My New Tenant Sued Me, Not Knowing I’m Her CEO

Miles Moore’s voice was hard to describe.

“Director Murphy… you mean that Ms. Griffin?”

“She came today with a lawyer and a few people in white lab coats. They were taking water, soil, and air samples from the public areas in the neighborhood, saying they were going to make a Health Risk Assessment Report for the whole community. The owners’ group chat is going crazy right now.”

My mind went blank for a moment. This wasn’t just strange anymore; it was complete madness.

“Director Murphy, about this situation…”

I rubbed my temples and said, “Got it. I’ll deal with it.”

After hanging up, I sent Skylar a message. [Tomorrow at 10 a.m., I’ll bring my lawyer. We’ll talk in person.]

She replied right away. [Please be on time. And make sure your lawyer is as professional as mine.]

Seeing the words “as professional as mine,” I almost crushed my phone in frustration.

The next morning, I didn’t bring a lawyer. I went alone to the apartment I had rented out.

The door opened, and Skylar stood there wearing a white dress and gold-rimmed glasses.

She looked elegant but carried a hint of arrogance. Behind her was the same lawyer who had threatened me over the phone the day before.

“Ms. Murphy, where is your lawyer?” Skylar adjusted her glasses and looked me up and down.

“To deal with you, I don’t need a lawyer,” I said as I walked inside.

Everything in the house looked the same as before I rented it out, clean and tidy. No, it was even cleaner now, so spotless it felt more like a lab than a home, with the faint smell of disinfectant lingering in the air.

The lawyer stepped forward and handed me a folder.

“Ms. Murphy, this is our client Ms. Griffin’s final request.”

“First, a full refund of the deposit and rent for this month, totaling twenty-four thousand dollars.”

“Second, compensation for Ms. Griffin’s emotional distress, lost income, and health risk assessment costs, totaling one hundred thousand dollars.”

“Third, a complete renovation of the property according to this Renovation List, estimated at two hundred thousand dollars.”

“In total, three hundred twenty-four thousand dollars. If you agree, we can sign the settlement right now.”

I picked up the list and skimmed through it.

“Replace all flooring with sterile materials imported from Germany.”

“Install a medical-grade smart air purification and ventilation system from Switzerland.”

“Change all the pipes to 316L stainless steel and add end-point water filters.”

“Remove all existing paint and repaint the walls with zero-formaldehyde coating imported from Finland.”

I let out a dry laugh and threw the list onto the table. “Skylar, do I really look that easy to push around to you?”

Skylar slowly walked up to me and looked down, her eyes cold and direct. “Ms. Murphy, I’m only following reason and the rules.”

“Rules?”

“Yes. In today’s world, the most important thing is the rules.”

She tapped her temple and said, “And I just happen to be the one who understands the rules best, and knows exactly how to use them.”

A small, confident smile formed on her lips, the kind that showed she felt smarter than everyone else.

“Forgot to introduce myself. I completed both my bachelor’s and master’s degrees at Vanderbilt University Law School, majoring in economic and procedural law.”

“No matter what kind of lawyer you hire, you won’t win against me.”

“My suggestion is to just pay what you owe, or your house will be seized, and your name will go on the credit blacklist.”

The lawyer beside her added, “Ms. Murphy, our Ms. Griffin is truly gifted. Her report is perfect, and you don’t stand a chance of winning.”

Watching the two of them take turns showing off, I couldn’t help but find the whole thing strangely funny.

Just then, Skylar’s phone rang.