Chapter 3 Rent Trap

However, Cecelia rejected my request. 'I'm busy today, Maddie. I'll likely be working overtime. Why don't you get it delivered?'

In the end, I had to drag myself into a cab just to get to the hospital.

I was stuck on the IV drip for four hours.

No one checked in on me at all.

Later on, Lilian sent a picture in the group chat around 1 p.m. It was a photo of a luxurious seafood feast worth hundreds.

'The rent just got paid. Let's have a feast today,' she messaged.

I was burning up with a fever in the hospital.

Meanwhile, they were having a feast on my dime.

I kept scrolling.

Last year, on the 18th of October, which was my birthday, I had left work early that day, hoping to celebrate with the group.

I had happily cooked up a feast and sent a photo of it to the group chat.

…

At least 30 minutes passed before Cecelia replied, 'Sorry, Maddie. I have to work late tonight.'

'Me too. My boss is glaring at me again,' Lillian added.

'I'm still in a meeting with a client. You can eat first,' Isabel said in refusal.

That evening, I sat alone at the dining table.

I stared at the table laden with cold food.

As for what they had been doing?

Cecelia posted a selfie of herself in a fine dining restaurant.

Lillian and Isabel were grinning in the photo.

'Cheers! Congratulations on another free meal!' Cecelia wrote in the caption.

Lillian sent a mocking emoji. 'That fool is likely waiting at home for us.'

Isabel seized the chance to twist the knife. 'Her cooking is so bad. Not even dogs would eat it.'

Those words hurt my eyes.

They burned.

I thought we were best friends.

I thought we would take good care of each other.

In the end, I was nothing but a jester they would poke and prod.

I did my best to calm myself, holding my tears back.

I downloaded a copy of the videos and took screenshots of the entire conversation, as well as the detailed information about the messages.

I sat before my laptop, tallying up the incidents, post by post, message by message.

The more I read, the colder I felt.

Before I knew it, a week had passed.

Finally, I had most of the screenshots and statistics matched up.

I walked over to my window.

In the world beyond, lights shone and flickered with warmth.

However, I felt as though I'd been doused in ice in my tiny west-facing bedroom.

I refused to let them leech off of me anymore.

I refused to allow them to get away with this!

My phone buzzed on the table. It was a message from Cecelia.

'Maddie, are you asleep? I'm hungry. I'm craving the toast sandwiches sold just outside the gates.'

She even sent a begging emoji.

I ignored her, pretending I didn't see her message.

Later on, she started banging on my door.

I chose to ignore her once more.

After a few long moments, I finally heard Cecelia leave the apartment.

I snuck into her bedroom to check on what they would be saying.

'Why is the fool so silent today? I'm starving.'

'She likely fell asleep.'

'She sleeps like the dead. I banged on her door for so long, yet she didn't wake up. Now, I have to head out to buy food myself.'

Cecelia sent a sighing emoji before continuing the conversation.

'We'll have to pay for next year's maintenance fees next week.

'I want to force her out after she pays. Then, my boyfriend will move in. He said he'll pay the rest.'

The moment those messages were sent...

The group chat came alive with chatter.

Lillian sent three thumbs-up emojis in a row. 'That's an amazing idea, Cece!'

'Now, I can even see a hottie all day long.' Isabel sent a few GIFs to express her excitement.

Only now did I understand why she wanted me to pay a whole year's rent in one go. That was her goal.

After I recorded everything, I snuck back to my room and continued verifying the rest of the data.

They wanted to cheat me out of my money?

They wanted to kick me out?

Dream on!

However, something felt off when I thought about Cecelia's reminder to pay a full year of rent and the messages in the group chat.

The landlord had to play along with their ruse, sending out false invoices for the rent along with the rest of the utilities for this entire scheme to work.