mia’s eyes fill with tears. “Will it work?”
I don’t hesitate. “Yes.”
Because I don’t bluff. I never have.
∞∞∞
An hour later, Lily is sitting across from me in my office, her knees bouncing and eyes rimmed red. I step away from my desk and crouch in front of her chair so we’re at eye level.
“You didn’t do anything wrong,” I tell her gently. “Not a single thing.”
She nods, but I can see the doubt clinging to her like a second skin. “I should’ve known better.”
