On New Year, my childhood friend, Maverick Kirk, asks for the passcode of my new home.

Initially, I thought he wanted to give me a housewarming gift. But when I open the door, I'm stunned to see more than a dozen people gathering in my home.

As Maverick smiles and approaches me, he makes sure to shoot me a look.

"What are you doing here, Chloe? You're in luck—we're having a family dinner!"

I just look very confused in return. Before I can even ask Maverick any questions, his girlfriend, Bianca Bennett, adopts a passive-aggressive tone instantly.

"Is your childhood friend extremely charismatic? I'm curious as to how she managed to coax your home's passcode out of your mouth!"

Maverick's expression turns grim instantly.

"Chloe didn't coax it out of me! In fact, she got down on her knees and begged for it! She claimed that she didn't have anywhere else to live after she got into a big fight with her family and got kicked out of her home! You know how big of a softie I am, Bianca. I didn't think much about it when I gave her the passcode."

Bianca's expression becomes one of disdain afterward.

"Regular women aren't as shameless as her, you know. Maybe she's done the same thing to countless men just to obtain what she wants behind our backs."

Maverick gives her a thumbs-up immediately.

"Wow, you really are smart, babe! Previously, Chloe had stripped naked and begged me to buy her her favorite bag! I told you what happened afterward last time."

Bianca covers her mouth and starts giggling. "Oh, so that was her, huh? She really is shameless!"

The sight of Maverick's despicable face pisses me off to no end. So, I rush over and slap him right away.

"Who the hell do you think you are? How dare you make my home your own while slandering me on the side! Now get lost!"

The moment I opened the door, the dozen or so people standing in my living room froze, their faces registering the same shock as mine.

"A thief?"

A woman in her 50s shrieked from the crowd. "Someone's breaking into my house in broad daylight! Grab her and beat the hell out of her!"

She was actually trying to pin this on me. How shameless.

Furious, I pulled pepper spray from my bag and let it fly. "This is my house. You're trespassing and attempting assault. That's illegal. I'm calling the police!"

The first wave of people who'd rushed forward scrambled back, swearing. "Crazy bitch and her tricks. Someone get me a bat. I'll deal with her myself."

Before anyone could move, my childhood friend Maverick Kirk burst out from the kitchen. "No police, and no fighting. This is a misunderstanding."

He smiled as he tried to calm everyone down, then walked toward me with a pointed look. "Chloe, what are you doing here? Come in, come in. Perfect timing. You're just in time for our family dinner."

I frowned, utterly baffled. Before I could get a word out, his girlfriend, Bianca Bennett, leaned against the doorframe, her voice sickly sweet. "Maverick, does your little childhood friend always have such a silver tongue?"

Maverick stopped and turned back with a raised eyebrow. "Babe, she's not even half as sweet as you. Not even close."

Bianca shot him a playful glare. "Stop it. Who said anything about that?"

Their flirting drew laughter from the others.

I felt sick, like someone I trusted had used me as a stepping stone. My voice rose sharply. "Maverick, you brought strangers into my place without permission—"

Bianca cut me off, her tone sharp. "Maverick, I'm dying to know how she sweet-talked you into giving her the door code. If we weren't here today, what exactly was she planning?"

The smile dropped from Maverick's face. His expression turned cold. "Whatever she had planned, I wouldn't give her the chance. You're the only one I see."

"She didn't sweet-talk anything. She got on her knees and begged me, saying she fought with her family, got kicked out, and had nowhere to go. You know I'm soft-hearted. I didn't think twice about helping."

His words hit like a lightning strike. We had grown up together, yet I'd never seen him lie so easily, tearing someone's reputation apart in seconds like it meant nothing.

I stood there, stunned.

Bianca's face twisted with contempt. "Most girls wouldn't stoop that low. Who knows how many men she's begged to get what she wants?"

Maverick gave her a thumbs-up. "Babe, you're so sharp. Remember last time? She stripped down and begged me to buy her a designer bag. I told you about it."

Bianca covered her mouth, stifling a laugh. "Oh, that was her? How disgusting."

A woman who seemed to be Bianca's mother, along with the others, erupted in mocking laughter.

"Her figure can't be much to look at, right?"

Maverick wrinkled his nose. "I didn't look, but probably like a beached whale."

He glanced at his girlfriend like a dog waiting for praise.

Bianca smiled approvingly. "That's my man. You know not to cross the line. Looking at a woman built like that could ruin your eyesight."

Their little performance reduced me to a joke, like I was nothing. It was revolting.

I pushed down the fury building in my chest. "Maverick, for your mother's sake, I'll give you another chance. Take these people and get out right now. I can pretend this never happened. Otherwise, I'm having every single one of you arrested."

"Wow, big talk," Bianca said. "I'm so scared."

She curled her lip. "I almost forgot you're some hotshot lawyer who crawls out of a different man's bed every morning, then struts around bullying regular people like us."

A flicker of panic crossed Maverick's eyes. He tugged at the hem of her shirt. "There are so many people here. Let's not embarrass her."

Bianca jerked her arm away, her voice rising in displeasure. "What, you feel sorry for her? Am I wrong? She snuck into our place today because she wanted to seduce you, didn't she?"

Bianca's mother chimed in. "Exactly. One look at that face and you can tell she's a shameless little homewrecker who sleeps her way to the top."

The others joined in, each comment more vicious than the last. What I couldn't stand most was Bianca repeatedly calling this place her home.

The anger in my chest kept building. I glared at them. "Under criminal law, defamation and trespassing carry a combined sentence of one to five years in prison."

If it weren't for the fact that Maverick's mother and my parents were colleagues with a close relationship, and our families had been neighbors for years, I wouldn't have wasted another word on them. I would have called the police immediately.

"Maverick, I don't care what reason you had for bringing these people into my house. Apologize and get out now while you still can."

Bianca laughed like it was the funniest thing she'd heard. "Your house? Keep dreaming.

"It's one thing to play the mistress, but now you want to steal my boyfriend and take over his property? Let me make this clear—he would never marry a slut like you. Not in this lifetime."

I nearly lost control and sprayed her with pepper spray, but from a legal standpoint, the person who struck first would lose the advantage.

I could only shout back. "I've always conducted myself properly, unlike you and your long list of men! Only someone as rotten as Maverick would suit you!"

I continued, "I'll say it one more time. I bought this apartment for 1.5 million. You have no right to be here."

I pulled out my phone to call the police. But Maverick, who'd been avoiding eye contact this whole time, suddenly lunged forward like a madman.

He snatched my phone and smashed it on the floor, then roared at me. "Chloe, don't push your luck! What do you mean your house? You gave it to me last month to settle a debt. Don't even think about going back on that now."

Bianca's eyes went wide. "What? This apartment was payment for a debt?"

Her face twisted in disgust. "I don't want some dump where this slut lived. Who knows how many men she brought back here. It's revolting."

Bianca's mother and the others piled on. "The marital home is secondhand? You better come up with another 500 grand in cash, or you're not marrying her."

Maverick's face went pale. He apologized frantically. "Mom, everyone, I didn't explain it clearly. This is brand new, definitely not secondhand. You can check online or even ask the property management. I just got the keys last month."

When he turned to look at me, hatred surged in his eyes. Every word dripped with poison. "Chloe, making a scene won't help. I could never like damaged goods like you. Not in this lifetime.

"If you're that desperate for a man, Bianca's uncle happens to be single. Since we go way back, I'll set you up with him."

Bianca's uncle's eyes lit up, a lewd grin spreading across his face. "Sounds good to me. I don't mind that she sleeps around."

He reached out to grab me. "Come on, let's find somewhere private so we can have some fun."

His words drew another round of raucous laughter.

Watching Maverick join in their jeering with that disgusting smirk on his face, the fury in my chest finally erupted. I rushed forward and slapped him hard across the face.

"Who the hell do you think you are? You think you can just take over my house and slander me. Get ready for a lawsuit!"

Maverick clutched his face, staring at me in disbelief. "You actually hit me?"

I was shaking with rage, but I forced myself to stay calm as I argued back. "You brought over a dozen people into my home and refused to leave. You led them in verbally attacking me and deliberately let someone try to grope me. I had no choice but to defend myself."

At that, Bianca's face twisted with fury. She lashed out with a kick. "Chloe, you dare lay a hand on my man? You're asking for it—ah!"

Because I dodged quickly, she hit nothing but air. She crashed hard to the floor, screaming in pain.

That set everything off. Bianca's mother charged at me with her pack of relatives. "You little bitch! We're not leaving until you're dead!"

To avoid getting hurt, I bolted down the stairs all the way to the lobby, screaming in terror. "Fire! Someone help!"

It worked. Soon, people who'd been out for evening walks in the neighborhood came running over.

I immediately changed my story in a panic. "No—wait! Murder! Someone's trying to kill me to steal my apartment!"

At that moment, Bianca's mother and the others came charging down, holding kitchen knives and mops. When they saw me hiding behind a group of neighbors, they were furious.

"You little bitch, you've already latched onto other men to protect you? Come out here if you've got the guts!"

The neighbors, both men and women, were immediately offended. They started arguing back.

"Please call the police," I said quietly. "They smashed my phone."

Just then, Maverick came downstairs with Bianca leaning against him. When he saw what was happening, he immediately played the victim and started spinning his story.

"Everyone, the truth is she owes me two million dollars. She used this apartment, worth 1.5 million, to settle the debt. Now she's shamelessly trying to take it back. I have a written transfer agreement. Her name, Chloe Wilder, is right there on it."

He pulled out a stack of documents and held them up for everyone to see.

The neighbors crowded in to look. After reading the content, they turned to me. "Are you Chloe Wilder?"

My stomach dropped. "That transfer agreement is absolutely fake. I never signed it."

The moment I said that, the neighbors' expressions changed, and they appeared more wary.

"She's a compulsive liar!" Bianca shouted with righteous indignation. "You should stay away from her, or she'll seduce your husbands next.

"If I hadn't been home today, she would've stripped naked and thrown herself at my boyfriend. She's absolutely shameless.

"When that didn't work, she threatened to burn down the apartment. Tell me—doesn't someone like that deserve a beating?"

With her slandering me, my neighbors instantly turned on me. They started cursing me out.

"You almost tricked us into wrongly accusing innocent people. You're disgusting!"

One of Bianca's relatives blended into the crowd and shouted, "Exactly! Someone like her needs a good beating to teach her a lesson so she won't seduce other people's men again."

That one statement made everyone clench their fists, ready to take a swing at me.

I tried to explain, but Bianca suddenly ambushed me from behind and kicked me hard.

"That's for threatening to set a fire earlier! What if it actually caught? Think of all the property damage! You don't care because it's not yours, right?"

Her angry tone sounded convincing enough that people who didn't know better believed her, but I could see the smug satisfaction in her eyes.

Maverick chimed in, "My girlfriend is right. This woman and I grew up together. Not only is she a compulsive liar, but she's also a gambling addict.

"Who knows how many men she's been with for money? Everyone needs to watch out for rotten people like her."

After he finished, he put on an expression of deep sorrow and regret. It was revolting.

I was in so much pain that cold sweat broke out across my forehead. I clutched my stomach and struggled to my feet. "Maverick, every word you just said carries legal consequences," I said.

After a moment, I continued, "Could someone please call property management? I never transferred ownership. One check will prove it."

Maverick smirked. "Go ahead and call them. I've got nothing to hide. You're the one who should be nervous."