Chapter 3

Maverick clutched his face, staring at me in disbelief. "You actually hit me?"

I was shaking with rage, but I forced myself to stay calm as I argued back. "You brought over a dozen people into my home and refused to leave. You led them in verbally attacking me and deliberately let someone try to grope me. I had no choice but to defend myself."

At that, Bianca's face twisted with fury. She lashed out with a kick. "Chloe, you dare lay a hand on my man? You're asking for it—ah!"

Because I dodged quickly, she hit nothing but air. She crashed hard to the floor, screaming in pain.

That set everything off. Bianca's mother charged at me with her pack of relatives. "You little bitch! We're not leaving until you're dead!"

To avoid getting hurt, I bolted down the stairs all the way to the lobby, screaming in terror. "Fire! Someone help!"

It worked. Soon, people who'd been out for evening walks in the neighborhood came running over.

I immediately changed my story in a panic. "No—wait! Murder! Someone's trying to kill me to steal my apartment!"

At that moment, Bianca's mother and the others came charging down, holding kitchen knives and mops. When they saw me hiding behind a group of neighbors, they were furious.

"You little bitch, you've already latched onto other men to protect you? Come out here if you've got the guts!"

The neighbors, both men and women, were immediately offended. They started arguing back.

"Please call the police," I said quietly. "They smashed my phone."

Just then, Maverick came downstairs with Bianca leaning against him. When he saw what was happening, he immediately played the victim and started spinning his story.

"Everyone, the truth is she owes me two million dollars. She used this apartment, worth 1.5 million, to settle the debt. Now she's shamelessly trying to take it back. I have a written transfer agreement. Her name, Chloe Wilder, is right there on it."

He pulled out a stack of documents and held them up for everyone to see.

The neighbors crowded in to look. After reading the content, they turned to me. "Are you Chloe Wilder?"

My stomach dropped. "That transfer agreement is absolutely fake. I never signed it."

The moment I said that, the neighbors' expressions changed, and they appeared more wary.

"She's a compulsive liar!" Bianca shouted with righteous indignation. "You should stay away from her, or she'll seduce your husbands next.

"If I hadn't been home today, she would've stripped naked and thrown herself at my boyfriend. She's absolutely shameless.

"When that didn't work, she threatened to burn down the apartment. Tell me—doesn't someone like that deserve a beating?"

With her slandering me, my neighbors instantly turned on me. They started cursing me out.

"You almost tricked us into wrongly accusing innocent people. You're disgusting!"

One of Bianca's relatives blended into the crowd and shouted, "Exactly! Someone like her needs a good beating to teach her a lesson so she won't seduce other people's men again."

That one statement made everyone clench their fists, ready to take a swing at me.

I tried to explain, but Bianca suddenly ambushed me from behind and kicked me hard.

"That's for threatening to set a fire earlier! What if it actually caught? Think of all the property damage! You don't care because it's not yours, right?"

Her angry tone sounded convincing enough that people who didn't know better believed her, but I could see the smug satisfaction in her eyes.

Maverick chimed in, "My girlfriend is right. This woman and I grew up together. Not only is she a compulsive liar, but she's also a gambling addict.

"Who knows how many men she's been with for money? Everyone needs to watch out for rotten people like her."

After he finished, he put on an expression of deep sorrow and regret. It was revolting.

I was in so much pain that cold sweat broke out across my forehead. I clutched my stomach and struggled to my feet. "Maverick, every word you just said carries legal consequences," I said.

After a moment, I continued, "Could someone please call property management? I never transferred ownership. One check will prove it."

Maverick smirked. "Go ahead and call them. I've got nothing to hide. You're the one who should be nervous."