Chapter 12 opens with a reminder of Darren’s present-day situation—“Living on the penthouse floor of a 98-year-old building, worth millions of dollars” (142)—that he first referenced in the Author’s Note. He reiterates his initial message that anyone can learn from his advice and follow in his footsteps if they choose. The action of Chapter 12 picks up three months after Darren became an SDR. Frodo and The Duchess are managing to find prospective clients by relying on their social connections, but Darren is having no luck; he discovers that Clyde has given him a dud list, and when his manager gives him a new list of contacts, he begins to make progress. Ma is still coughing and tired, and the property management company is still calling. Then a media crisis hits Sumwun: A Black teenage girl goes to China to meet her Sumwun assistant, and he murders her. Companies start canceling their Sumwun services. Rhett rallies the troops with one of his high-octane motivational speeches, but Darren can see him cracking.

Ma continues to cough blood and is sent home from work for a few days, but she continues to insist that nothing is wrong. Jason has been beat up again, and he and Darren get into another spat about their respective life choices and ways of earning a living.