Chapter 3
An hour and a half later, I pulled up outside the apartment complex.
As soon as the elevator doors opened, I saw my empty, unfurnished living room filled with people. The front door had clearly been pried open by the worker.
Grace was standing on a wooden crate, acting like she was in charge of everything. "Knock this wall down right here.
"Build a small drink nook over there. My niece said there will be free drinks for everyone from now on."
"Did I say that?" I stood at the door and said in a cold, sharp voice.
Everyone turned around to look at me.
Grace froze for a moment, clearly not expecting me to show up so soon.
She recovered quickly, though, putting on a fake smile and walking over to grab my arm tightly. "Oh, look who's here. Renee, honey, come join us. George and Melissa were saying how wonderful and thoughtful you are."
She squeezed my arm hard and gave me a threatening look. Leaning in, she muttered under her breath so only I could hear, "All these people are watching. Don't make me look bad.
"It's too late to stop this now. Just go along with it. I'll set you up with a rich guy later, I promise."
I might have fallen for this kind of trick back when I was a timid girl hiding behind my mother.
But after years of working out in the real world, I've seen all kinds of manipulative people, and I wasn't buying any of it.
I yanked my arm free and brushed off my sleeve with obvious disdain.
"Aunt Grace, have you been pretending to be so good for so long that you've lost your mind?" I spoke calmly but loud enough for everyone to hear.
Her face changed instantly. "What are you talking about? Have you lost your senses?"
I ignored her and walked straight over to the worker holding the sledgehammer. "Sir, this house is under my name.
"If you touch anything without my permission, I'll call the police and charge you with trespassing and damaging private property. Go ahead and try if you don't believe me."
The worker was a reasonable man and immediately lowered the hammer in panic. "But this lady told me the owner agreed."
I turned back to face the room full of confused elders and the embarrassed Property Manager.
I raised my voice and spoke to everyone, "I think there has been a huge misunderstanding. I never said I would let anyone use this house as an activity center.
"I'm keeping this house as my backup, my safety net. I scraped together every penny to buy this home, and every part of it cost me endless effort."
I glanced coldly at Grace, whose face had turned dark with anger. "As for my aunt, she must have been imagining things.
"If you really want a place to gather, why not use her house? She lives in the next neighborhood, in a spacious 1,500-square-foot apartment that's beautifully finished with cozy underfloor heating.
"It's way nicer than my dusty, empty house. She's so kind and generous. I'm sure she'd never say no to you all."
I learned this little trick of turning things back on her from none other than herself.
The crowd caught on right away. George Lynn, who led the group, looked over at Grace. "Renee is right. Her place is still unfinished and full of concrete dust.
"It isn't good for our health. If you're this willing to help, Grace, your home would be much more suitable."
Others agreed at once and said her apartment was more suitable since it was nearby.
Grace's face turned bright red with panic.
Her own home was spotless, with floors so shiny that they reflected light. Everyone had to wear shoe covers inside, and she wouldn't even let her own son eat snacks on the sofa.
She would never let a group of elders trample through and mess up her perfect home.
It would be torture for her.
"Uh... my place... It's not a good fit," Grace stammered, breaking out in a cold sweat.
"Why not?" I pressed. "Aunt Grace, you're always telling people to be generous and open-minded. You talked about doing good deeds too.
"Does your kindness only count when you're giving away my house? You don't feel so charitable when it costs you something, do you?"
I paused for effect. "Or is your so-called charity using other people's things to make yourself look good?"
The moment I finished, everyone's expressions changed.
Even the slowest people could see what was really going on.
"So that's what this was about."
"She was using her niece's house to show off."
"That's a low thing to do, using us like this."
Quiet, judgmental murmurs circled around Grace.
Grace cared more about her reputation than anything, and now, she wanted nothing more than to vanish on the spot.
She shot me a hateful glare, looking at me as if I were her worst enemy. "Fine, Renee. You think you're a big shot now, talking to your elders like that? I'm going straight to your mother. Let's see what she has to say about this."
With that, she pushed through the crowd and stormed off in a fury.