He gets a lesson

"Oh, you're Matt, right?" Mr. Fellers gave Matt a handshake that threatened to crush every bone in his fingers.

"Uh, yeah."

"If I didn't know better, I'd guess you were messing with my under-age daughter."

Matt tried a chuckle... and failed miserably.

"Oh, dad. You're always so embarrassing." Deisi had, somehow, managed to get her shirt back on in the few seconds between her dad's announcement and his opening the door.

"Not that I'd blame you. She's a cutie. A bit of a handful, though."

"Sure, Mr. Fellers."

"So, my wife tells me you're having some problems."

"Daddy is a problem-solver for the Rich People Party," Deisi explained.

"Huh-huh. That's not what we call it but I guess it's a fair description. Anyway, your father is blackmailing you, right? Well, we've worked out a counter in the rich people party. First, you deny everything. No matter what evidence they give, call it 'fake news.' Then, you turn it on them. Say that they're the ones doing whatever they accuse you of. And then you say it's old news and nobody cares. It's really that easy but don't go tell anyone or nobody would hire me to do my job."

Matt was pretty sure it wasn't that easy. "Fine, for politicians. But for ordinary people--"

"Huh-huh. You're a businessman, an entrepreneur. Same as being a politician. You put yourself out to the public, give them a good story, and they follow you like sheep."

"Oh, there you are." Mrs. Fellers joined the three of them in the garage. "Maria has dinner almost ready so let's stop the boy talk and come inside. We have a lot of work to do."

"I was just telling young Matt that the old denial, deflect and move on strategy should work for him."

Mrs. Fellers nodded. "Obviously that's the base. But we need to do a bit more in this case. Since the FBI is already investigating Matt's business, stonewalling won't be enough."

"Yes, dear."

Matt could hardly believe the change in Mr. Fellers' attitude. All of a sudden, he was practically cringing. There was no question who was dominant in this relationship. That didn't mean, of course, that Mr. Fellers couldn't pick him up and twist him into a knot if he felt like it. And maybe being dominated by his wife would make him look for an outlet to his aggression.

"Mom," Deisi said, "tell Matt he needs to take me out on a date if he wants you to fix his problems."

"Sure, baby. If that's what you want."

"What about what I want?" Matt demanded.

"What you want is to keep your business," Mrs. Fellers said. "So, shut up like a good boy and do what you're told."