Chapter 3

Amidst the seemingly peaceful and harmonious atmosphere, the person who had started the entire incident remained completely silent.

However, this superficial peace didn't even survive the night.

A little after 11:00 pm, just as I was getting ready for bed, my phone lit up again in the dark.

The homeowners association group chat icon was flashing, displaying a direct tag from Jacob.

I clicked on it to find a massive, bitter wall of text.

"Everyone, don't you think that someone is getting a little too arrogant around here? So what if you own eight parking spaces? You could own 80, and it still wouldn't mean that you get to do whatever you want.

"Your car is parked crooked across two spaces, and it completely ruins the visual order and neatness of our underground parking lot. The parking lot is a common area, not your personal runway to show off! Have some respect for everyone else, will you?

"We all pay our management fees to enjoy a clean, comfortable environment, not to watch you flaunt your parking spaces. Please show some class and think about your neighbors."

He was desperately trying to reignite the drama.

This time, he took the moral high ground, hoping that the rest of the group would rally behind him. Unfortunately for him, almost no one took the bait.

After a long while, someone finally replied, "It's a parking lot. Who cares about aesthetics? As long as you can park, it works."

Another resident chimed in, "They are her spaces. As long as she isn't crossing the line into anyone else's spot, she can park however she wants for all I care."

"There's no law saying a car has to be parked perfectly straight."

"Seriously, it's not that deep."

"Just go to bed already."

The consensus was that nobody wanted to get involved in his petty crusade.

But the lack of support clearly pushed Jacob over the edge. He stopped tagging everyone and pivoted directly toward me, launching into a disgusting, unprovoked personal attack.

"Cut the act, Celia. Look at that car. It's hot pink. A woman is obviously driving it. A young lady owning this many units and this many parking spots out of nowhere? Who knows where your money actually comes from? Or how dirty it is?

"Some people will do absolutely anything for money, and it's trash like this that ruins the reputation of our entire community!"

The vile, misogynistic text brought the atmosphere in the group chat to a freezing point.

A few female residents immediately took offense.

"What's that supposed to mean? Are women not allowed to make their own money?"

"Your mother must be so proud, hearing you talk about women like that."

Staring at the vile words on my screen, I let out a sharp laugh.

The second he lost the argument, he resorted to sexism and tried to smear my name. There was no way I was letting him get away with it.

I started typing.

"Jacob, you must be truly miserable and desperate for attention. The color of my car and how I make my money are none of your business. But since you're such an expert on money and love spinning creative little fantasies…

"What's the deal? Are you an undercover detective, or do you just have a lot of personal experience? You're awfully quick to talk trash about others. Is it because your own morals are loose enough that anything will slide right out of your mouth?

"Or is this jealousy talking because you've tried every single orifice available to you trying to chase a buck, only to end up broke and bitter anyway?"

The second my messages went through, the group chat erupted into laughter.

"Holy shit, what a legendary clapback!"

"She absolutely destroyed him."

"I'm crying! Hahaha. Every single orifice available has me dead!"

"Jacob, calm down. You're completely in the wrong here."

"Alright, wrap it up, folks. It's getting late."

…

In the middle of the chaos, Jacob fired off a few lengthy voice messages. I didn't even have to tap them to know they were packed with profanity.

But nobody cared anymore.

Within moments, his voice messages disappeared beneath a flood of jokes, memes, and people laughing at his expense.

As the night stretched on, I muted the group chat notifications and tossed my phone aside.

The world was finally quiet.