Christina’s POV
The shocked quiet only lasted a second before a guy with greasy hair and bad skin leaned forward and stared at .
"Who the hell are you? How did you get in here?"
Another one turned around in his chair and looked up and down slowly before whistling. "Damn. Who called for the escort?"
"Not ," soone laughed.
"You’re stupid, that’s not an escort. Look at how she’s dressed."
Akira was almost growling inside my head.
"Let rip them apart," she said angrily. "Just a little taste each. They’ll learn respect real quick."
A man with patchy hair on his face stood up and waved his hand at . "Seriously though, who are you and why are you in here?"
I kicked a half eaten sandwich out of my way on the floor. "I’m the one who pays the rent for this place."
The whole room started laughing.
"Lady, this place belongs to Priya. Are you her crazy stalker or sothing?"
I looked up at the ceiling, exhaling hard through my nose. "Funny. I didn’t know my apartnt changed its last na to Sharma."
That shut them up fast.
Neal Sharma turned around with his mouth hanging open. Rohan sat up straight from where he was lying on the couch. A woman I thought was Leila Sharma ca running out of the kitchen, wiping her hands on her pants.
Leila’s face changed right away. A big fake smile appeared on her face. "Christina, darling! What a surprise! Co in, sit down."
She pushed one of the guys out of the way and started cleaning off the couch cushions like that would help with the ss everywhere.
I didn’t move at all.
"When the landlord sends the bill for damages, the money is coming straight from your pocket."
Leila blinked her eyes fast. "What damages? It’s just a little ss."
Neal interrupted her, being more direct. "You’re really going to make us pay? With all that money you have from winning the case."
"I’ll clean everything," Priya ca out from behind her mother with her head down. Her voice was quiet. She could barely look at . "I’ll fix it all. We’ll be gone as soon as the money cos through, I promise."
Leila pushed her daughter back with one hand. "Don’t be stupid. We’re staying. This is our ho now."
"Staying?" I crossed my arms. "Fine. Stay. But you pay rent starting today."
Neal’s smile disappeared right away. "You brought us here, Christina. You said you’d take care of everything. Food, rent, clothes. And Priya was your important witness. Without what she said in court, you wouldn’t have won anything. My daughter gave you that victory. This is how you pay her back?"
I dug my nails into my hand to keep from hitting him.
"I already sent you money before you even ca to Highrise City. A big amount. Enough for food, bills, transportation, everything. The case ended weeks ago, and you’re still living in my apartnt for free. I’ve done more than enough. But I’m not your personal bank."
"We helped you. You should help us. It’s only fair."Rohan said.
I turned to face him. "Priya wasn’t just a witness. She was part of the case. She testified for herself as much as for . You think one day in court ans your entire family gets free housing forever?"
Complete silence filled the room. Even the guy who had been eating chips loudly stopped eating.
Priya swallowed hard and stared at her feet. "We’re not trying to take advantage. We won’t stay much longer. Mom, Dad, please stop saying those things."
Leila turned and hit her daughter’s shoulder hard enough that the sound echoed through the room. "Shut up! You don’t speak for us."
Priya flinched.
Sothing snapped inside . I grabbed Priya and yanked her away from Leila. Her wrist felt fragile in my hand. "Are you insane? You don’t hit your daughter."
"She IS my daughter," Leila snorted. "And I barely touched her. It was just a tap. Didn’t even hurt."
"She has a broken leg and you still make her do everything. Cooking, cleaning, scrubbing floors. While the rest of you sit around destroying my apartnt. That’s how you treat your child?"
"She’s a girl. That’s what girls do. I’m preparing her for when she gets married."
My jaw clenched so tight my temples throbbed. I turned to Priya.
"The money I sent you. You didn’t keep any of it, did you?"
She didn’t speak. She just stared at the floor while tears dropped straight down onto her sweatshirt.
That was all the answer I needed.
I knew her story. Her father and brother gambled and used drugs until they got demoted from gamma to oga. Her family was very poor, but she worked hard and got into a good high school. Her parents took a settlent from the Brookes.
I’d sent her money so she could eat decent als and take care of herself.
Clearly none of it had stayed in her account.
"So the whole family’s been living off you like parasites." I kept my voice calm. They weren’t worth losing my temper over. "You have one day. Clean this apartnt. Pack your things. Be out by tomorrow night. If you’re still here, I’m calling the police."
"No!" Neal snarled. "You brought us here! You used us! Now you want to throw us out like garbage?"
"You ARE garbage. The lawyers explained everything from the beginning. We needed Priya to testify. None of the rest of you were actually invited. And we definitely didn’t promise you a permanent address in Highrise City."
I turned to leave.
Priya tugged at my sleeve.
When I looked back, her eyes were bloodshot and her nose was running. She wasn’t saying anything, but the panic on her face told everything.
If I walked out now, they’d take it out on her.
I grabbed her wrist and pulled her with . "I said I’d show you around the city today, didn’t I? We’re doing that now."
Multiple voices started shouting behind us. I slamd the door hard enough to make the hallway shake.
Inside the elevator, she mumbled, "I’m sorry."
She barely reached my shoulder. With her head ducked down, all I could see was the top of her scalp and the uneven part in her hair.
"I thought your parents actually cared," I muttered. "That’s why they traveled all this way with you. I didn’t realize they only ca to see what they could squeeze out of you."
"They didn’t co here thinking that. Not at first," she said quietly. "But after we arrived, and the lawyer arranged everything, and you put us in that fancy building... Then you stopped visiting, and they assud you’d forgotten about us. They thought they could push their luck."
"So it’s my fault?" I raised an eyebrow. "I should’ve just stayed away and let them do whatever they wanted?"
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