I understood the threat behind his words. But it didn’t make any sense to me. After all, I worked at my own company. Of course, I was tough enough. So, I didn’t respond.
I just turned around and walked straight into the living room. He probably thought his words had frightened me because his tone turned smug.
“That’s right, you young women don’t have much social experience.”
“We’re neighbors, after all…”
Before he could finish, I pushed the Shrewsbury cake he had brought back into his arms.
“Sorry, I don’t usually eat cake.”
“You should take them back.”
The proud smile on his face froze. Marcus looked awkward for a second, his mouth moving as if to say something. But in the end, he stayed silent. He gave a short snort and walked away with the cake still in his hands.
Just as Marcus left, my phone buzzed. Another message from Yvonne appeared.
[Did my husband just go to see you? Hurry and clean up room 1209. My mother-in-law is coming from the countryside tomorrow with the kids and my brother.]
[By the way, my brother-in-law is quite handsome. I can introduce him to you. You live alone, so you probably don’t have a boyfriend, right?]
[From now on, we’ll be a family. It’ll be lively and wonderful.]
Her messages came one after another, popping up nonstop. I really couldn’t understand how this family thought. It was pointless to argue with fools. Every time I replied to her, I felt like my IQ dropped. So, I stopped responding completely and left the flatmates’ group chat.
I thought that would finally be the end of it.
The next morning was the weekend. I planned to walk my dog, Bella, in the morning. After that, I would visit my parents at my old house later in the day. But when I got home from walking Bella, I saw that the door to 1209 next door was wide open.
Startled, I quickly went inside with Bella. The moment I entered, I saw Marcus standing there. Next to him were a woman in her thirties, an older woman in her sixties and a little boy who looked around seven or eight years old.
The woman was clearly Yvonne. The older woman and the boy must have been the mother-in-law and child she had mentioned yesterday. They didn’t even notice me.
Instead, they walked slowly around the living room while their curious eyes examined the furniture and decorations like they were already moving in.
“Not bad, not bad. This flat is really nice,” Mrs. Eden said happily.