Chapter 5

The next morning, I purposely sent all my bodyguards away, leaving Justin’s family alone in the apartment while I went to work.

When I returned in the evening and unlocked the door, I found the place completely trashed, looking like it had been cleared out by thieves.

I glanced toward the hidden Ring camera I had installed. Pretending to be panicked, I ran through the rooms, checking what was missing.

My bodyguards, who had received my message, rushed in to help me take inventory of the stolen items.

By the time we totaled the losses, Justin and his family were nowhere to be found.

I slammed my hand on the table, pretending to be furious. "It must be Justin! They stole everything!"

Just as the words left my mouth, Justin and his parents walked in, looking completely nonchalant.

Seeing the mess in the living room, a flash of smug satisfaction crossed Justin's eyes. But he quickly forced a shocked expression onto his face.

"Chloe! What happened? Did we get robbed?!"

I nodded with a heavy face. "As you can see, thieves stole all the valuables."

Brenda let out a loud shriek and ran toward the guest room. She started screaming hysterically, then ran back to the living room, pointing a finger at me.

"Chloe Henderson! You owe us money! Our stuff is gone too!"

Even though I knew they had stolen everything themselves, seeing Brenda act so righteous made my blood boil.

If I hadn't watched the live feed on my phone earlier—seeing them carry my luxury goods out box by box—I might have actually been fooled by her acting.

They were absolutely heartless!

When Justin's startup failed, I took him in out of kindness, only to bring a family of venomous snakes into my home.

They tried guilt-tripping, they tried threatening, and they even tried violence.

But once I brought in my bodyguards, all their little tricks failed.

Since they couldn't suck any more blood out of me, they decided to rob me blind and sell my belongings for cash.

As the saying goes, "poor towns breed thieves." I had finally witnessed the peak of human greed and malice.

The loud commotion quickly drew the attention of the neighbors. People from the upper and lower floors started gathering in the hallway, whispering and peeking inside.

Seeing a crowd forming, Brenda’s eyes spun with mischief. She sat flat on the floor, slapping her thighs, and began to wail at the top of her lungs.

"What a tragedy! This is karma!"

"We lived here peacefully and never had any issues. The moment she tries to kick us out, the place gets robbed!"

"This is God punishing her for being so cruel to her future in-laws!"

Her dramatic performance immediately sparked whispers among the neighbors. A well-dressed older woman stepped forward to ask what was going on.

Brenda quickly pointed at me. "This terrible girl is throwing me and my husband out! She's trying to dump my son!"

"I only gave her some motherly advice, telling her not to waste money. But she threw a tantrum, screamed at my son, and even hired these thugs to beat us up!"

After spitting out her lies, Brenda looked up, waiting for the neighbors to join in and condemn me.

But the outrage she expected never came. Instead, the neighbors looked at her like she was an absolute idiot.

Brenda froze, her voice stuttering. "Why... why aren't you guys yelling at her?"

"She doesn't obey her man, and she respects no elders! How can a woman like this be allowed to run wild?!"

Standing nearby, I let out a cold laugh.

This was an ultra-luxury apartment complex. Anyone who could afford to live here was at least upper-middle class.

In this wealthy neighborhood, most families only had one child. Girls here were raised like pampered princesses; their parents and grandparents treated them like precious gems.

The internet even had a term for girls like us: *the spoiled trust-fund daughters*.

Trying to bully a local wealthy only-daughter in front of these rich suburban neighbors? Brenda had just run straight into a brick wall.