“Emma, what are you doing?” I asked, trying to keep my voice calm.
Emma looked up at me, her eyes wide and a bit teary.
“Jake told me I had to clean his room,” she said softly.
I turned to Jake, struggling to keep my anger in check. “Jake, why is Emma cleaning your room?”
Jake finally looked up from his phone, a smirk on his face. “She wanted to help,” he said nonchalantly.
I knelt down next to Emma and gently took her hands, which were dirty from picking up after her brother.
“Emma, you don’t have to clean Jake’s room. Come with me, sweetie.”
Emma hesitated, looking between me and Jake. “But Jake said—”
“I don’t care what Jake said,” I interrupted, my voice firmer now.
“You don’t have to do his work. Let’s go.”
As I helped Emma stand up, Jake rolled his eyes. “She’s fine, Lisa.
Why are you making such a big deal out of this?”
I stood up, glaring at Jake. “It is a big deal, Jake. You’re being lazy and disrespectful.
Emma is your sister, not your maid.”
Jake shrugged, clearly unconcerned. “Whatever. She doesn’t mind.”
Emma clung to my hand, her eyes still wide with a mixture of confusion and fear.
“I don’t like cleaning his room, Mom,” she whispered.
I squeezed her hand reassuringly. “You don’t have to, Emma. You’re not responsible for Jake’s mess.”
One weekend, Mark and I planned to visit friends out of town.
We decided to leave the kids with Jake.
“Jake, you’re in charge. No parties, and take care of Emma and Noah,” I instructed before leaving.
“Yeah, yeah,” Jake muttered.
When we returned Sunday evening, the house was a disaster. Beer bottles and trash littered the floor.
“Jake!
What happened here?” I shouted.
Jake sauntered in, looking unbothered. “Just a little get-together.”
Mark looked around, worried. “Where are Emma and Noah?”
Emma and Noah came out of the closet, looking frightened.
Emma’s face was streaked with tears.
“He locked us in there all night!” Emma cried.
My heart broke. “Why would you do that, Jake?”
“They were annoying my friends,” he said nonchalantly.
Mark, looking uneasy, said, “Jake, that’s not okay.”
“Do something about it, Mark!” I demanded.
Mark sighed. “Jake, you can’t do this.
Apologize to your sister.”
Jake rolled his eyes. “Sorry, Emma.”
“That’s it?” I yelled. “He needs to be punished!”
“We’ll talk about this later,” Mark said, avoiding my gaze.
I couldn’t believe Mark’s inaction.
It felt like a betrayal.
The next day, I found money missing from my purse. “Jake, did you take my money?”
Jake shrugged. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
I decided to teach him a lesson.
I bought fake money from a novelty shop and put it in my purse, setting a trap. I had enough of his behavior and it was time for a change.
After planting the fake money in my purse, I carefully monitored Jake. It didn’t take long.
That afternoon, I saw him sneak into my room and rifle through my bag.
“Gotcha,” I whispered to myself.
I called my friend, Officer Mike. “Mike, I need your help with a little plan.”
“Sure, Lisa. What’s going on?”
I explained the situation, and Mike agreed to help.
We set up the plan to teach Jake a lesson he wouldn’t forget.
The next day, Jake told me he was going out with his friends. Perfect timing.
“Have fun, Jake,” I said, trying to keep my tone casual.
I followed him discreetly to the café where he and his friends were hanging out. I watched from a distance, waiting for the right moment.
Mike entered the café in uniform, looking serious.
He approached Jake’s table.
“Excuse me, son. I need to talk to you,” Mike said.
Jake looked confused. “What?
Why?”
Mike pulled out one of the fake bills. “This money looks fake. Where did you get it?”
Jake’s face turned pale.
“I… I don’t know. I didn’t do anything.”
“Stand up,” Mike ordered. “You’re coming with me.”
Jake stood, trembling.
His friends watched in shock, whispering among themselves.
“Is this a joke?” one of Jake’s friends asked.
“No joke,” Mike said sternly. “Counterfeit money is a serious offense.”
I recorded the whole scene from outside, capturing Jake’s humiliation. He was on the verge of tears.
I walked into the café, acting surprised.
“What’s going on here?”
Mike looked at me. “Ma’am, do you know this boy?”
“Yes, he’s my stepson. What’s happening?”
“We found him using counterfeit money,” Mike explained.
“Oh no, there must be a mistake!” I said, pleading.
“Please, he’s a good kid. Can’t we sort this out?”
Jake looked at me with wide, teary eyes. “Please, Lisa, help me!”
Mike hesitated, then sighed.
“Alright, since it’s his first offense, I’ll let him go with a warning. But next time, there will be serious consequences.”
“Thank you, Officer,” I said, feigning relief.
Jake hugged me tightly. “Thank you, thank you!
I’ll never do anything like this again, I promise.”
We left the café, and once we were a safe distance away, I showed Jake the video.
“Jake, if you continue to behave like this, I’ll show this video to all your friends.”
Jake’s face fell. “You… you did this?”
“Yes, and it was for your own good. You need to understand that your actions have consequences.”
“I’m sorry, Lisa.
I really am,” Jake said, looking genuinely remorseful.
From that day on, Jake’s behavior changed. He started helping around the house, treated Emma and Noah with respect, and even apologized to them.
“Hey, Emma, Noah, want to play a game?” Jake asked one evening.
“Sure!” Emma replied, surprised but happy.
Mark noticed the change too. “Jake’s different lately.
What did you do?”
“Just gave him a little wake-up call,” I said with a smile.
