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The Freeloader Calls Me the Leech
The Freeloader Calls Me the Leech
Author: Fru-Fru

Chapter 1

Author: Fru-Fru
As my cousin, Rita Pike, brought her boyfriend, Benny Booker, through the door, I was watering the camellias on the balcony.

Benny was dressed to the nines. From the moment he entered, he kept scrutinizing the entire villa, nodding in approval again and again.

It wasn't until he reached the balcony and saw me in my loungewear that he frowned slightly with disdain.

"So, you're the poor cousin who's been mooching off Rita?"

I looked at him, puzzled.

Rita walked over at the sound of his voice, and Benny immediately switched to a smile. "Babe, who's this guy?"

Rita introduced with a smile, "Benny, this is my cousin, Ruben Johnston. We grew up together. He's the closest person to me in all of Elmouth."

Benny crossed his arms and looked me up and down contemptuously. "He looks like a kept man. No wonder he's been mooching off you."

I looked at Rita, and only then did she speak up. "Rita, don't make such rude jokes.“

Benny showed no sign of shutting up. Instead, he wrapped his arm around Rita's waist and said sincerely, "I wasn't joking. Before I came, I heard from your friends how kind you were to take in a cousin who had nowhere else to go.

"I just feel bad for you. You work so hard and still have to take care of someone else. But he's a grown man who's perfectly capable, and yet he's actually fine with mooching off you? Wow, that's a new one."

I interrupted coldly, "Taking me in? Mooching off her? Which friend of Rita's did you hear that from?"

The air in the living room seemed to freeze in that moment.

Rita furrowed her brow. "Benny, who's been feeding you lies? Ruben is an important part of this family. There's no taking him in or anything like that. Don't talk nonsense and upset him."

She was being transparently defensive.

Benny quickly put on an apologetic look, though his eyes kept darting toward me.

"Babe, don't be so serious. Maybe I heard wrong. I can apologize to him if that's what you want. You know, it's just that a lot of people around me have been saying how incredibly kind you are.

"You're out there working your butt off, and on top of that, you're supporting some poor cousin."

He paused, his gaze sweeping over me again. His tone grew more innocent as he continued, "How could I not feel indignant on your behalf after hearing all that gossip?

"I mean, Ruben's healthy and full of energy, yet instead of working, he chooses to mooch off you."

Before I could respond, he grabbed Rita's hand. "Still, it's not like I'm the type of person who can't stand having relatives around. I won't be so quick to believe what others say from now on.

"Ruben, don't overthink it either. Since Rita put it that way, I'll treat you like my own brother. The more the merrier, after all."

Benny was handsome and silver-tongued. In just a few words, he had Rita completely charmed.

But I felt deeply uncomfortable and thoroughly disgusted.

From the moment he walked in, he'd been slinging mud at me. That little speech just now sounded like an explanation and an apology, but really, it just reinforced the whole "freeloader" and "burden" labels all over again.
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  • The Freeloader Calls Me the Leech   Chapter 9

    At the end of the video, a recording of my conversation with Mr. Reed was played."…Yes, that's right. Mr. Booker sold me the clock. He said it was a family heirloom and that he needed the money urgently."The room erupted in an uproar. Every gaze in the crowd shifted from admiration to shock and contempt, all of them fixed squarely on Benny.Benny's face went pale as a sheet. He pointed at me and yelled, "Y-You're lying! This is all fake!""Fake?" I let out a cold laugh and held up another document. "So, is this property deed fake too? Benny, there's something you've clearly never understood."I swept my gaze across the room, then announced loudly and clearly, "This villa was never Rita's. I'm the sole owner and always have been. You've got some nerve to kick me out of my own house after stealing and selling off my stuff. You're despicable."Rita stood frozen, completely stunned. She looked from Benny to me in disbelief.Benny, on the other hand, had completely fallen apart. Sl

  • The Freeloader Calls Me the Leech   Chapter 8

    Benny looked at me with a smug, triumphant expression like he'd already won and was just waiting for me to admit defeat.I could already guess what he was planning.He wanted to parade himself in front of everyone as the man of the house, then publicly pressure me into moving out, all under the guise of looking out for me. So, there'd be no way for me to back out quietly.I felt nothing but cold, steady resolve."Sure," I replied calmly. "I'll be there. And I'll make sure to bring you and Rita a special gift."Benny froze for a second, clearly not expecting me to agree so easily. Then, he let out a mocking laugh and patted me on the cheek before walking off.He probably thought I'd finally given up, that I was ready to roll over.He had no idea what I had in store for him would be a surprise he'd never forget.Before the party, I reached out to a lawyer friend of mine, Jonathan Chambers, to go over the legal side of things. I also dug up the purchase records and certificate of

  • The Freeloader Calls Me the Leech   Chapter 7

    Benny started acting like he was the man of the house, ordering Colleen around."Colleen, from now on, all the menus go through me first. I know Rita's tastes better than anyone. And you don't need to clean Ruben's room every day. He's nobody important, so there's no need to go out of your way."Colleen had been with the family for years and had watched me grow up. She was so furious she wanted to argue with Benny, but I stopped her every time.I knew it was pointless trying to reason with someone like him.Rita, meanwhile, kept taking his side. It was like Benny had put her under some kind of spell. She actually believed everything he did was for her and their future together.And I'd somehow become the difficult one, the one who didn't know how to read the room, and the obstacle standing in the way of their happiness."Ruben, Benny's just looking out for me. Try to be a little more understanding. He doesn't mean any harm. He's just blunt."Those words cut into my already wound

  • The Freeloader Calls Me the Leech   Chapter 6

    It was the first time I'd ever spoken to Rita that harshly.She froze, staring at me like she didn't even recognize me.After a long, heavy silence, something seemed to click. Her tone softened as she rushed to reassure me."Ruben, don't be mad. I'll talk to Benny, okay?"Later, Benny offered a half-hearted apology.Rita swore up and down that if I just let her stay, she'd take good care of my family's assets and look after everything my parents had left for me.I nodded quietly.Now that she mentioned it, I almost forgot Rita was put in charge of a few of the subsidiaries. That was probably what gave her the nerve to talk to me like that.However, she was no longer entitled to any of it. I would be taking it all back, piece by piece.After the party incident, Benny was furious with me for humiliating him in front of his friends. He didn't dare confront me openly anymore, but that didn't stop him from finding sneaky ways to get back at me. He started encroaching on my space

  • The Freeloader Calls Me the Leech   Chapter 5

    I didn't bother arguing with them any further and went straight to find Colleen instead."Mr. Johnston, Mr. Booker said he didn't like the antique clock, so he asked me to put it in storage," Colleen explained hesitantly.I searched the storage room from top to bottom, but the antique clock was nowhere to be found.A sinking feeling of dread rose in my chest.That antique clock, though not large, was extremely valuable. In fact, Dad had secured it at an auction for two million dollars.Benny definitely hadn't just put it away.Fed up with all the drama at home, I went on a three-day business trip.But when I returned, the house was in complete disarray.To show off like he owned the place, Benny had invited a bunch of his sketchy friends over for a party at the villa.Amid the deafening music, a crowd of garishly dressed men and women was barbecuing and livestreaming in the garden.But the last bit of tolerance I had left went up in flames the moment I saw what was left of th

  • The Freeloader Calls Me the Leech   Chapter 4

    As I listened to Jack's rant, the frustration that had been building inside me began to ease a little."Forget it. It's not like he's going to stick around anyway. Rita finally found someone, so let her have her moment. I'll just keep my distance from now on," I said to comfort Jack, but maybe I was also trying to convince myself.Jack was still fired up. "You can't just let it slide. Next time he dares to act up on your turf, shove the property deed right in his face. Let him know who the real owner is."Easy for him to say. But in the end, I still had to consider the nearly two decades of history between Rita and me.Her family was among the few relatives I had left. When my parents were still alive, her family had treated me well enough. So, I didn't want to let things get too ugly.What I expected was that my restraint would give Benny the mistaken impression that I was an easy target.That very evening, he brazenly moved in, dragging several large suitcases behind him.It s

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