Chapter 6

The property manager leaned in and whispered, "Ms. Summers, should we call the police now?"

I said, "Yes."

Linda panicked immediately. "Don't!"

She rushed over, trying to grab me.

I took a step back.

She missed and almost fell.

Adam caught her, his eyes finally showing anger. "Charlotte! Are you trying to drive my mom crazy?"

I shot back, "Are you trying to drive me crazy?"

He was left speechless.

I watched as Adam steadied Linda with his hand. Suddenly, the whole thing felt bitterly ironic.

He was always there for his mom. He always looked out for Emily. He always cared about the Harper family's reputation. But he never once stood up for me.

*****

The police arrived quickly.

It was the same officer as before.

The property manager brought out the authorization letter, the surveillance footage, and my property records.

After going through the documents and footage, the officer's expression turned much more serious. "Is this your signature?"

I replied, "No."

"Did you authorize her to handle the access control or allow anyone else to live here long-term?"

"No."

The officer turned to Linda. "Who wrote this authorization letter?"

Linda's lips quivered.

Adam cut in, "Officer, it's just a family misunderstanding."

The officer cut him off, "I asked who wrote it."

All of a sudden, Linda's tears started falling. "I wrote it. But I really didn't mean to cause any trouble."

The officer kept pushing, "Did you write Charlotte's name too?"

Linda stayed silent.

Her silence said it all.

The officer took down the statement. "You need to come with us to the station and explain what happened."

Linda's knees buckled. "I'm not going. Adam!"

Adam's face went pale with panic. He grabbed my arm, his voice barely above a whisper. "Charlotte, I'm begging you. Let's end it here today.

"I'll make Emily leave, and I'll make my mom apologize. Let's go home and live as we used to."

I looked at him. "Go home? Which home?"

He froze.

I told him, making every word count, "From now on, you don't have the right to enter my home either."

Just then, a new visitor record popped up on the property manager's computer.

Emily had just entered the complex using facial recognition.

The timestamp showed it was just now.

She didn't use the main entrance.

She came in through the underground garage.

And the person who invited her was Adam.

I stared at that line on the screen, and suddenly, my breath caught in my chest.

The visitor was invited by Adam.

Just moments ago, he was standing right in front of me, saying he'd make Emily leave.

Just moments ago, he was grabbing my arm, begging me to let it go.

But while I was turning to call the police, Adam had already given Emily access through another entrance.

Adam saw the record pop up on the screen too. His face instantly turned ghostly pale.

I looked at him and asked, "Is this your idea of a family misunderstanding?"

He tried to speak, but no words came out.

But Linda was the first to react. She cried out, "Adam, are you out of your mind? Why did you let Emily come back?"

Her words gave him away.

The officer turned to Adam. "Did you send the visitor invitation?"

Adam swallowed hard. "Yes. But I only let her come back to get her things."

I let out a cold laugh. "Her luggage is still here. She just took her dog with her. So, what else does she need to come back for?"

Adam looked away, avoiding my eyes. "She left her phone charger upstairs."

I looked at him. Watching him was like seeing someone stumble through a pathetic performance.

Just then, the property manager's walkie-talkie crackled to life.

The security guard's voice came through, "We've stopped a Ms. Foster at the underground garage.

"She says she's a friend of the owner and wants to go upstairs. She's got a dog and a backpack with her."

The property manager looked at me.

"Please bring her to the property management office," I said.

*****

Five minutes later, Emily was brought in by the security guard.

She had a knit sweater thrown over her white dress, her eyes puffy and red, cradling the little dog in her arms.

As soon as she walked in, she looked straight at Adam. "Adam, I came to get my charger."

Adam immediately walked over to her. "Emily, don't be scared."

I watched them standing together.

He protected her without thinking, and she leaned on him like it was second nature.

Watching them, one'd think they were the real family, not me.

The officer turned to Emily and asked, "Why did you come in through the underground garage?"

Emily bit her lip. "I was worried Charlotte would misunderstand."

I shot back, "So, you knew I didn't want you in my house, but you still went behind my back and came in anyway?"

Tears suddenly streamed down her face. "I wasn't trying to sneak in. Adam asked me to come. He said this is his home as well."

Adam's expression shifted in a flash. "Emily."

Emily acted like she didn't even hear him. She took out her phone and pulled up their chat history. "I really didn't do it on purpose. Adam said he'd take care of it."

The screen lit up. It showed the messages Adam had sent her.

Adam: [Come back. Don't worry about her. She's trying to scare you. My mom will handle her.

[Stay in the guest room tonight. We'll sort it out tomorrow. If she causes trouble, I'll deal with her.]

After reading those messages, I felt a chill run through my whole body.

It wasn't even about the master bedroom. They only switched to the guest room because I caught them in the master bedroom today.

So, it wasn't a quick stop. She was going to spend the night.

My so-called husband was always plotting with another woman to move her into my home, right under my nose.

The officer saw the chat history, too. His expression grew even more serious. "Ms. Summers, do you agree to let Ms. Foster stay here tonight?"

I replied, "No. From this moment on, Adam is no longer allowed to invite anyone into any property under my name."

The property manager began making the changes on the computer right away. "Ms. Summers, I'm removing Mr. Harper's guest access privileges now."

Adam's head snapped up. "What gives you the right to take away my access?"

I looked at him. "Because I'm the owner. Because you lied to me right in front of the police.

"Because you invited someone to enter my house through the underground garage instead of the main entrance."

Emily started crying even harder. "Charlotte, I never wanted to steal your home, I really didn't!"

I gave her a cold stare. "You can't take it from me. You're trying to use someone else to shove me out of my own home."

Her face went pale.

Grace couldn't help but say, "Charlotte, don't be so mean. Emily's just a girl, and you're shaming her in front of everyone. How can you be so heartless?"

I turned to look at her. "If she had any dignity, she wouldn't be dragging her suitcase into the house I share with my husband.

"And if you had any dignity, you wouldn't have helped her sneak her luggage in."

Grace's face flushed red, left speechless.

Suddenly, Linda threw herself into Adam's arms, sobbing her heart out. "Adam, I'm not going to the police station. Please, beg Charlotte for me.

"I'm too old for this! I can't afford to lose face like this."

Adam's eyes were rimmed with red. He looked at me, his voice rough and low. "Charlotte, I was wrong. I shouldn't have kept things from you.

"Please ask the police to leave. Don't let them take my mom."

I asked him, "And what about Emily?"

He froze.

Emily looked at him too.

For a split second, the air felt so tense that I could cut it with a knife.

Adam stayed silent for three long seconds. He said, "I'll take her to a hotel for now."

I let out a cold laugh. "For now?"

His face turned even darker.

I picked up my bag and told the officer, "I insist on making a statement. I'll submit the authorization letter, the surveillance footage, and the chat logs."

The officer nodded. "Everyone involved, come with us."

Linda's legs gave out, and she almost crumpled to the floor.

Adam caught her, his eyes so full of fury it felt like he could rip me apart. "Charlotte, you really crossed the line today."

I looked straight at him. "It's not today. The second you let her walk through that door, there was no way we could ever go back."

When we were about to leave, the property manager called me back. "Ms. Summers, there's one more thing."

He pointed at the system logs, his voice strained. "Last Friday night, someone used the family member privileges to add a new fingerprint to your electronic door lock.

"The new fingerprint was registered to Emily Foster."