Chapter 5

Robert’s face turned a deep shade of purple, his rage boiling over as he lunged toward me.

I held up my phone, the screen unmistakably displaying the emergency number "999", my thumb hovering just above the call button.

“Go ahead. Try it,” I said, my voice calm but laced with a quiet menace. “This entire property is monitored with cameras. Let’s have the police and neighbors see exactly how your family behaves—squatting in someone else’s home, throwing tantrums. Let’s see who’s humiliated in the end.”

The weight of my words froze Robert mid-motion, his raised hand suspended in the air. For people like him, obsessed with appearances, the thought of public disgrace was his greatest fear. Margaret, who had been wailing theatrically moments earlier, now choked on her sobs, her face twisting into an ugly grimace.

“Emily! You… you’ll regret this!” Margaret finally spat, her voice trembling more with uncertainty than conviction. She jabbed her finger at me like it was a weapon. “Without James’s income, let’s see how you keep this place! You’ll be out in the cold, begging for scraps!”

Even as she hurled insults, she and Robert hurriedly bent down to gather the clothes and belongings scattered across the floor. Clearly, they were more frightened of neighbors catching the scene than they cared to admit.

James, sensing an opportunity to regain some control, straightened his collar and forced a composed expression onto his face. “Emily,” he began, his tone dripping with condescension, “are you sure you want to escalate this? Just so you know, I’m about to be promoted to a managerial position at Harper Reed. I will have a substantial pay raise. Without this flat, we’ll still live comfortably. But you? Without my income, how long do you think you can last? Don’t come crawling back to me later, begging for forgiveness.”

I stared at him, disbelief and disdain simmering inside me. A promotion? Ridiculous.

James Harper, you’ll never understand, will you? You wouldn’t have even set foot in Harper Reed, let alone climbed to where you are now, if not for me. It was my influence, my silent sacrifices that paved your path. Without me, you wouldn’t have risen above a lowly project team leader. And yet, here you stand, so smug, so utterly clueless.

The words bubbled up to the tip of my tongue but I swallowed them back. Now wasn’t the time for revelations. A slow, calculated revenge would hurt far more than immediate confrontation.

Instead, I let my actions speak. Before James could react, I channeled every ounce of strength into a kick that landed squarely in his stomach.

“Argh!” he cried out, staggering backward in shock and pain. He tumbled out the door, collapsing into the pile of disheveled luggage spread across the hallway.

He looked up at me, his face a mask of disbelief and humiliation. “Emily, are you insane?”

“Yes,” I replied coldly. “I was insane to treat you and your ungrateful family as my own.”

“But not anymore. Now, I see everything clearly.”

I stepped closer, my voice low but sharp as a blade. “James Harper, you’d better be ready to face the consequences of your own actions.”