Chapter 2
Rocky didn't stop Tiffany. Instead, he added fuel to the fire.
"Belle, look at yourself," he said. "We're older than you. How can you speak to us like that?
"My wife is just upset because she's worried. You should show some compassion.
"If you help us, we'll still be good neighbors. We'll see each other all the time. Don't ruin this relationship."
Hearing that made my stomach turn.
One of them played the villain, and the other played the reasonable one. They worked together smoothly.
It was obvious what they thought of me—a young woman, new to the neighborhood, someone who wouldn't want trouble.
They thought they could pressure me, control me, and take my money.
They were wrong.
More than anything, I hated being threatened.
My gaze went cold. I stopped arguing.
I reached into my pocket, pulled out my phone, and unlocked it right in front of them.
Tiffany froze for a second. "What are you doing?"
I didn't answer. I looked straight at the screen. "This is the last time I'm saying it. Leave my door.
"If you don't, I'm calling the police.
"When they get here, you can explain whether this counts as trespassing or extortion."
That was not what they expected.
Rocky's face stiffened.
Tiffany stopped pushing me. A flicker of panic showed in her eyes, but she quickly forced it down.
"Call the police?" she scoffed. "Who are you trying to scare?
"We're just talking to a neighbor. We'll explain everything to them when they get here.
"Let's see if they side with a rich person like you or regular people like us."
Her voice was still loud, but she had already taken a step back.
I could tell she was nervous.
People like her never responded to reason. They bullied when they thought they could win, and they backed off when they sensed strength.
So I didn't hesitate. I tapped the first number and lifted my eyes to meet theirs. My finger hovered over the next digit.
The message was clear. One more second, and I would press it.
The air went still.
Finally, Rocky cracked. He grabbed Tiffany's sleeve. "Forget it. Let's go back first."
"Go back? Why should we?" she snapped.
"Do you want to end up at the police station?" Rocky whispered harshly.
Tiffany glared at me, her eyes full of resentment, as if she wanted to tear me apart.
"Fine," she said. "Just wait. This isn't over."
Rocky pulled her away, and they retreated into their apartment.
A second later, their door slammed shut.
At last, everything went quiet.
I leaned back against the door and let out a long breath.
Only then did I look down at my phone. I had been nervous earlier, but what stayed with me now was anger.
All the excitement I'd felt about moving into this new place had been ruined by those two people.
I thought it was finally over.
But a few minutes later, my phone started buzzing like crazy.
Messages kept pouring in from the building's owners' WhatsApp group.
The management had added me when I moved in, but I had barely paid attention to it before.
Now my name and unit number were right there at the top of the chat.
Tiffany was the one posting. [The new owner in 1702 is just cold-blooded.
[We went to her with good intentions. We just wanted her to help us who lost money. But she actually tried to call the police on us.
[Young people these days have no sympathy at all.]
A few people quickly agreed.
[Yeah, we're all neighbors here.]
[House prices really are hurting people these days.]
Tiffany sent another message right away: [She bought the place in cash and got a huge bargain. What's wrong with asking her to give a little back?
[She was even rude about it. Having someone so cold in our building is bad luck.]
The group blew up in seconds.
I stared at the screen, reading her lies, and felt the heat rise in my chest all over again.
That last look she gave me finally made sense.
When force didn't work, she switched to words.
She wanted to turn everyone against me.
She wanted me to look like some cold, heartless rich girl.
She wanted to make it impossible for me to live here in peace.
It was a smart move. And it was already working on people who didn't know the truth.
[Is the owner of 1702 here? Say something.]
[Could this be a misunderstanding?]
[Miss, if you have extra money, helping a neighbor is a good thing.]
I almost laughed. The whole thing was ridiculous.
If I gave in or argued, it would only make things worse.