chapter 4
Mom was furious, cursing me out over the phone.
“You ungrateful brat, just wait until Colton gets home and sees that lawyer’s letter. He’ll beat you up!”
“Send him. I’ll wait.”
I hung up and was greeted by my neighbor, carrying a plate of fruit. She looked slightly older than me and seemed familiar.
“Hi, I’m Gwen Sinclair, your neighbor.”
It dawned on me that she was a local TV
host.
“Hello, I’m Alina Weinberg. Please, come in.”
She waved her hand. “No need. I just came to introduce myself. We’re having a reunion at my place, and it might get noisy. I hope you don’t mind.”
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I smiled. “No problem at all.”
She looked at me and smiled, “You seem around our age. Why not join us?
“I thought someone older lived here.”
I wanted to decline, but she was so friendly and persistent that she practically dragged me along.
With the housekeeper at home, I didn’t worry.
Inside, her house was filled with people already. She introduced me as her neighbor, and soon we were chatting and grilling together.
I didn’t expect Gwen to be Marcela‘ s classmate.
Marcela arrived with Colton, and when she saw me, she stormed over.
“Alina, how did you find this place?”
I smiled at her, watching her dramatic outburst.
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Gwen, unaware of our relationship, pulled Marcela over to introduce me.
But Marcela blurted out, “This is my sister–in–law I always complain about. The one who’s in her thirties, unemployed, still living off her brother and his wife.
“Sorry, I didn’t expect her to follow us here.”
Everyone knew I was invited by Gwen as her neighbor.
As a resident of this exclusive villa community, I know that it didn’t match. the picture Marcela had painted.
People exchanged puzzled looks.
Gwen looked at me, asking, “You know each other?”
I smiled. “What a coincidence. This is my brother and sister–in–law. I didn’t know
you were classmates.”
Gwen, the gracious host, chuckled.
“Indeed, what a small world!
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“Marcela, Alina didn’t follow you. She’s my neighbor. I thought she’d enjoy
joining us since we‘ re around the same age.”
Colton and Marcela looked utterly bewildered.
“What? She’s your neighbor? How is that possible?”
Gwen looked unsure how to respond, turning to me. Marcela did too. “Alina, aren’t you unemployed? How could you afford to rent a villa here?”
“I didn’t rent it. I bought it.‘
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Marcela laughed incredulously. “How could that be? You spent all your savings buying those three houses. After getting laid off, where did you get the money to buy this?
“A villa, no less. Maybe you‘ re delusional after being kicked out.”
“I worked hard for over a decade to buy
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those three houses. You knew I was wiped out, so you shamelessly took over all three. When you heard I was coming back, you couldn’t wait to kick me out.
“No worries, I’ve hired a lawyer. I’ll reclaim those three houses.”
“So, Marcela and Colton, I suggest you start looking for your own place. Don’t wait until the court forces you out and leaves you homeless.”
