Chapter 7
Standing outside was Beatrix.
She'd swapped her designer dress for a plain white T-shirt and jeans, her expression soft and vulnerable, almost begging for sympathy.
She was holding an insulated food container.
She waited until Maddox had left.
She knew I'd be alone at this time.
Was she seriously showing up in the middle of the night to challenge me?
I didn't open the door.
I just watched her through the peephole, silent.
She waited for a while, and when no one opened the door, she spoke softly. "Anastasia, are you there? It's Beatrix.
"I know you're probably still mad at Mom and Dad, but they're really worried about you.
"Mom cooked some gelatin dessert for you herself. She thought you might be exhausted from all the studying, so she sent me to bring it over. Will you let me in?"
Her voice wasn't loud, but it was enough to set off the voice-activated lights and make sure everyone in the hallway could hear her.
If I didn't open the door, by tomorrow, the whole building would be gossiping about how the Harrison family's real heiress was cold-hearted, deliberately snubbing her sister.
Textbook guilt trip.
I pulled out my phone, started recording, and pointed it at the peephole.
Then I hit the intercom button.
My voice came through the intercom, crisp and cold. "And who's that?"
Beatrix froze outside the door, completely caught off guard.
She must've had a whole arsenal of touching lines ready, but my blunt question left her speechless.
The silence hung in the hallway for a few seconds.
Beatrix's smile slipped for a second, but she quickly recovered, her eyes filling up with tears almost instantly.
"Anastasia, how could you say that? It's me, Beatrix," she said. "You don't remember me? We literally saw each other just a few hours ago."
She really stressed the "just met this evening" part, like she was trying to paint me as some cold, forgetful monster.
"Oh, Ms. Harrison," I replied, purposely keeping things formal to remind her we're not close.
"I don't remember ever giving you my address," I said flatly. "So how exactly did you find my place?"
I wasn't sugarcoating anything. My question went straight for the jugular.
This was a luxury complex with strict security. No one got in unless a resident let them.
How did she even get up here?
Beatrix's face went pale.
"I... I asked Maddox," she stammered.
She used Maddox as her shield.
"He was worried about you, so..." she trailed off.
I cut her off, "So he just gave out my private address without even asking me?
"Ms. Harrison, according to the law, a person's home address is private information and legally protected.
"No one can get or share it without the owner's permission. You're already invading my privacy."
As I spoke, I kept my phone camera trained on her, making sure every single expression was caught on video.
"Anastasia, how could you think that of me?" Beatrix's voice trembled, sounding genuinely hurt.
Beatrix's tears finally spilled over, and she looked utterly aggrieved.
"I was just worried about you. I didn't mean any harm," she said. "I just wanted to bring you some gelatin dessert."
She lifted the insulated container, like it were some kind of proof she was innocent.
"I don't need it," I replied, ice-cold. "It's twelve-thirty at night, and you're standing at my door with a bowl of gelatin dessert, pulling the guilt trip on me.
"Ms. Harrison, honestly, it feels like you're here just to mess with me and wreck the quiet I need to prep for my exams.
"I'm asking you to leave, right now. If you don't, I'll report you to the police and hand over this video. Your face and voice are crystal clear.
I made sure to say "report to the police" loud and clear, so there was absolutely no misunderstanding.
Beatrix's face drained of all color in an instant.
She'd clearly never dealt with someone like me before.
I didn't play by anyone's script. I skipped the social niceties and went straight for the legal code.
All her manipulative sweet talk was nothing but evidence for the record.
Her hand, gripping the insulated container, was trembling.
She glared into the peephole, like she could somehow pierce through that tiny circle and see me on the other side.
But all she got back was a wall of cold darkness.
She finally backed down.
Without another word, she turned and fled into the elevator, looking embarrassed and defeated.
I waited until she vanished from the security feed, then turned off my phone's recording.
At last, everything was calm again.
I blocked every number from the Harrison family, except Maddox's.
Then I set my phone to block all unknown numbers.