The apartment that I bought four years ago isn't renovated or lived in at all. Yet, I suddenly receive messages on unpaid water and electricity bills.

Puzzled by the sudden barrage of messages, I return to that particular apartment to check things out. That's when I realize that a stranger has been living in my apartment this whole time!

Just as I was getting off work, a text popped up on my phone about overdue water and electricity bills.

I stared at the unfamiliar address for a long time before it finally hit me. It seemed I did own a place like that.

Back in college, my mother had worried I couldn't adjust to dorm life, so she bought this place near campus for me.

Later, I suddenly decided to go abroad to further my studies, so the place sat empty right after the renovations were finished.

That thought brought a flicker of confusion. As far as I knew, no one was living in that apartment, so where did the water and electricity bills come from?

Full of questions, I followed the route I remembered and headed to the residential complex.

…

Standing in front of the unit, I hesitated. The brand-new black security door looked nothing like the dull maroon one the developer had installed back then, so I glanced up again at the door number, unsure if I had the right place.

"808. I'm at the right place."

I stared at the black door that looked nothing like what I remembered, as a foul stench wafted from the door crack. A sense of dread washed over me as I quickly called the locksmith.

The locksmith arrived soon and gave me a quick once-over.

"Is this your apartment?"

I quickly pulled out my title deed and ID from my bag and handed them over.

"Of course. Here are the documents. My name is Kiera Cowell."

The locksmith took the documents but studied me carefully. He still seemed a little hesitant.

Eager to get inside, I hurriedly offered, "I'm in a rush. How does an extra 100 dollars sound?"

Only then did he hand the documents back and crouch down to open his toolbox. I heard him mutter, "Hmm, didn't an old lady live here?"

"What was that?"

I didn't hear what he said and was about to question him when a shrill voice sounded behind us. "Hey, what are you doing here?"

A sharp jolt hit my shoulder as a gray-haired old woman ran to the locksmith and pointed at him, shouting furiously, "You thief! How dare you break into my apartmetn in broad daylight?"

As she spoke, she lunged at the locksmith and clawed at his face.

In the blink of an eye, a streak of blood appeared across his cheek.

The locksmith yelped as he stepped back, holding his bleeding nose and pointing at me. "I'm not a thief! She's the one who asked me to open the door!"

The old lady spun around and scanned me head to toe. Her gaze locked onto my gold necklace as a sharp glint appeared in her eyes.

She then muttered curses as she stormed toward me. "Young lady, how dare you steal at such a young age? Just wait. I'll teach you a lesson today!"

She lunged straight at me, hand outstretched.

I frowned and stepped back cautiously. When she missed, the old lady quickly changed her mind and lay down on the ground.

"Oh, someone help me! This young lady tried to break into my apartment and is now bullying me…"

Her voice was so loud that soon all the neighbors had opened their doors and were peeking out to see what was happening

I'd never seen anyone so shameless in my life, and I instinctively took a step back.

When she saw people gathering around, the old lady howled even louder and grabbed onto my pant leg.

"You're not going anywhere! You just knocked me to the ground, and now I can't move. You need to take responsibility!"

What the hell? I never even touched her!

"Ma'am, please watch what you're saying. I never even touched you. The locksmith can be my witness!"

I cast a pleading look at the locksmith, but to my surprise, he quietly looked away, too afraid to meet my gaze.

A gleam of triumph flashed in the old woman's eyes as she held on tight to my calf, her sharp nails digging into my skin.

"See? No decent man would vouch for you. You should just pay up!"

Her gaze locked onto the gold necklace around my neck, greed shining in her eyes. Her intentions were crystal clear.

Realizing no one was going to help me, I took a quiet breath to steady myself and let out a cold scoff. "What's your name, then? How exactly do you expect me to make it up to you?"

The old lady's eyes lit up. She immediately pointed at my gold necklace and said, "My name is Jane Bernard. I can't even stand up, and a hospital visit will cost thousands of dollars. I'm feeling generous, so just give me your gold necklace, and we'll call it even."

I nodded. "Sure, but before I compensate you, can you answer two questions?"

Without thinking, Jane nodded greedily. "What do you want to know?"

I pointed at the black door and asked cheerfully, "Is this your apartment?"

"Of course it's my apartment!" she replied instantly.

I continued, "Oh, is that so? How did the apartment I bought become yours?"

Jane froze, and she stuttered, "W-What are you talking about?"

"May I know why you are living in my apartment?"

A flicker of guilt crossed her eyes as she stiffened her neck and shot back, "What do you mean, your apartment? I've been living here for years. What proof do you have that it's yours?"

"I have proof, of course!"

I pulled out the deed from my bag slowly and showed it to her. The name written on it was clearly mine, Kiera Cowell!

The neighbors broke into a loud discussion behind us.

"Is this really not Jane's apartment?"

"What? So this isn't Jane's apartment?"

"I knew it. Jane hoards junk all over her place. There's no way she could afford a place in this upscale neighborhood!"

Hearing the whispers around us, Jane flew into a fit of rage and lunged at me, trying to snatch the deed.

I immediately raised my hand, holding the deed out of reach with a faint smile. "I thought you couldn't stand up? Is this a last burst of strength?"

Jane belatedly realized she had already stood up. She had no choice but to give me a hard shove and demanded angrily, "I've been living here for three years, so this is my apartment! Where did you even come from?"

I almost laughed in frustration. "So by your logic, no one needs to buy a house. Just move into someone else's place for three years, and it magically becomes yours?"

"I live here, so it's mine!"

As we were arguing, the building's security guard, Eric Goff, finally made his appearance.

Jane's eyes lit up as she quickly started a new round of complaining.

"Oh, Eric, you're finally here. This young lady tried to break into my apartment and even claimed it's hers! You should help me!"

Eric moved in front of her, putting himself between us, and glared at me. "How did you even get in here? Do you have any idea where you are? Coming here to cause trouble for the homeowner, huh?"

I've seen unreasonable people before, but never one this ridiculous.

I brandished the deed and said firmly, "Take a look at this. I'm the real owner of the apartment!"

The moment Eric saw the deed, his expression froze. When he noticed the other neighbors giving us weird gazes, he immediately tried to snatch it from me.

After what Jane had just pulled, there was no way I was handing the deed over to him. I quickly stepped back.

"What do you want? I can hold it up for you to see!"

Eric snapped in frustration, "Who knows if that deed of yours is even real? You think you can wave a fake one around and claim the place? Get out of here, now!"

He moved as if to shove me aside, while Jane hurriedly took out her key and unlocked the front door.

The moment it opened, an indescribable stench rushed out, so foul it nearly made me throw up my last meal.

Through the half-open door, all I could see were towering piles of trash. A rat suddenly screeched and darted out through the gap!

"Ah!" I jumped in shock.

By the time I recovered, Jane had already slipped inside and slammed the door shut.

Just as I was about to rush forward and knock on the door, Eric planted himself in front of me and waved his baton. "You won't leave? Do you want me to throw you out?"

Maybe feeling a bit guilty for pretending not to notice earlier, the locksmith warned me, "Don't bother knocking. That old lady always causes trouble and loves taking advantage of others. She's notorious in this area. We all avoid getting involved with her, as you can't reason with her."

With that, he picked up his toolkit and hurried away.

Giving the burly Eric one last glance, I had no choice but to swallow my frustration and leave.

…

As soon as I left the residential complex, I rushed straight to the police station. I had no idea Jane was infamous at the police station, too.

The officer who received me looked completely exasperated. "This is a tricky one. We can't just force her out of the apartment. She's elderly and has a fiery temper."

The officer's words were careful, but I could already tell what he really meant.

Jane obviously liked to lean on her age to cause trouble, and the police couldn't do anything about it.

The officer then offered a friendly suggestion, "We can only help with a mediation at most. Since this is a civil dispute, you could file a lawsuit and get the court to evict her."

Get the court to evict her? How long would that even take?

Just thinking about the chaos inside the apartment made me feel sick. Jane had turned it into a dumping site!

I took a deep breath, then something occurred to me. I turned to the police officer. "Sir, it isn't illegal for me to enter my own apartment and clear out the trash, right?"

The officer cleared his throat. "If you didn't sign any tenancy agreement, then it's legal. Just make sure no one gets hurt."