Chapter 3

Uneasy, I went back to the living room and opened the WhatsApp group chat.

Evelyn had already posted several long messages, along with photos of the rose garden she'd snapped over the low wall, her camera aimed straight at my grandmother's rose bed.

"Dear neighbors, thanks to all the hard work James and I put in, we've secured the right to hold campaign events in the rose garden. I mean the whole spring's worth of campaign events.

"Tomorrow at 2:30 p.m., the campaign's fundraiser will be held in the rose garden. Neighbors, come dressed up and enjoy the first party of spring.

"It's all thanks to John! He's such a great help to the community."

Even through the screen, I could picture how pleased she was with herself.

A dozen or so replies followed those messages.

"That's our Evelyn! You're amazing!"

"Supervisor Langford is a remarkable public servant. We'll always support him."

"I've never even seen the rose garden. Finally I'll get the chance."

"How did Evelyn get the new owner to agree? I thought this year's campaign events in the rose garden were off."

I kept scrolling, and when I got to Evelyn's answer, my fingers clenched around my phone before I could stop them.

"I simply taught her how to fit into the community. Some people are way too full of themselves, but in the face of real power, she has no choice but to fall in line."

I jumped into the chat and confronted Evelyn directly. "What gives you people the right to take over private property I paid six point eight million dollars for?"

Evelyn soon replied with a voice message.

Her shrill tone dripped with sarcasm.

"You've got some nerve coming at me. Six point eight million? Where would a single woman like you get that kind of money? You must be some sugar daddy's kept woman.

"Watch your mouth. My husband even knows big shots in the Italian Mafia. One word from him, and you'll vanish from Los Angeles without a trace, and your sugar daddy won't be able to save you."

The Italian Mafia in Los Angeles?

Apart from a few local small fry nobody took seriously, the Mancuso branch was the only real power.

That branch did business at the San Pedro docks, and I'd personally picked the man who ran it before I retired.

And that idiot Evelyn thought she could threaten me with them?

The community chat exploded at once over Evelyn's vicious lie.

"Oh my God, is that true?"

"No wonder a woman like her can afford a rose garden that big!"

"A kept woman? She's got some nerve!"

"No wonder she's so arrogant."

I stared at the screen and calmly took screenshots of every lie they posted.

Before I came to Los Angeles, I'd sworn never to spill blood on the West Coast. I'd promised myself a normal life, without the Mafia's habit of settling everything with violence and threats.

This time, I'd go through legal channels to show Evelyn I wasn't someone to mess with.

"Evelyn, everything you just said is a lie. It's defamation. I've taken screenshots of all of it, and my lawyer will be in touch with you soon."

Far from backing down, Evelyn got even more brazen.

"Fine! Let your lawyer come find me. I'd like to see who in Los Angeles would dare take your case."

John jumped in too.

"Ms. Mancuso, please mind your conduct in the group chat. As a group admin, I'm issuing you a first warning for inappropriate behavior. If you keep disrupting the group, I'll take action against your account and mute you."

The anger I'd been holding back finally caught fire. The last thread of my self-control was about to snap.

They wanted to seize my private property by force to hold their damn parties.

Evelyn had led the charge in smearing me.

Every resident and staff member was in on it. They were all Evelyn and James's lapdogs.

Fine!

I let out a long breath and sent the deed to the rose garden and the screenshots of the group chat to my private lawyer.

As soon as I sent the files, I heard several sharp snaps from deep in the rose garden.

More followed, along with the dull thud of shovels digging into dirt.

It was coming from my grandmother's rose bed!

I grabbed a flashlight and ran out barefoot. The moment the beam swept across, several dark figures climbed over the low wall and vanished into the night along the cliffside path.

My stomach dropped!