She Faked Her Mother's Death to Destroy Me

3: 3

These two women had never liked me.

Only because I was prettier than either of their daughters, because plenty of young men chased after me and not one of them ever chased their girls.

So the two old hags took the chance to let it out.

Just like last time, the moment they'd finished venting, a snide voice rose out of the crowd.

"Pretty cover, but the inside's rotten."

It was Logan Summers from the third floor, an idle playboy who did nothing with his life.

He'd chased after me and I'd turned him down, and he'd carried the grudge ever since.

So to him, this was a fine chance to get back at me.

His eyes were bright with excitement, snapping photos and posting them online as he went.

Muttering to himself.

"Show off now. You're finished in a second."

That was the face he'd worn last time too, and here it was again.

Watching the same scene play out.

I wasn't angry.

I only swept a calm look over the crowd, and let my eyes settle at last on Yvonne Estes's face.

"Like I said just now, I did buy a new car. But I never picked it up."

Yvonne had already snapped out of her daze and reacted fast.

The pitiful expression from a moment ago switched to a look of pure disbelief.

"You had an appointment at the dealership to pick up the car today, and you went there yourself. How could you not have taken it!"

I looked straight into her eyes.

"How do you know I had an appointment to pick it up today?"

"I..."

A flicker of a pause.

Then she said quickly, "I have a friend who works at that same dealership where you bought your car. She's the one who told me."

She turned back around.

To face the crowd.

"It's the honest truth. After Minnie Lawrence got there, my friend even said your neighbor across the hall had come in to pick up a car."

She pulled out the messaging-app screenshots and held them up for everyone to see, proof that she wasn't lying.

The crowd's anger flared again.

"If you don't want to give it, then don't. Why lie about it?"

"Right, who walks into the dealership to pick up a car and comes back empty-handed? Nobody buys that."

"Can't even lie right!"

"She just couldn't bear to part with her new car. She'd rather watch someone die than help!"