All Chapters of The Landlord vs. the Crazy Sister-in-Law: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

10 Chapters

Chapter 1

I'd just come home from collecting rent when I heard my sister-in-law, Bernice Drummond, talking trash about me behind my back."Val, look at Randall. He never goes to work. He's got no ambition at all! What's the point of staying with him? Honestly, I know a boss who's easy on the eyes and, more importantly, actually has potential…"Bernice left home to work in Galanor and pulled overtime almost every night. I guessed it bothered her, watching me hang around the apartment all day.She was eating the crab I'd paid for and using the smartphone I gave her, yet she was still talking crap about me to my wife, Valerie Drummond. How was I supposed to stay calm?I tossed my keys down and was ready to march over there and let her have it. But as soon as I stepped inside, Valerie spotted me and rushed over to stop me.Bernice's husband came from a pretty average family. Valerie didn't want to make her feel bad or mess up their sisterly bond, so she never told her what my family was really

Chapter 2

Whenever Bernice was around, Valerie basically stopped thinking for herself. She decided Bernice was the smart one, so she hardly ever pushed back.The way Valerie kept caving to her only wound me up more. I seized Bernice, dragged her to the door, and shoved her outside. "Get out! Show up at my place again and see what happens!"Her terrified shrieking cut off when I slammed the door, and the apartment went dead quiet.Valerie crept up beside me and whispered, "Wasn't that a little much?""She's literally trying to set you up with other guys, and you still expect me to be nice? Figures it's all about your little sister and not your husband. Want me to drag her back so I can be the one to leave?"Valerie had never seen me this mad. Her eyes went red in an instant. "That's not what I meant…"Looking at her, I realized I'd pushed it too far, and the anger bled out of me. I pulled her into my arms."You've got to set some boundaries with her. She's already trying to tear our family

Chapter 3

Over the next few days, Bernice and Mark were out from morning to night, and I had no idea what they were up to.Maybe Valerie said something to Bernice when I wasn't around, because suddenly she wasn't nearly as mean to me as before.If they wanted to crash here, fine. As long as it didn't mess with things between Valerie and me, I didn't really mind helping them out.That was just me, too nice for my own good. Back then, I started dating Valerie because I saw that same kindness in her.She and I believed that if we were genuinely good to people, they'd treat us the same. It turned out we were wrong about how the world worked.It took me some time to see that the nicer you acted, the more people assumed they could just step on you.About a month later, I came home from a grocery run and heard Bernice talking trash about me again. This time, I bit back my anger and stayed out of sight near the entryway, determined to listen to every word.What I heard knocked the breath out of m

Chapter 4

Mark walked in with a clean-cut, middle-aged guy at his side."Val, this is my boss, Mr. Hale. He stopped by to say hi," Bernice said, cheerfully waving him toward a seat and waggling her brows at Valerie. "The one I told you about, remember?"They all sank onto the couch and pretended I wasn't even there, except Valerie, who stayed on her feet nearby, sneaking looks at me every so often.I let out a slow breath when I realized Bernice's plan hadn't totally worked.That was when I realized every word she said to Valerie was actually for me. The whole point was to stir me up, shake Valerie's trust, and then trot out the man she thought was the better choice.She really did know how to play her cards.But Valerie had boundaries she stuck to. Even when things were bad between us, she refused to do anything that would sell me out.Still, watching her hover by the couch, all unsure, while Bernice hauled her over to meet another guy made my blood boil. But I wasn't about to walk into

Chapter 5

Bernice hurled every line right in Valerie's face, her intention to sell Valerie for money all but written on her face.By then, it all finally clicked. Bernice and Mark never meant to borrow a dime from me. They just wanted to peel Valerie off me and use her to squeeze money out of Mr. Hale.They were nothing but vicious bloodsuckers!Even then, Valerie still hadn't seen Bernice for who she really was. She just quietly protested, "Stop saying things like that!"Mr. Hale looked more than satisfied. As he stepped out onto the balcony to take a call, he spoke over his shoulder. "Getting my investment is in your hands now."The second those words sank in, Bernice and Mark lit up like they were possessed, greed blazing in their eyes.I moved before they could, shoving Valerie into the bedroom and turning the lock.She stood there in a daze, whispering from the other side, "What's happening?"I could barely catch a few words from the balcony, something about a landlord and somewhere

Chapter 6

Bernice, Mark, and I fell silent in the living room for a good ten seconds while Mr. Hale's voice kept coming out of my phone."Hello? Hello? Mr. Blackwood, are you on the line?"Mr. Hale heard something off in the living room and walked back in with his phone still in his hand."Mr. Blackwood, say something."The same line came out of my phone half a beat later, and Mr. Hale froze.He tried again, more carefully. "Mr. Blackwood?"The second my phone echoed the same words, his expression flipped. "Mr. Blackwood! So, you're the landlord after all!"Mr. Hale changed tack right away, an over-eager smile plastered on his face as he hurried over to take my hand.I scoffed and yanked my hand back.Farlon Tower had rung a bell when he first said it. It finally came back to me that I'd bought a couple of office units there on a whim. What a ridiculous coincidence.Mr. Hale turned on a dime, laying the charm on thick. "What a coincidence!"Mark finally got it and stared at me in disb

Chapter 7

Mr. Hale was still trying to talk me into pushing his rent back before he left, so I kicked him out on the spot.The agency managed the units I owned in Farlon Tower. All I had to do was collect the rent every month.He was already three months behind on rent and utilities and still thought he could haggle. On top of that, he had a thing for Valerie. The fact that I didn't beat his ass was me going easy on him.Valerie seemed pretty down, and I thought it was because she felt betrayed by Bernice, but I was completely wrong."Babe, you kicked Bern and Mark out. Where are they even supposed to stay now?"I laughed, more pissed than anything. "They almost sold you off to some old creep for cash, and you still feel bad for them? There's got to be a limit to how much of a saint you try to be."Valerie curled her lip. "She was just desperate. I really don't think she would've gone through with it if it actually came down to it."I was out of words. "And how exactly do you know she wou

Chapter 8

What the hell was this?I narrowed my eyes, slipped the phone out of Valerie's hand, and locked the screen before Bernice could send something even worse."Honey, you believe me now, right? You're over here freaking out about whether she's okay, and she's over there hitting on me behind your back. Does that sound like someone who actually cares about you?"Valerie didn't answer. She just crumpled to the floor with a dull thud.I started toward her, then realized her face was already streaked with tears."I treated her so well. H-How could she do this to me? She was the sister I loved the most. I gave up school so she could stay in. How could she just turn on me like that?"Valerie finally lost it, sobbing so hard she could barely breathe as she repeated, "How could she do this to me?"I sighed and wrapped my arms around her. "You don't get kindness back just because you give it. That's not how life works. Bernice probably stopped being your sister in her heart a long time ago.

Chapter 9

Just to be safe, Valerie and I grabbed a few bags and moved into another place I owned downtown.Judging from the cigarette butts scattered outside last night, it was pretty clear Mark hadn't come to my door only because he was drunk. The way he hung around told me he'd already decided to force a confrontation.But even if he actually killed Valerie and me, what would that even do for him? In this age of cameras everywhere, did he seriously think he could get away with it?But it was still just a guess. I couldn't use that to pin anything on him, so all I could do was protect Valerie and myself as best I could.Once we had everything lined up, I told Valerie to resign, since Bernice knew exactly where her office was. She went along with it, knowing how bad things already were.For the next two nights, Mark showed up at my apartment drunk out of his mind, pounding on the door. More than once, he grabbed the handle and actually tried to force it open.We couldn't keep hiding like t

Chapter 10

The students were laying it on thick with the compliments, and I happily grabbed the flowers from the car and handed them out one by one.Just then, Valerie walked out through the campus gate and raised a hand to wave at me.I had just lifted a flower to wave back when someone came out of nowhere and slammed into her. Her clothes were instantly soaked in blood.My heart dropped, and I screamed as I sprinted toward her. "Call an ambulance! Hurry, call 911!"The students nearby reacted fast, already dialing 911 for the police and an ambulance.My mind went blank as I clutched Valerie, refusing to let go.Blood was pouring from her abdomen. It had to be agony, but she kept her eyes open and murmured, "I'm fine. It doesn't hurt at all."Tears fell before I even realized it.Valerie was rushed to the hospital. Her abdominal wound kept her in surgery for five hours straight.They caught the attacker. It was Bernice.Guilt swallowed me whole. I had known Bernice was still out there,

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