“That’s it?” I yelled. “He needs to be punished!”

“We’ll talk about this later,” Mark avoided my gaze.

I felt betrayed by Mark’s inaction. 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 and planted it in my purse. That afternoon, I saw Jake sneak into my room and rifle through my bag.

I called my friend, Officer Mike, who agreed to help. The next day, I followed Jake to a café. Mike approached Jake’s table.

“Excuse me, son. I need to talk to you,” Mike said.

Jake looked confused. “What? Why?”

Mike showed a fake bill. “This money looks fake. Where did you get it?”

Jake turned pale. “I… I didn’t do anything.”

“Stand up,” Mike ordered. “You’re coming with me.”

Jake stood, trembling, his friends in shock. I entered, acting surprised.

“Ma’am, do you know this boy?” Mike asked.

“Yes, he’s my stepson. What’s happening?”

“We found him using counterfeit money,” Mike explained.

“There must be a mistake!” I pleaded. “Please, he’s a good kid.”

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 feigned relief.

Jake hugged me tightly. “I’ll never do anything like this again.”

We left, and I showed Jake the video.

“Jake, if you continue this behavior, I’ll show this video to your friends.”

Jake looked remorseful. “You… you did this?”

“Yes, and it was for your own good.”

“I’m sorry, Lisa. I really am,” Jake said.

From then on, Jake’s behavior changed. He helped around the house, respected Emma and Noah, and even apologized. Mark noticed.

“Jake’s different lately. What did you do?”

“Just gave him a wake-up call,” I smiled.

Our household was peaceful again, and I felt satisfied. Jake finally understood the importance of respect and responsibility.