News broke that the old building was set for demolition, and suddenly, every distant relative we had was scrambling to get a piece of the payout. The tenant, who only paid $500 a month in rent, was the most eager. “I’ve lived here for over a decade. Half of this house is mine. I deserve half of the $4 million demolition payout!” After I refused, he knocked me out and delivered me to his worthless son. His son came closer, attempting to kiss me. “My mom says you’re going to be my wife now.” The news that some of the earliest residential buildings in downtown Manhattan were slated for demolition spread like wildfire. Coincidentally, the old house my grandpa left me just before he passed away was smack in the middle of the planned demolition area. The day after the news broke, I got a call from Uncle Edward. “Lily, how have you been? Busy with work? Your Aunt Carol’s cooked up all your favorite dishes. Why don’t you come by for dinner tonight? We haven’t seen you in a while.” Oh, we hadn’t seen each other in a while, alright. The last time we crossed paths was three years ago when I ran into him on the street. That time, Uncle Edward had his arm wrapped around a heavily made-up younger woman. The moment he saw me, he panicked and scrambled to get my contact information. Later, he repeatedly begged me not to mention the incident to Aunt Carol. I stared at the traffic passing by and gestured for John, my driver, to leave. Then, I flagged down a cab and sweetly responded to my uncle over the phone, “Sure, Uncle Edward, just text me the address.” The last time I saw Uncle Edward’s family before that was ten years ago, at Grandpa Parsons’ funeral. Back then, Aunt Carol pointed at me—eyes swollen and red as I collapsed in front of the gravestone—and scolded, “You useless girl! You’re no family of ours. Don’t you dare come to us for help. From now on, you live your life, and we’ll live ours. Stay far away from us, you hear?” I didn’t say a word, just stared blankly ahead. Uncle Edward and my cousin Brandon stood by, watching, and didn’t lift a finger to stop her. I was fifteen that year, in my last year of middle school. My parents had died in an accident, and the person who loved me most—Grandpa—was now buried in the ground. From that day forward, I was truly alone. I never thought I’d see the day when they’d invite me back. The cab sped toward the Upper East Side. I gazed out the window, watching the scenery fly by, a bitter smile tugging at the corner of my lips. When I arrived at Uncle Edward’s place, Aunt Carol greeted me at the door, eyeing me up and down. She had put on quite a bit of weight over the years, and her face had become even more sharp and judgmental. With her arms crossed, she sneered at me, “Oh, Lily, that Prada bag you’ve got there—it’s gotta be a knockoff, right? I’m pretty sure this model isn’t even out in the U.S. yet. It’s a pretty convincing fake, though. You really think your $5,000-a-month salary can cover that? Don’t be young and foolish, trying to show off.” I glanced at the bag my business partner had brought me from Europe just days ago and didn’t respond. She then proceeded to critique every piece of clothing and accessory I wore, one by one, as if it gave her some twisted sense of satisfaction. Only after that did she gracefully sit down on the sofa. She had invited me for dinner, but the table was conspicuously empty. Not that I was really there to eat, anyway. Uncle Edward didn’t disappoint. After barely exchanging pleasantries, he cut straight to the point. “Lily, I heard the house your grandpa left you in downtown Manhattan is set for demolition?” I didn’t respond, but Aunt Carol jumped in immediately. “That house is over 1,000 square feet, and in that location, the compensation could be around $4 million. Plus, you’ll get a new place, over 1,500 square feet. Lily, you can’t keep all that money and the house to yourself.” I glanced around at their expensive home décor, then turned back to Aunt Carol. “What do you mean by that, Aunt Carol? I’m afraid I don’t quite understand.” Aunt Carol’s face twisted. “Don’t play dumb! What’s a single girl like you gonna do with all that money? By rights, your grandpa’s house should’ve gone to your Uncle Edward. And if not to him, then to our son, Brandon. We were just being generous by letting you keep it. Don’t be ungrateful.”
Aunt Carol’s bright red lips flapped, spouting a stream of nonsense. Though I had braced myself for this, her shamelessness still stunned me. Before Grandpa died, they’d cleaned out anything of value from the house: savings, cash, antiques—things worth over a million dollars. Uncle Edward even threatened to kill himself if Grandpa didn’t give him what he wanted, worsening Grandpa’s condition. In the end, Grandpa had no choice but to transfer his last two properties into my name and leave a will stating that Uncle Edward’s family had no claim to them. Originally, Grandpa intended to give one house to me and the other to Uncle Edward, splitting everything else equally. Remembering how his health rapidly declined after that, I felt my expression turn icy cold. “That house was left to me. My name is on the title deed. Whether it’s money or property, none of it has anything to do with you.” At this, Aunt Carol and Uncle Edward immediately panicked. Uncle Edward shouted, “You ungrateful brat! That house belongs to the Parsons family. We know you’re struggling financially, so we’re not asking for everything. Just give us $300,000, and the remaining $100,000 can be yours… Ow!” Aunt Carol pinched Uncle Edward hard. “$100,000 is plenty for you. Plus, you’ve got another house, don’t you? We’ll take this new one.” Their audacity was beyond shocking. I overheard Aunt Carol muttering to Uncle Edward, “Didn’t we agree to ask for the house first? Idiot. The house will keep bringing in money. Just asking for cash is a huge loss.” I sneered. They were plotting this all too carefully. Too bad for them, after everything they’d done to me and Grandpa, there was no way I’d let them win. Standing up slowly, I leveled my gaze at them, my voice cold. “I said, the money and the house are mine. Don’t expect to get a single penny from me.” My firm tone caught Aunt Carol off guard. She lunged at me, her perfectly manicured face twisting in rage. “You ungrateful little wretch! That house is your grandpa’s! We have a right to it…” Before she could touch me, I swung my high-heeled foot and kicked her square in the stomach, sending her plump body crashing to the floor. Oh, and she’d just said these YSL heels were a cheap knockoff. I guess now she could judge how sharp they really were. “Carol Parsons, I’m not the clueless little girl you used to bully!” Back when my parents first died, I stayed with Uncle Edward for a while. Aunt Carol hit me constantly and often locked me in a room without food. Uncle Edward turned a blind eye, and Brandon even helped his mom beat me. When Grandpa found out, he was furious. He whipped Uncle Edward and, despite his poor health, took me in and raised me. This family still thought I was the same powerless girl they once tormented. Seeing Aunt Carol groaning on the ground, clutching her stomach, Uncle Edward didn’t dare come near me. He only barked, “Lily, what are you doing?!” “Did you learn nothing in school? Is this how you treat your elders?!” I didn’t even glance at him. I grabbed my bag and walked to the door. But just as I opened it, a large, overweight man stood in the doorway. Startled, I froze for a second, only to hear Aunt Carol shouting desperately from behind, “Ryan, stop her! This is the girl I found for you to marry! Once you marry her, you’ll have both a wife and the house!” Ryan’s eyes lit up as he grabbed my wrist and leaned in to kiss me…
I was startled, struggling with all my might to break free from the man’s grip, yelling at the top of my lungs. Hearing my screams, John, my driver, rushed over. The shameless family, seeing that someone had come to my aid, especially a strong, fit young man, reluctantly let me go. Furious, I stormed out. The next morning, just as I started work, I received a call from Charles Daniels, the tenant living in my grandpa’s old house. Mr. Daniels was the son of one of Grandpa’s friends. He’d lost his parents early in life and, in his youth, lost everything in a failed business venture. He was on the verge of living under a bridge with his wife and child. Grandpa, being the kind soul he was, couldn’t bear to see the son of an old friend fall into such ruin, so he let them live in his house rent-free for a while. When Mr. Daniels’ situation improved, he began paying rent. That house, located in the heart of Manhattan’s Second Avenue, was a three-bedroom apartment. But out of old loyalties, he only paid $500 a month for more than a decade—never once did the rent increase. On the phone, Mr. Daniels started off by casually asking how things were going at my company. Since I’d graduated from college, he’d taken me out for dinner a few times, so he had some idea of my situation. After exchanging a few pleasantries, he suddenly chuckled and said, “Lily, I hear this area is going to be demolished?” That rumor must have spread everywhere. I responded with a light “Yes,” before adding, “But the final decision hasn’t been made yet. There could still be changes.” “There’s no way they’re changing anything,” he laughed from the other end, his tone gleeful. “This place is so old and rundown, right in the heart of the city—it’s been an eyesore for years. It’s about time they tore it down.” Then his voice shifted, taking on a more calculated tone. “So, Lily, about this house of ours… I heard from the neighbors that if it gets demolished, the payout could be worth a few million.” I stayed silent, waiting for him to continue. Sure enough, Mr. Daniels didn’t wait for my reply and kept talking. “Now, I know the house is technically in your name, but it was your grandpa’s place, and I’ve been living here since before he passed. I’ve got a lot of sentimental attachment to this place. So, Lily, when the payout comes, you can’t take it all for yourself. I think it’s fair to split it fifty-fifty.” It was barely 8 AM, and already Mr. Daniels had left my head spinning with this nonsense. I couldn’t help but let out a small, sarcastic laugh. Mr. Daniels didn’t notice and just kept rambling on. “Plus, Lily, you don’t really need the money, right? And you won’t even live in the new place once it’s built. Just let us stay. I’ll keep paying the $500 rent, no problem.” “And look, Ryan’s about to get married. This house would make a perfect wedding gift for him.” “Oh, and the place has to be fully renovated too. If it’s not move-in ready, well, we won’t be paying any rent.” His tone was authoritative, like he was laying down the law. I couldn’t help but burst out laughing. I had always thought Mr. Daniels was a bit lazy and prone to dreaming big, but I had no idea he was this shameless. Did he really think I was a complete fool? “Mr. Daniels,” I replied in a calm voice, though my anger was bubbling underneath, “The house is mine. The compensation is mine. Your family has no claim to any of it. By the way, you still haven’t paid rent for the first half of this year, but I’ll let that go. You’ve got ten days to move out of ‘my’ house.” I made sure to emphasize the word “my.” Before he could get another word in to raise my blood pressure, I hung up. As if it wasn’t bad enough that my uncle and aunt were trying to muscle in, now Mr. Daniels, who had benefited from Grandpa’s generosity for over a decade, wanted a piece of the action, too. Just because you’ve lived somewhere for years doesn’t mean it’s yours. And the whole “you don’t need the money” argument? That doesn’t justify his utter lack of shame. I thought making it clear who owned the house would shut them up for a while, but I underestimated how low people could go.
Uncle Edward, on the other hand, didn’t give up harassing me. When I blocked his calls, he switched to sending text messages, starting with ridiculous demands and eventually escalating to threats. I ignored it all. He was getting increasingly desperate when he couldn’t reach me. As for Mr. Daniels, after that phone call, he was quiet for a few days. But I had a feeling he wouldn’t let things go so easily. Once someone’s greed grows, it’s not easy to shrink it back down. Sure enough, a few days later, I got a notice from the property management about a meeting regarding the demolition. I hadn’t been back to the house in a while, and with the thought of it being torn down soon, I figured I’d stop by for a final look. I also intended to tell Mr. Daniels and his family to pack up and leave. Whether or not the demolition went through, after what Mr. Daniels said to me on the phone, he was no longer welcome there. The whole situation reminded me of Aesop’s fable, The Farmer and the Snake. When I arrived at the meeting, I ran into Mr. Daniels. He was mingling with other residents, looking much more like the homeowner than I did. The moment he saw me, his eyes flashed with unease, and he quickly looked away, pretending not to notice me. It wasn’t until the meeting ended that he finally came over. “Lily, since you’re here, why don’t you come by the house for a bit?” he asked, smiling warmly. A completely different demeanor from when he ignored me earlier. “Sure,” I said with a smile of my own. “Might as well see what my house looks like now.” His face immediately darkened, and a flash of something cold crossed his eyes. I followed him upstairs. The building wasn’t in bad shape—it had been well-constructed back in the day, no corners cut. It just hadn’t kept up with the rapid pace of urban development. Still, it was perfectly livable. When we entered the apartment, his wife and son were both home. It was a Wednesday—don’t they work? I figured they were all waiting for the demolition payout to finally make their big break. His wife, Mrs. Janet Daniels, had a flat, unremarkable face and a pair of sharp, beady eyes. The moment I stepped inside, she was all smiles, rushing to take my bag and coat. Their son, Ryan Daniels, was 30 years old, 5’7″, and easily over 250 pounds. His face was so bloated with fat that his features were barely distinguishable. His half-closed eyes kept darting over me, his gaze sticky and unsettling. They kept their cool, chatting with me and trying to be hospitable, inviting me to stay for dinner. But the entire time, they never once mentioned the demolition. I had no interest in their hospitality, so I decided to get straight to the point. “Mr. Daniels, Mrs. Daniels, I’m here to tell you that you need to move out in the next few days. I’ve given you notice already, and as I said before, you don’t have to worry about this year’s rent.” The moment I finished speaking, their faces changed. Mrs. Daniels, who had been all smiles, suddenly turned hostile. “What gives you the right to kick us out? We’ve lived here for over ten years. This house is ours now. You can’t make us leave.” Mr. Daniels, in contrast, forced a smile and tried to calm the situation. “Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. The demolition is still a ways off. No need to rush, right? Let’s not create any unnecessary conflict over this, Lily.” As he spoke, he motioned for me to sit down, pouring a glass of orange soda and handing it to me. I took a sip. Within minutes, the world started spinning, and everything went black. Mr. Daniels had drugged the soda.
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