All Chapters of I Took Her In, She Locked Me Out (To Die): Chapter 1 - Chapter 9

The calls came one after another. Aunt Darcy was first, then Mom joined in, blowing up my phone.I answered with a scowl. Mom launched straight into a lecture. "Why did you hang up on Aunt Darcy? What's wrong with Tessa staying at your place for a few days during the summer? Aunt Darcy wasn't even done talking, and you just cut her off. Now that you've got some money, you're acting all high and mighty, aren't you?"She was still my mom, so I forced myself to hold back the anger simmering inside and tried to explain calmly. "I've been swamped with work lately. I'm barely home myself. It wouldn't be convenient for her to stay there alone."However, Mom wouldn't budge. "Tessa's already graduated from high school. She can take care of herself. She's your cousin, not some stranger. What's there to worry about? Let me tell you, you can't forget where you came from. Did you forget how good your aunt was to you when you were younger? What do you think people will say about us if you act all

As soon as Mom stepped out the door, Tessa went into a frenzy, snapping photos nonstop at the floor-to-ceiling windows. She posted them immediately to her social feed. "Just another summer in Rainville, hiding away in my family's tiniest retreat."It was gone before I could even read it properly. Apparently, she forgot to block me. That explained why she had always forced her way into my home, in both this life and the last. She was using me to craft her image.I was at a loss for words. Then I heard the sound of drawers rattling outside my dressing room. By the time I stepped out, she had already taken a box of sheet masks from the fridge, ripped one open, and was about to slap it on her face.She had acted the same way in my previous life, rifling through my things and taking whatever she pleased without even asking.At the time, I told myself she was just a recent high school graduate who didn't know any better. I earned well and didn't care much about money, so I let it go. How

At the police station, some of them sobered up halfway and started wailing, begging to be let out. The rest doubled down, slamming the table and demanding to be reasoned with."Do you people have any respect for the law at all?" one of them scoffed. "You think being cops gives you the right to arrest anyone you want?"I kindly reminded them of their current situation. "Everyone, you ignored my housekeeper's attempts to stop you, broke into my private residence, and vandalized my property. I did a rough calculation just now. The items you smashed alone came to about two million dollars, and the cloisonne luxury stone slab in the living room that you sprayed with paint cost 180 thousand dollars for that section alone. So tell me, are you calling your families right now to pool the money and pay up, or are you planning to sit in prison and work it off?"They froze for a moment, then burst out laughing. "Tessa, what nonsense is this housekeeper's daughter spouting?" one of them jeered

Tessa's friends had had enough. "Stop talking nonsense and pay up!"Tessa gritted her teeth. After confirming that I would be coming shortly, she held out her hand to everyone. "My card's still frozen, so it'll take a bit to fix. How about this—you cover it for now, and I'll pay you double later.""You're looking for trouble, Tessa," one of them growled.Just as he was about to strike, a friend quickly held him back. "Ms. Boston, is that true?"Tessa smirked. "Do you honestly think I would lie? My pocket money starts at tens of millions of dollars. If you miss this chance, you'll regret it for the rest of your life."Everyone stared at the confident Tessa, then remembered that even a housekeeper's daughter like me could live in Rainville Prime.With a gamble in mind, Tessa tentatively called her mother. "Mom, how much money do we still have? Get all the money ready—I need it now."Each of them hurriedly scrounged for money, desperate not to miss out, until the full 18 million