Chapter 2

I did not go home. Instead, I drove straight to the nearest coffee shop.

I ordered an iced Americano, took a seat by the window, and began piecing together my next move.

Breaking in was out of the question. They outnumbered me, and Alex was exactly the kind of thug who might get physical.

Arguing with them would be even more pointless. It would only waste my energy and give them an opportunity to twist the story around and accuse me of disrespecting my elders.

I needed evidence.

The recording I had just made was only the beginning. It was nowhere near enough.

I pulled out my phone and opened the family group chat.

It was usually dead quiet. Nobody said a word most of the time.

I tapped Zoe’s profile and sent her a message.

[Zoe, why did you change the locks on my apartment?]

[And why are so many people living there now? You promised me it would just be you.]

I deliberately worded it to sound confrontational, but with just enough hurt underneath.

Five minutes later, Zoe replied. She did not reply to my text privately. Instead, she took a screenshot of my messages and posted it straight into the family group chat.

Then she sent a long voice message. Her voice was trembling with tears.

“Someone please tell me what Celine is trying to say here.

“I’m already under so much pressure preparing for my college entrance exams. I borrowed her apartment for a few days, and now she comes storming over and interrogates me like I’ve taken something from her.

“We’re family. What’s the big deal about us staying in her empty apartment? Does she really have to treat me like this?”

Before I could respond, my aunt jumped in.

[Celine, what is wrong with you? How can you be so inconsiderate?]

[Don’t you know how hard Zoe is working for her exams?]

[We moved in to take care of her. We cook for her, do her laundry, and look after her. We’re doing this for her own good.]

[As for you? The first thing you do is give her an attitude. Do you even have any respect left for your elders?]

One by one, relatives I barely spoke to anymore started chiming in.

[Celine, your aunt is right. Family members are supposed to support each other.]

[Exactly. You live alone in such a big apartment anyway. It’s a waste of space. What’s wrong with letting Zoe and her family stay there?]

[Don’t be so stingy. You’ll never find a husband with an attitude like that.]

I stared at the accusations piling up on my screen, my fingers turning cold.

They were experts at claiming the moral high ground, painting me as some coldhearted, selfish villain who cared about nothing but her own possessions.

Then my father, who spent most of the year away from home, sent a message.

[Celine, just be more accommodating to your uncle’s family. Your mother always loved your cousin the most when she was alive.]

Not this again.

It was always the same. They dragged my dead mother into it to pressure me into giving in every time.

I took a deep breath and began taking screenshots of the entire conversation, message by message. Every single one was evidence.

I did not argue with them in the group chat.

Instead, I messaged Zoe privately again.

[The apartment belongs to me. I have the right to decide who lives there and who doesn’t. You need to move out.]

This time, Zoe replied almost instantly.

[Seriously, Celine? Can you stop being so dramatic? Where are we supposed to go?]

[Do you really have the heart to watch our whole family end up on the streets?]

[Besides, we’ve been living here for so long that we’ve gotten attached.]

[This place has good energy, too. Ever since we moved in, Dad’s back stopped hurting.]

Howdy was Alex’s son, a second-grader. I had not seen him in the apartment earlier. He was probably at school.

She actually had the nerve to bring up such a topic.

I swallowed my anger and kept typing.

[I don’t care what kind of good energy you think the place has. It’s my apartment.]

[You’re responsible for everything you damaged and you’re going to reimburse me in full.]

[The stickers on the walls, the dog urine on the floor and the scratches on the table legs.]

Zoe sent me an eye-roll emoji.

[Seriously? That’s what you’re upset about? We’ll repaint the walls. Mom can wash the rug. We’ll sand down the table legs. Problem solved. Why are you making such a huge deal out of this?]

[It’s just an apartment. We’re not saying we won’t give it back.]

[When are you giving it back?]

[Let’s talk after I finish my grad school entrance exam. We’re going to celebrate here with the whole family afterward anyway. We probably won’t leave until after the New Year.]

After the New Year.

It was only October.

I took another screenshot.

Then I opened the voice recorder on my phone and called my aunt.

The phone rang for a long time before she finally answered.

“Hello? Celine? What do you want now? I’m busy making soup for Zoe.”

Her voice was already dripping with irritation.

“I just want to confirm something. Are you saying your family has no intention of moving out?”

“Move out? Why would we move? We’re perfectly comfortable here.

“Why are you being so stubborn?

“Zoe’s college entrance exam is a big deal. The whole family needs to support her. Can’t you be a little understanding?”

“Then what about the things you’ve damaged?

“My walls. My rug. My desk. My pajamas. You’ve stained or ruined all of them.”

My aunt gave a derisive laugh on the other end.

“That old pajama set? I’ll ask Zoe to buy you another one.

“How much could a wall and a rug possibly cost? You make plenty of money every month. Are you really going to bother over pocket change like this?

“You’ve been spoiled rotten by your rich mother. You don’t have an ounce of human decency.”

There it was again. My mother.

I clenched my fist so tightly my nails dug into my palm.

“Those pajamas cost more than three thousand dollars.”

Silence came from the other end of the line.

Then, a few seconds later, her voice turned shrill.

“More than three thousand? Who are you trying to fool? What kind of pajamas cost that much?

“Are they trimmed with gold?

“You’re obviously just looking for an excuse to pick a fight! Is this because you think our family is poor? Are you deliberately making things difficult for us?”

“I’m not. I still have the receipt.”

“I don’t care about your stupid receipt! We don't have the money!

“Do whatever you want!

“And if you keep pushing us, we’ll show up at your workplace and make a scene. Let’s see what your coworkers think of you then!

“All this over a few lousy things? You’d really throw your own relatives away over that?”

She hung up after saying all those things.

I listened to the dead silence on the line before slowly letting out a breath.

I organized every recording and screenshot into separate folders and saved them all inside an encrypted file.

However, I knew it still was not enough.

All this proved was that they were shameless freeloaders. It was not enough to hold them legally accountable.

I needed something more direct, something stronger.

I needed evidence that they had entered my property without permission, and evidence that they had deliberately damaged it.

I was lost in my thoughts when my phone suddenly rang.

It was an unfamiliar number.

I answered.

“Hello. Am I speaking with Ms. Celine Bennett, the owner of Unit 1302?”

“Yes. Who is this?”

“This is Mr. Walls, the property manager for your building.

“The owner of Unit 1202 downstairs has filed a complaint. He says water from your apartment has leaked into his unit and damaged his ceiling.

“Would you be able to come back and take a look?”

My apartment had been waterproofed three separate times during the renovation, using the highest-quality materials available. There was no way it could just spring a leak.

Then a thought flashed through my mind. Was this not the perfect opportunity to get the property management involved and have them pull the security footage?

My chance had finally come.