I was having dinner at home as usual when a message suddenly appeared in the flatmates’ group chat.
[@FionaR I heard from the management that 1209 belongs to you too, right?]
Before I could reply, another message from the same person popped up.
[My house is completely empty, while your place is just sitting there. You’re just a young girl, so you can’t possibly use all that space.]
Her words were rude, but I didn’t feel like arguing. I put down my phone and kept eating. Nevertheless, she didn’t stop.
[Don’t worry, I’m not asking to live there for free.]
[I’ll pay you fifty pounds a month in rent. You won’t lose anything.]
——
I almost laughed out loud at how shameless she was. Did she want to rent a flat for fifty pounds? How ridiculous!
When I checked her profile, it showed a woman in her thirties. Her username was @YvonneEden. To stop her from talking nonsense in the group chat, I typed two simple words.
[Not renting.]
I thought that would be the end of it. But instead, she started messaging even more.
[Don’t turn me down so fast. Listen, I’m saying this for your own good.]
[Your place is empty anyway, right? I’ll pay you fifty pounds a month! That’s six hundred a year! Not a small amount.]
[Besides, a house needs people living in it. If no one stays there, it’ll just get old and fall apart.]
I couldn’t believe a sane adult was typing these. After all, I lived in what could be considered a mid-to-high-end area in London. Although the environment wasn’t perfect, the apartments weren’t cheap either. Since it was close to my workplace, I bought a flat there.
Moreover, I was an only child and my parents often came to visit. For convenience, my dad bought the flat next door, so he could stay there whenever he came by. That was the 1209 Yvonne was talking about.
Once, I told my father to just stay at my place when he visited me. I told him that there was no need to buy another apartment. But my parents, who had been in love for decades, were still acting like a young couple. They enjoyed having their own space.
Despite my objection, my dad still ended up buying the flat next to me. It was the 1209 Yvonne was talking about. When I was about to reply in the group chat, a message from the flat manager popped up.
[Miss Rylance, Mrs. Eden is the tenant in the unit next to yours. She speaks without thinking. Don’t bother with her.]
[Just end the chat peacefully.]
[If you argue, she’ll complain to us again. It’ll cause even more trouble.]
After reading that, I decided not to argue. Our flat management team was usually responsible and friendly. I got along well with them. Since the manager asked, I chose to listen. So, I replied to Yvonne politely in the group chat.
[Sorry, it’s not about the money.]
[That flat isn’t empty. It belonged to my parents. They stay there often.]
[Sorry, but I’m not in a position to rent it out. Please look for another one.]
I wasn’t sure if Yvonne didn’t understand or just pretended not to. Her reply came immediately.
[Shouldn’t that get an easy solution? When your parents visit, they can just stay at your place.]
[Don’t think I don’t know about it. Your flat is a very big flat with lots of space.]
[Fifty pounds a month is a lot, Miss! You should think about it.]
My patience completely ran out at that point.
[Sorry. Please look for another place.]
It seemed to me that Yvonne sensed that I was getting angry because her next message sounded softer.
[Well, I understand. But how about this? If your parents come over, we’ll move out, all right?]
[If they want to stay, they can. I’m fine with that.]
[I’ll even deduct the rent for the days they visit. Fair deal, right?]
I almost laughed out loud at her shameless offer. But before I could reply, other flat owners started speaking up.
[What’s wrong with you? She already said she’s not renting. Why are you still bothering her?]
[Even if her house is empty, that’s her business. The law doesn’t say she has to rent it to you.]
[Why are you making trouble in the group chat in the middle of the night? Trying to bully a girl?]
It might be because of those messages, Yvonne finally went quiet. The group chat stayed silent the rest of the night. However, I woke up to the sound of someone knocking on my door the next morning.
When I opened it, a middle-aged man I’d never seen before was standing there. He was holding a handful of dried noodles and smiling widely.
“Good morning, Miss Rylance. I’m Marcus Eden, Yvonne Eden’s husband. The one from the group chat last night.”
“She was a bit rude yesterday, but I’ve already talked with her.”
“These are our homemade Shrewsbury cakes from Birmingham. Please try them.”
“By the way, may I come in for a moment?”
I had thought Yvonne stayed quiet last night because the other owners had told her off. It turned out that it was her husband who had done it.
It was hard to be rude to someone who was being polite. Even though I was still annoyed about Yvonne’s behavior, I stepped aside and let him in. After sitting down, Marcus rubbed his hands together and started talking.
“Look, Miss Rylance, my wife may have spoken out of turn. But she wasn’t wrong.”
“We’re neighbors, right? The flat next door is empty anyway. If you rent it to us, you’ll earn some extra money. Our family will have a place to live. Everyone wins.”
“And she’s right. A flat only stays in good condition when people live in it.”
He gave a small laugh.
“So I came here today partly to apologize and partly to talk about renting again in person.”
I sneered inwardly. Now I truly understood what it meant when people said, you couldn’t reason with someone who’s already decided to take advantage of you.
“If that’s what you came here to say, then please leave,” I said flatly.
“I already made it clear in the group chat yesterday. I’m not renting the flat next door.”
When he saw I wasn’t changing my mind, Marcus quickly shifted his tone.
“Miss Rylance, you’re young. Maybe you don’t understand how hard life can be. We have old parents and young kids to take care of.”
“I’m the only one working. The small one-bedroom we’re renting is really too small. If this place weren’t near my workplace, I wouldn’t even think about renting here.”
“I’m from Birmingham. Life here in London isn’t easy. My kids are older now. They need to go to a private school here in London. If we don’t move somewhere bigger … ”
I couldn’t listen anymore. I stood up, walked to the door and opened it wide.
“Mr. Eden, your family situation has nothing to do with me. I’m not responsible for your problems. Please leave.”
“I need to get ready for work, so I won’t see you off.”
Marcus’s smile disappeared the moment I said that.
Marcus paused at the door and looked at me with a trace of impatience.
“Miss, give me some space so we can meet again someday.”
“I met you at work. You and I should be in the same company.”
“I’m your supervisor at the company. I hope you can be just as tough at work.”
I understood the threat behind his words. But it didn’t make any sense to me. After all, I worked at my own company. Of course, I was tough enough. So, I didn’t respond.
I just turned around and walked straight into the living room. He probably thought his words had frightened me because his tone turned smug.
“That’s right, you young women don’t have much social experience.”
“We’re neighbors, after all…”
Before he could finish, I pushed the Shrewsbury cake he had brought back into his arms.
“Sorry, I don’t usually eat cake.”
“You should take them back.”
The proud smile on his face froze. Marcus looked awkward for a second, his mouth moving as if to say something. But in the end, he stayed silent. He gave a short snort and walked away with the cake still in his hands.
Just as Marcus left, my phone buzzed. Another message from Yvonne appeared.
[Did my husband just go to see you? Hurry and clean up room 1209. My mother-in-law is coming from the countryside tomorrow with the kids and my brother.]
[By the way, my brother-in-law is quite handsome. I can introduce him to you. You live alone, so you probably don’t have a boyfriend, right?]
[From now on, we’ll be a family. It’ll be lively and wonderful.]
Her messages came one after another, popping up nonstop. I really couldn’t understand how this family thought. It was pointless to argue with fools. Every time I replied to her, I felt like my IQ dropped. So, I stopped responding completely and left the flatmates’ group chat.
I thought that would finally be the end of it.
The next morning was the weekend. I planned to walk my dog, Bella, in the morning. After that, I would visit my parents at my old house later in the day. But when I got home from walking Bella, I saw that the door to 1209 next door was wide open.
Startled, I quickly went inside with Bella. The moment I entered, I saw Marcus standing there. Next to him were a woman in her thirties, an older woman in her sixties and a little boy who looked around seven or eight years old.
The woman was clearly Yvonne. The older woman and the boy must have been the mother-in-law and child she had mentioned yesterday. They didn’t even notice me.
Instead, they walked slowly around the living room while their curious eyes examined the furniture and decorations like they were already moving in.
“Not bad, not bad. This flat is really nice,” Mrs. Eden said happily.
“I’m enjoying your blessing by living here.”
Anger rushed through me. I strode forward and shouted, “How did you get in? This is my house! Get out right now!”
Mrs. Eden frowned at my words.
“Yvonne, is this the girlfriend you mentioned introducing to Michael?” she asked.
“The house looks nice, but this girl doesn’t seem polite at all.”
“With such a bad temper, how could she ever serve Michael well in the future?”
While she spoke, her eyes suddenly landed on Bella. She took a quick step back, grabbing her grandson’s hand tightly.
“Why are you still keeping this beast? Get rid of it right away!”
“Look at the clothes it’s wearing! They must have cost a fortune.”
“My dear grandson, stay away from it, or that dog might hurt you.”
I was beyond angry.
“Get out of here right now!” I yelled.
“You’re trespassing! Get out of my house!”
Yvonne gave me a stern look.
“You idiot! Why don’t you understand what I’m saying?” she snapped.
“We are family now. This is my mother-in-law. From now on, we will be sisters-in-law. What matters is my family, not yours.”
“Michael is not here yet. But I’m sure you will like him when you meet him later.”
I did not want to waste any more words on someone so thoughtless, so I just pointed toward the door and shouted, “Leave now! Or I will call the police!”
Yvonne opened her mouth to answer, but Mrs. Eden raised a hand to stop her.
“Call them! Let her call! This new, soon-to-be daughter-in-law dares to speak to me like this before she even comes in. I will teach her a lesson today!”
“I want to see whether the police in our city will really take sides in family matters.”
After hearing that, I said nothing further. I took my phone out and dialed.
“Hello, this is Unit 8, Room 1209, Angel Gardens. Someone is trespassing. I am afraid they are threatening my safety. Please-”
Before I could finish, a hand grabbed my phone while I was distracted.
Bang!
In the next instant, my phone struck the floor and broke into pieces.
“You little bitch! How dare you call the police!” they shouted.
I turned to see that Marcus had smashed my phone. When Marcus acted, Yvonne and Mrs. Eden woman did not stop him. Instead, they cheered.
“Good job! Marcus, you’re doing a great job! He is going to teach her a lesson!”
Bella felt threatened. She bared her small teeth and started barking at the intruders. Before I could pick her up, Marcus’s son kicked her hard.
“You little bastard! If you scream again, I will beat you to death today!”
Bella was a Maltese and very light. The kick made her let out a sharp, high cry. I could not hold back any longer. I shoved the little boy away.
“What do you think you are doing?” he demanded, then began to cry loudly.
Seeing the child cry, Yvonne rushed forward and grabbed my hair. I was taken by surprise and thrown roughly to the ground. But she did not stop. Instead, she rolled on top of me and began slapping my face wildly.
“You fucking bitch, how dare you touch my son? I will make you pay with your life!”
“Back where I grew up, I could beat anyone! But even now, I can still handle you. Prepare for that, you fucking bitch!”
“You hit my son? I will kill you!”
The older woman spat at me and sneered harshly.
“Jeez! A bitch like you is not fit for my Michael!”
“You should be grateful the Eden family even notices you. Look at you, you tramp!”
The little boy grabbed a blue-and-white porcelain vase from the entry and smashed it at me.
“I will smash you to death, you fucking idiot! How dare you push me!”
As the vase broke, the older woman cheered and gave her grandson a thumbs-up. Their cruelty shocked me. My pulse suddenly raced with anger.
“My Dane is brave!”
“That is how it should be. If someone bullies you, fight back!”
Yvonne stood up and glared down at me with a proud, scornful look.
“Now you see you are wrong. I will teach you a lesson for breaking the rules and striking my son.”
I rose slowly from the floor and looked at them all.
My voice stayed calm and steady as I told him, “This is breaking into private property, intentional injury and deliberate damage to property.”
“You’d better think carefully about the way you will explain this when the police arrive.”
When I named the crimes, Marcus, who had been silent until then, suddenly spoke.
“I really gave you a lot of face, but it looks like you still haven’t learned your place,” he said, voice low and threatening.
Mrs. Eden stepped forward and lifted her hand toward me.
“You little bitch, you really don’t know when to stop!” she shouted.
“I heard you and Marcus are from the same company. You’re so young and living in such a big house. What are you up to behind closed doors?”
“Someone must be keeping you. Didn’t some older man buy you this house?”
I grabbed her wrist and swung it hard. Just then, Yvonne had been pulling me. I didn’t want any of them to touch me again. Marcus’ mother immediately staggered and nearly fell from the force of my throw.
Her face went red with fury.
“You fucking bitch! I knew it! She dared to attack me!” she screamed.
“Tear it down! Tear it down right now! I wouldn’t live in this cursed house even if you gave it to me!”
She grabbed the ashtray from the coffee table and slammed it to the floor. The little boy shrieked with excitement, grabbed a small stool and began smashing things around him. Marcus climbed onto the sofa and ripped a framed antique painting off the wall.
I spoke in a cold voice, “That painting is Pablo Picasso’s original. It was sold at auction two years ago. It’s worth thirty million. You should be very careful.”
Marcus froze with the painting in his hands. However, his mother only laughed louder.
“Ha! Who are you trying to fool? Thirty million? That’s phantom money!” she shouted.
“You don’t even know what thirty million is, yet you’re bragging!”
Marcus’s face showed he believed her. With a final shove, the prized painting fell as its frame broke. The little boy jumped on the canvas, stomping it into pieces. Within minutes, the painting was destroyed.
Yvonne did not join the smashing. Instead, she slipped into my parents’ bedroom while everyone else was distracted. When she came back out, her hands were full of my mother’s jewelry. Her eyes were wet with greedy excitement.
I was about to rush at her when a firm voice came from the doorway and several police officers hurried in.
“Who called the police?” one of them demanded.
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