Rent Trap

However, Cecelia rejected my request. 'I'm busy today, Maddie. I'll likely be working overtime. Why don't you get it delivered?'

In the end, I had to drag myself into a cab just to get to the hospital.

I was stuck on the IV drip for four hours.

No one checked in on me at all.

Later on, Lilian sent a picture in the group chat around 1 p.m. It was a photo of a luxurious seafood feast worth hundreds.

'The rent just got paid. Let's have a feast today,' she messaged.

I was burning up with a fever in the hospital.

Meanwhile, they were having a feast on my dime.

I kept scrolling.

Last year, on the 18th of October, which was my birthday, I had left work early that day, hoping to celebrate with the group.

I had happily cooked up a feast and sent a photo of it to the group chat.

…

At least 30 minutes passed before Cecelia replied, 'Sorry, Maddie. I have to work late tonight.'

'Me too. My boss is glaring at me again,' Lillian added.

'I'm still in a meeting with a client. You can eat first,' Isabel said in refusal.

That evening, I sat alone at the dining table.

I stared at the table laden with cold food.

As for what they had been doing?

Cecelia posted a selfie of herself in a fine dining restaurant.

Lillian and Isabel were grinning in the photo.

'Cheers! Congratulations on another free meal!' Cecelia wrote in the caption.

Lillian sent a mocking emoji. 'That fool is likely waiting at home for us.'

Isabel seized the chance to twist the knife. 'Her cooking is so bad. Not even dogs would eat it.'

Those words hurt my eyes.

They burned.

I thought we were best friends.

I thought we would take good care of each other.

In the end, I was nothing but a jester they would poke and prod.

I did my best to calm myself, holding my tears back.

I downloaded a copy of the videos and took screenshots of the entire conversation, as well as the detailed information about the messages.

I sat before my laptop, tallying up the incidents, post by post, message by message.

The more I read, the colder I felt.

Before I knew it, a week had passed.

Finally, I had most of the screenshots and statistics matched up.

I walked over to my window.

In the world beyond, lights shone and flickered with warmth.

However, I felt as though I'd been doused in ice in my tiny west-facing bedroom.

I refused to let them leech off of me anymore.

I refused to allow them to get away with this!

My phone buzzed on the table. It was a message from Cecelia.

'Maddie, are you asleep? I'm hungry. I'm craving the toast sandwiches sold just outside the gates.'

She even sent a begging emoji.

I ignored her, pretending I didn't see her message.

Later on, she started banging on my door.

I chose to ignore her once more.

After a few long moments, I finally heard Cecelia leave the apartment.

I snuck into her bedroom to check on what they would be saying.

'Why is the fool so silent today? I'm starving.'

'She likely fell asleep.'

'She sleeps like the dead. I banged on her door for so long, yet she didn't wake up. Now, I have to head out to buy food myself.'

Cecelia sent a sighing emoji before continuing the conversation.

'We'll have to pay for next year's maintenance fees next week.

'I want to force her out after she pays. Then, my boyfriend will move in. He said he'll pay the rest.'

The moment those messages were sent...

The group chat came alive with chatter.

Lillian sent three thumbs-up emojis in a row. 'That's an amazing idea, Cece!'

'Now, I can even see a hottie all day long.' Isabel sent a few GIFs to express her excitement.

Only now did I understand why she wanted me to pay a whole year's rent in one go. That was her goal.

After I recorded everything, I snuck back to my room and continued verifying the rest of the data.

They wanted to cheat me out of my money?

They wanted to kick me out?

Dream on!

However, something felt off when I thought about Cecelia's reminder to pay a full year of rent and the messages in the group chat.

The landlord had to play along with their ruse, sending out false invoices for the rent along with the rest of the utilities for this entire scheme to work.

Nearly 20,000

The payoff of that plan felt small, which was unlike them.

Hence, I looked up rental units of the same building, asking for estimates on similarly sized units.

The agent's response felt rehearsed.

'Fully furnished units of that type would cost around 14,00 in this area. If you're after unfurnished and empty units, then it would cost around 12,000. The price can be negotiated if the unit has not been renovated in a while. Our lowest possible price is 10,000.'

The apartment we rented was not renovated at all. There was basically no furniture.

If the landlord wanted to make any money out of the deal, then the rent had to be lower than 12,000.

I was lost in thought, sitting in front of my laptop.

Why would the landlord go along with the act if he didn't get any extra money out of it?

Was he benefiting in some other way?

…

Early the next morning, Cecelia banged on my door once more.

"Madison, what are you doing? Look at the time! You still haven't made breakfast. We're starving to death!"

I remained seated, unwilling to see their faces.

"Maddie, are you sick? Why haven't you started breakfast yet?"

I could hear the superficial concern laced in her voice as she began banging harder and harder on the door like she had a grudge against it.

I became so exasperated that I stomped over and yanked the door open.

Cecelia's hand hung in mid-air.

"Why are you playing dead in there?"

"My stomach's aching. If you're hungry, order takeout," I coldly stated.

"What's with that attitude?" She was startled.

I ignored her and closed the door in her face.

"Who does she even think she is?"

"Yeah! It's just breakfast. What's with that brooding?"

I was rendered speechless by the complaints I could hear through the door.

Suddenly, I recalled the oats I had been soaking overnight in preparation for making oatmeal that morning.

I dashed into the kitchen, threw it all into the trash.

None of them deserved a single bite of my food.

I was done with my data and research after working at it for a full week.

The rent was inflated by 80%.

The maintenance, utility, and internet fees were inflated by 30%.

There were also the random repair fees for repairs that were never done.

They had cited leaking gas in the air-conditioning, clogged toilets, leaking taps...

Even the skincare products, shampoo, and toilet paper...

They got it all from me for free.

I sucked in a sharp breath when I read the total amount.

It was 19,864. That was nearly 20,000!

That was enough for a down payment in my hometown, or even to buy a nice car.

"Maddie, I'm broke again. I'm going to starve this month."

"Maddie, that bag is so expensive. Just when can I afford it?"

"Maddie, you're so capable. Please help me."

Cecelia would sob about being broke while using my money to buy luxury cosmetics.

Lillian and Isabel were the same.

I had been an absolute idiot. A complete moron who had been helping my own robbers.

A wave of nausea rocked me off my feet. I rushed into the bathroom and dry heaved over the toilet, but nothing came out.

After I splashed my face with some icy water, I couldn't help but look at myself in the mirror. My face was deathly pale. There were dark circles under my eyes.

The money I earned through blood, sweat, and tears… All the overtime I'd forced myself to slog through had been used to feed those greedy leeches!

I took a moment to pat my face dry.

…

Then, I called Brody Lane, a high school classmate who was now a lawyer at a famous firm.

"Madison?" Brody sounded very surprised over the phone.

"It's been a while, old friend." I did my best to sound calm.

"It has, so why is a busy woman like you calling little old me?"

"I've encountered some trouble and require legal consultation."