Zach’s childhood friend, Bella, created an influencer account. She took advantage of my absence, sneaked into my room, entered my computer password, and copied all of my paid freelance writings to her phone. Then, she posted everything online for free. Overnight, she gained thousands of followers. The next day, when I confronted her, she smirked, “Ava, did I make so much money that you can’t even afford food anymore?” Zachary walked into the room while I was in the middle of a heated argument with Bella. To be fair, it wasn’t much of an argument—Bella was the only one talking. I realized she was acting completely irrational, like someone out of a psychiatric ward, and reasoning with her was impossible. “If you can make money writing freelance, why can’t I run an influencer account?” “Ava, did I make so much money that you can’t even afford food anymore?” I started off furious, but my anger slowly faded as I listened to her insane ranting. It was like dealing with someone unhinged. Bella had been Zach’s neighbor when they were kids. According to him, she was a sweet, innocent little sister figure who moved to Los Angeles after graduation to start her job. Since she didn’t know many people in the city, Zach suggested she stay with us temporarily until her internship ended. “Ava, it’s only for three months. Just think of it as doing me a favor.” At first, I didn’t agree. I mean, who wants to live with a stranger? But then I thought about my own early days in LA, feeling lost and overwhelmed. If I could help someone avoid that struggle, why not? After all, it was just three months. I didn’t even charge her rent, but I ended up inviting trouble into my home. One time, Bella’s laptop broke, and she was desperate to finish a project. She was crying, and I felt sorry for her, so I lent her my computer. I never bothered to change the password afterward, and that’s when the trouble started. When Zach arrived, Bella instantly transformed from a venomous snake into a sweet, innocent girl. She lowered her damp eyelashes and sniffled, “Zach, there are lots of influencer accounts out there. Why is Ava so upset with me? Doesn’t she love influencer marketing?” Zach stood there silently for a moment, a frown creasing his brow. “Normally, influencer accounts don’t post entire articles from the original writers. That’s…,” he hesitated, searching for the right words, “… pretty impolite.” I almost laughed. Immoral and impolite? Are those the same thing now? Bella hung her head. “Alright, I was wrong.” She took a deep breath and then raised her face back to that fake, sweet expression. “How about I treat you both to dinner? Consider it an apology to Ava.” An apology? Who does she think she’s fooling? Sitting back on the couch, I smiled and said, “Bella, first, you need to delete all the videos you posted. Then, you need to return the money you made from your posts. And finally, issue a public apology.” “That’s what an apology looks like.” Bella looked at me in disbelief, her voice rising in frustration. “Ava, you’re going too far!” Going too far? I almost laughed. I calmly pulled up my phone’s photo album and handed it to her, showing her a video. Bella’s face immediately froze. Zach, still clueless about what was happening, came over to take a look. Within minutes, his expression darkened, disappointment etched across his face as he stared at Bella. The video showed everything Bella had done in my room when I wasn’t home. She didn’t just steal my work; she wore my clothes, used my skincare products, spat on my bedsheets and pillows, and even swiped some of my jewelry. I had suspected Bella for a while, but without proof, there wasn’t much I could do. It didn’t take long for my new security camera, installed just three days ago, to capture all her antics. It’s always the ones closest to you. Bella blushed, tears welling up in her eyes as she looked at Zach. “I… I didn’t…” But she couldn’t even finish her sentence. Furious and flustered, she grabbed my phone and deleted the video, then tossed the phone onto the couch, glaring at me defiantly. I smiled, amused by her misplaced sense of victory. “It’s fine, Bella. I’ve got plenty of backup videos. If you don’t meet my demands, I’ll just take this to the police. After all, theft is theft, and the evidence is solid.” I paused for effect and then added, “The Tiffany & Co. necklace you stole isn’t worth that much. But having a criminal record over it? That might be a bit too much to handle, don’t you think?” Bella’s face flushed red with shame. After some hesitation, she finally gave in, deleting the videos, returning the money she had made from the influencer account, and posting a public apology. As for the Tiffany necklace, Bella claimed she had already listed it on Facebook Marketplace for three hundred bucks. … Well, no big deal. She’d just pay me back the original price.
Here’s the fully localized translation of the passage into the U.S./American context: Zach’s childhood friend, Bella, created an influencer account. She took advantage of my absence, sneaked into my room, entered my computer password, and copied all of my paid freelance writings to her phone. Then, she posted everything online for free. Overnight, she gained thousands of followers. The next day, when I confronted her, she smirked, “Ava, did I make so much money that you can’t even afford food anymore?” 1 Zachary walked into the room while I was in the middle of a heated argument with Bella. To be fair, it wasn’t much of an argument—Bella was the only one talking. I realized she was acting completely irrational, like someone out of a psychiatric ward, and reasoning with her was impossible. “If you can make money writing freelance, why can’t I run an influencer account?” “Ava, did I make so much money that you can’t even afford food anymore?” I started off furious, but my anger slowly faded as I listened to her insane ranting. It was like dealing with someone unhinged. Bella had been Zach’s neighbor when they were kids. According to him, she was a sweet, innocent little sister figure who moved to Los Angeles after graduation to start her job. Since she didn’t know many people in the city, Zach suggested she stay with us temporarily until her internship ended. “Ava, it’s only for three months. Just think of it as doing me a favor.” At first, I didn’t agree. I mean, who wants to live with a stranger? But then I thought about my own early days in LA, feeling lost and overwhelmed. If I could help someone avoid that struggle, why not? After all, it was just three months. I didn’t even charge her rent, but I ended up inviting trouble into my home. One time, Bella’s laptop broke, and she was desperate to finish a project. She was crying, and I felt sorry for her, so I lent her my computer. I never bothered to change the password afterward, and that’s when the trouble started. When Zach arrived, Bella instantly transformed from a venomous snake into a sweet, innocent girl. She lowered her damp eyelashes and sniffled, “Zach, there are lots of influencer accounts out there. Why is Ava so upset with me? Doesn’t she love influencer marketing?” Zach stood there silently for a moment, a frown creasing his brow. “Normally, influencer accounts don’t post entire articles from the original writers. That’s…,” he hesitated, searching for the right words, “… pretty impolite.” I almost laughed. Immoral and impolite? Are those the same thing now? Bella hung her head. “Alright, I was wrong.” She took a deep breath and then raised her face back to that fake, sweet expression. “How about I treat you both to dinner? Consider it an apology to Ava.” An apology? Who does she think she’s fooling? Sitting back on the couch, I smiled and said, “Bella, first, you need to delete all the videos you posted. Then, you need to return the money you made from your posts. And finally, issue a public apology.” “That’s what an apology looks like.” Bella looked at me in disbelief, her voice rising in frustration. “Ava, you’re going too far!” Going too far? I almost laughed. I calmly pulled up my phone’s photo album and handed it to her, showing her a video. Bella’s face immediately froze. Zach, still clueless about what was happening, came over to take a look. Within minutes, his expression darkened, disappointment etched across his face as he stared at Bella. The video showed everything Bella had done in my room when I wasn’t home. She didn’t just steal my work; she wore my clothes, used my skincare products, spat on my bedsheets and pillows, and even swiped some of my jewelry. I had suspected Bella for a while, but without proof, there wasn’t much I could do. It didn’t take long for my new security camera, installed just three days ago, to capture all her antics. It’s always the ones closest to you. Bella blushed, tears welling up in her eyes as she looked at Zach. “I… I didn’t…” But she couldn’t even finish her sentence. Furious and flustered, she grabbed my phone and deleted the video, then tossed the phone onto the couch, glaring at me defiantly. I smiled, amused by her misplaced sense of victory. “It’s fine, Bella. I’ve got plenty of backup videos. If you don’t meet my demands, I’ll just take this to the police. After all, theft is theft, and the evidence is solid.” I paused for effect and then added, “The Tiffany & Co. necklace you stole isn’t worth that much. But having a criminal record over it? That might be a bit too much to handle, don’t you think?” Bella’s face flushed red with shame. After some hesitation, she finally gave in, deleting the videos, returning the money she had made from the influencer account, and posting a public apology. As for the Tiffany necklace, Bella claimed she had already listed it on Facebook Marketplace for three hundred bucks. … Well, no big deal. She’d just pay me back the original price. 2 When Bella finally moved out, she couldn’t resist throwing one last jab at me, saying I was “obsessed with money.” I lazily glanced at her, unimpressed. “Well, it’s better than being obsessed with bad decisions.” She glared at me, clearly running out of things to say. It wasn’t long before she posted on Instagram Stories. The picture showed her standing on a balcony at sunset, gazing dreamily into the distance, her hair blowing in the wind. The caption read: “Grateful for my brother’s help. Excited for what the future holds.” I knew that balcony. It was Zach’s. The sick feeling in my stomach made me shiver. Gross. Why did he even send this idiot my way in the first place? What a joke. I sent Zach a text, asking what the hell was going on. A few minutes later, he called, sounding nervous. “Ava, Bella had to move out quickly. It’s hard to find a place, and I couldn’t just let her be homeless.” His words felt like an accusation, like I shouldn’t have kicked her out. I’ve heard of guilt-tripping before, but never like this. I asked, “Are you seriously telling me there are no hotels in Los Angeles?” Zach sighed. “It’s not safe for a young girl to stay in a hotel. Ava, Bella is young and made some mistakes, but she knows she was wrong. Can’t you just let it go?” I was speechless. One of them steals things, the other one twists reality. They truly deserve each other. “Zach, Bella may be five years younger than me, but I wasn’t doing any of that at her age. And I definitely wasn’t living in another woman’s boyfriend’s house.” I paused for a second before continuing, “Let’s break up.” The silence on the other end was deafening. I hung up the phone without waiting for a response. Honestly, I’d been planning to end things for a while now. Bella ended up paying me back the five grand she owed. I had a pretty good idea of who really paid it, but I didn’t care. As long as the money made it into my account, I was happy. As for Zach? He wasn’t worth keeping around. We had met through our parents. His dad and mine had gone to school together and realized during a reunion that both of their kids were living in LA and single, so they exchanged our numbers. After a while, Zach and I started dating. At first, he seemed like a hidden gem—quiet, serious, and occasionally showing flashes of brilliance. But this whole mess showed me the truth: he wasn’t a gem at all, just shattered glass—ugly, broken, and useless. I know nobody’s perfect. I could deal with Zach being passive and indecisive. But I couldn’t handle him doing nothing while I was being attacked. Even when faced with evidence, he never once stood up for me. Like a piece of rotting wood stuck in the mud, impossible to shape, impossible to rely on. And most of all, I couldn’t handle his loyalty shifting towards another woman. Dense? Maybe. Biased? Definitely. But I wasn’t going to waste my life on a man like that. After the breakup, Zach tried calling me repeatedly, even sending long, emotional texts. I didn’t bother reading any of them. I just blocked him. One night, I got a call from an unknown number. The person on the other end was clearly drunk and slurred, “Ava, did you… did you really… get with some rich guy?” I paused, feeling both annoyed and amused. “Nope, just not interested in guys who can’t measure up, in any sense of the word.” Zach was silent for a moment before angrily hanging up. He knew why we broke up, but admitting his mistakes was hard. Blaming others? So much easier. Recently, I’d taken on a new project, and the whole team had been working non-stop, burning the candle at both ends. Finally, after two exhausting weeks, we were done. I stretched in the office, feeling the satisfaction of a job well done. The year-end bonus was all but mine. Suddenly, my phone buzzed. It was Sienna, sending me a photo. It showed Zach and Bella at a fancy restaurant, looking way too cozy, staring into each other’s eyes with enough passion to make anyone nauseous. Sienna added, “Girl, you dodged a bullet! That guy moved on so fast it makes me sick!” Honestly, I felt nothing. My emotions were as calm as if I were looking at a couple of strangers on the street. I replied, “Doesn’t matter. The ones who want to leave can’t be stopped. The ones who stay won’t go anywhere.” As I wandered through the city streets, the night breeze cooled the last traces of summer warmth, whisking away the remnants of a relationship that no longer mattered. At least, that’s how I saw it.
The project wrapped up beautifully, and the boss, understanding how hard the team had worked, gave us a few extra days off to rest after we finished the final touches. I had been completely exhausted, so I was sound asleep at home when a sudden knocking at the door startled me awake. I opened it to find Zachary standing there. His eyes were bloodshot, his face flushed, and the strong smell of alcohol hit me as he leaned against the doorframe, looking down at me with a crooked smile. “Ava, long time no see.” I eyed him warily. “What are you doing here?” Zach didn’t answer. Instead, he tried to step inside, but he was too drunk, his whole body slack like a pile of dead weight. Without hesitation, I kicked him right out the door. I slammed it shut behind him. From outside, I could hear Zach’s voice, hoarse and repetitive, like a dog barking. He kept yelling, begging me to open the door, to talk to him, to give him another chance. People show their true selves when they’re drunk, and Zach, who had always seemed like the quiet, decent type, was really just a player at heart. I couldn’t help but feel thankful that I got out when I did. It was 11:30 p.m., and all my neighbors were probably asleep. Zach’s raspy voice echoed down the hall, shattering the peace. “If you don’t leave right now, I’m calling the cops!” I shouted through the door. There was a brief silence, followed by a dismissive scoff. “Ha! I don’t believe you.” Fifteen minutes later, the police arrived. By the time Bella showed up to collect him, Zach had sobered up enough to be quiet, his head hanging in shame. Bella, on the other hand, glared at me with open hatred, her voice dripping with disdain. “Ava, are you some kind of witch? Why can’t you leave my boyfriend alone? Why do you keep haunting us?” I couldn’t help but laugh. “If your boyfriend wasn’t showing up at my door in the middle of the night, begging me to take him back, do you think we’d be in this situation?” “You…!” Bella’s lips trembled as she shot Zach a disappointed look, then turned back to me with venom in her eyes. “Don’t kid yourself. He’s only here because you took so much money from him, and he came to get it back!” I froze for a second. The police officer raised an eyebrow. “Took money?” Bella snatched Zach’s phone from his hand and scrolled through the messages and transactions. She shoved the phone in my face, showing a list of all the money Zach had spent on me over the past six months: holiday gifts, dinner tabs, plane tickets, hotel bookings—every little thing. “Ava, now that you and Zach are over, don’t you think you should return everything he bought for you? Stop mooching off my boyfriend!” The officer’s expression was hard to read, somewhere between sympathy and disbelief. He looked at me, unsure whether to feel sorry for me or relieved that I’d dodged a bullet. I shook my head with a wry smile. Then, I pulled out my own receipts—fancy belts, watches, wallets, and more that I’d bought for Zach. “Fine, let’s settle this, then. We’ll add everything up.” The comparison didn’t even require a calculator. It was obvious who had spent more on whom. Bella was livid, especially when she realized Zach was still wearing the suit and shoes I had bought him. Her face flushed an angry, deep red. She exhaled sharply and sneered, “So, you’ve been paying for him all along?” Finally, Zach spoke up, nodding in my direction with a defeated look. “Yeah, she paid for everything.” At that moment, I had no interest in continuing this ridiculous conversation. Looking at them was like looking at a disaster waiting to happen. I didn’t want to waste any more energy. I accepted the officer’s suggestion for mediation and, before leaving, requested a copy of the police report. As I stepped out into the early morning light, the streetlights were already starting to dim, and the night sky was giving way to dawn. Bella had thrown Zach’s shoes and jacket into a nearby trash can. He stood there on the curb, shivering in his socks and shirt, waiting for a ride. As I walked past, I heard Bella muttering under her breath, all of her words aimed at me. It was clear that Zach had come to me on his own, yet somehow, Bella twisted everything to make me the villain. Whether she was fooling herself or completely clueless, I had no idea.
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