Master Chen had disappeared into the back office, giving them privacy. "They came to my house last night. Two guys I've never seen before, but they knew things, things about my gambling debts." Jada's stomach clenched. "What guys?"
"Said they worked for Mayor Whitmore." Coach Mallory's voice dropped to a whisper. "They knew exactly how much I owe, who I owe it to, said they could make it all go away, or make it much, much worse." "What did they want?" He slumped against the wall.
"The original security drives, the masters I pulled from the locker room system. They knew I had them hidden at home." "But we already copied those files," Jada said. "Truth Trek aired them last night." "They didn't care about the copies.
They wanted the originals, the only ones that could prove chain of custody in court. Technical metadata that shows exactly when and where the footage was recorded." His hands were shaking harder now. "I had to give them up, Jada. They said they'd destroy me if I didn't."
Jada's mind raced. Without the original drives, proving the footage's authenticity would be much harder. Copies could be questioned, dismissed as potentially altered. "Did they threaten you physically?" she asked. Coach Mallory shook his head.
"They didn't have to. One of them just pulled out his phone and showed me pictures. Me placing bets, meeting with loan sharks. Then he showed me pictures of my daughter at college softball practice." He pressed his palms against his eyes.
"God, I'm so sorry, Jada. I never meant to let you down like this." Before she could respond, the dojo's door chimed again. A thin man in a cheap suit entered carrying a leather briefcase. "Jada Hollis?" he called out, scanning the room.
"Yes." He strode forward extending a thick envelope. "You've been served. This is a formal notice of legal action for defamation filed by the Whitmore family against you, Truth Trek Media, and all associated parties." The envelope felt heavy in Jada's hands.
Through the window behind the process server, she could see a news van pulling up outside. The local channel's logo was emblazoned on its side. Her phone buzzed. It was Mrs. Price sending a screenshot of the morning news headlines. "Questionable Kung Fu Tale.
Local Teen's Claims Under Scrutiny." Below it, another headline read, "Mayor Whitmore Demands Retraction of Malicious Falsehoods." The ground seemed to tilt beneath Jada's feet. Just yesterday, they'd had solid proof. Now the original evidence was gone, and the story was already being rewritten.