10
12:49 PM.
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Jack’s family reported the matter to the police. After multiple negotiations between the lawyer and the police, both parties sat down to discuss again.
His mother’s attempt to extort money was futile. We had given a $10,000 engagement ring, which of course had to be returned.
However, when I presented a long list of expense receipts, including red envelopes given during festivals, various nutritional supplements I bought when his mother was pregnant, clothes I bought for the baby, the money for hiring the postpartum nanny….
As happy as she had been to receive these things back then, she was now equally distressed.
“No way! These were gifts you gave willingly. Now you want to take them back? Not a chance,” his mother said, trying to snatch the list of expenses from my hand, thinking that destroying it would allow her to deny everything.
I chuckled and asked, “By that logic, the engagement ring was given to me. Now you want it back, on what grounds?”
“How can you compare these? You’re twisting words,” she retorted.
I couldn’t be bothered to argue pointlessly with her anymore.
No matter what the police and lawyers said, she just kept saying she wouldn’t listen and only wanted money.
When they tried to explain the law to her, she threw a tantrum, accusing the police of being biased towards us.
Even the initially patient police officers were starting to look annoyed.
If the police couldn’t mediate, the only option left was to go to court.
While waiting for the court date, Jack’s family wasn’t idle.
Jack’s mother went to the school where I worked and started causing a scene, spreading rumors that I had deceived them for marriage and money, and that I had loose morals.
She thought this would make me compromise, but I had long anticipated she would do something like this.
I had already submitted an application for a transfer to a branch school that had an open position.
No matter how much trouble she caused, it wouldn’t affect me. Instead, it only provided me with more evidence.
M
In the end, the court’s decision was to deduct the value of the gifts I had given from the engagement ring, and because Jack I was at fault for the broken engagement, they had to pay me $20,000 for defamation plus lawyer fees.
In the end, they got back very little money, which infuriated them. They started cursing at me again as soon as we left the courthouse.
I was in a good mood and couldn’t be bothered to argue with them anymore.
This wasn’t over yet. I hoped their health was good enough to withstand the coming blows.
Ever since I had come back in time, I had recorded every interaction with them.
I edited together clips of Jack plotting to make his mother have an abortion, as well as his mother’s outrageous comments about prostitution.
I hired a street hooligan to play these recordings on a loudspeaker during prime square dancing hours in their neighborhood.
I also reported Jack’s abuse of his position to accept bribes, throwing their family into chaos.
Before long, Jack was fired from his job.
