I Became The Villain To Save The Witness
I ignored the confusion in her eyes and the shock on my husbands face, pushing her gently but firmly through the open door.
Please, my dear... Mrs. Caldwells voice was a frail, trembling whisper, her cloudy eyes swimming with tears. "I... I have nowhere to go..."
My husband, Leo, rushed forward and grabbed my arm. "Are you out of your mind, Sienna? Shes Eighty. Its freezing!"
I pulled my arm free, my gaze cold as I watched the elderly womans cracked, fragile hands clutching the door frame.
"Either she walks out herself," I said, my voice utterly unforgiving, "or I help her go."
Leo stared at me, disbelief warring with outrage. Mrs. Caldwell, still sobbing softly, finally let go. "Im going... I'm going right now..."
She bent her back, her posture a question mark, and slowly shuffled toward the elevator. Her small, thin frame shivered visibly in the harsh overhead light of the hallway.
I slammed the door shut, cutting off the sight and the sound.
1
Leo Grant stood staring at me, his eyes full of the horror and confusion you reserve for a complete stranger.
"Sienna, do you have any idea what you just did?" His voice shook with barely suppressed anger. "Its raining outside. Where is an eighty-year-old woman supposed to go?"
He reached for the doorknob, but I moved faster, blocking his path.
"Step aside," he gritted out.
"She can go wherever she wants, but this is my home," I stood my ground. "No one opens this door without my permission."
He took a deep, shuddering breath, trying to rein in his fury. "Fine. Then tell me why. Why suddenly kick out Mrs. Caldwell?"
"Shes lived here for ten years, never missed a rent payment. What could she possibly have done?"
Just then, my mother-in-law, Donna, emerged from the bedroom, drawn by the noise. "What in the world is all this shouting about?"
"Mom, Sienna just kicked Mrs. Caldwell out," Leo explained, his voice tight. "Threw her luggage out with her, for no reason."
Donnas face immediately fell. "Sienna, how could you? Shes an old woman! What kind of heartless thing is this?"
I looked at them, mother and son, working themselves into a coordinated lather. "This is the condo my brother left me. The title is in my name, only my name."
"I am the owner. I can rent to whomever I choose and terminate a lease when I choose. Do I need a reason?"
"You are completely insane!" Leos face was turning a mottled shade of red. "Just because Dean left you this place, you think you can be a tyrant?"
"Have you forgotten how good Mrs. Caldwell has been to us over the years?"
"Thats right," Donna chimed in, tears welling up dramatically. "She took care of me when I had the flu last year. You need to have some conscience, Sienna!"
I listened to their accusations with a blank face, my inner world utterly calm.
"Are you finished?" I asked quietly. "If you are, go back to your rooms. This is not up for discussion."
Leo glared at me, his jaw clenched, then stomped off to the bedroom. Donna sighed heavily and followed him.
A half-hour later, Leo burst back out. "I cant do this. I have to go check on her. Its late, where could she possibly be?"
This time, I didn't stop him, but simply followed him down the stairs. Donna, equally distressed, trailed after us.
In the lobby, we found Mrs. Caldwell sitting alone on a hard bench, her battered old suitcase beside her.
Her thin, gray hair was plastered to her wrinkled forehead from the rain, and she looked impossibly small and fragile beneath the lobby's glaring lights.
"Mrs. Caldwell," Leo hurried over, concern flooding his voice. "Let me take you to a motel for the night. We can figure things out tomorrow..."
"Who told you to interfere?" I cut him off, my voice sharp. "A motel? Don't be ridiculous."
I walked up to Mrs. Caldwell and looked down at her.
"Who allowed you to sit here? This is a communal area, not a waiting room. Please leave immediately."
She looked up, her cloudy eyes full of raw tears.
She tried to support herself with a trembling hand, but her strength gave out, and she sank back onto the bench.
"Sienna!" Leo finally exploded. "Do you have any humanity left? Its pouring outside! Where do you expect an old woman to go?"
"I dont care where she goes," I said coldly. "As long as she is not in my building."
Donna was visibly upset. "Sienna, I am begging you. Let her stay tonight. Just tonight. We can talk about this tomorrow."
"No," I refused, the word a final, absolute sound.
"Fine. Fine! FINE!" Leo nodded repeatedly, his eyes burning with disappointment. "Since youre going to be this ruthless, dont blame me for what I do next."
He pulled out his phone and dialed the Property Managers office. "I want to file a complaint! Someone is illegally forcing an elderly resident out of her home. Send someone here immediately!"
Within five minutes, Mr. Mendez, the Property Manager, arrived with two security guards.
Seeing Mrs. Caldwell hunched and shivering on the bench, his face became grim.
"Ms. Reed, what is going on?" He approached me quickly. "This woman is very elderly, and its pouring rain on a winter night. This handling is completely inappropriate."
Leo jumped in before I could speak. "Mr. Mendez, my wife kicked our tenant out for no reason and threw her belongings into the hall. Mrs. Caldwell is over eighty, has lived here for ten years, and now has no place to stay."
I met Mr. Mendezs gaze calmly. "Mr. Mendez, if I recall correctly, the deed for Unit 202 in Building 3 is in my name, Sienna Reed, alone."
"I am the owner. I have the right to choose my tenants and the right to terminate any lease. That is my legal right, and I trust Property Management will not interfere with an owner's private business."
Mr. Mendez looked uncomfortable. He glanced from the trembling Mrs. Caldwell to me.
"Ms. Reed, you are correct. We cannot interfere with an owners lease decisions."
"But this situation is extremely alarming. Could you please make an exception and at least allow her to stay tonight?"
"No." My voice was a block of ice. "The lease is terminated. I suggest you quickly contact Social Services for temporary shelter. That is not my responsibility."
"Sienna!" Leo grabbed my arm again. "Are you really going to burn every bridge?"
I sharply pulled my hand away. "Mr. Mendez, if you are not going to take any action, please leave. I have other things to deal with."
Mr. Mendez sighed and signaled to the two guards. "Since the owner has stated her position, we will not intervene further."
"However, Ms. Reed, I still urge you to reconsider."
Watching the property staff leave, Leo and Donna looked absolutely disgusted.
Ignoring their furious stares, I walked directly up to Mrs. Caldwell.
"You need to leave now," my voice was pure frost. "Dont force me to call the police."
Mrs. Caldwell used the back of the bench to steady herself and laboriously stood up.
Her lips trembled, but no words came out. She just silently pulled her suitcase, shaking with every step, and headed toward the glass doors.
"Wait!" Donna suddenly cried out. "Mrs. Caldwell, well go with you!"
Leo shot me a look of pure hatred, hurried to Donna's side, and together they helped Mrs. Caldwell out of the lobby.
Watching the three figures disappear into the rainy night, I immediately pulled out my phone and opened the Grandview Condo Owner's Group chat.
[Urgent Rental: Grandview, Building 3, Unit 202. One bedroom/one bath. Ready to move in. $2000/month. First, last, and security deposit required. DM for details.]
The moment the message was sent, the group chat exploded.
"Isnt that Mrs. Caldwells place? Why is it suddenly for rent?"
"I just saw Mrs. Caldwell being forced out! In this rain! That is horrific."
"@SiennaReed You are absolutely ruthless. Mrs. Caldwell is 80! You're going to pay for this!"
I watched the incoming messages with a blank expression, ready to reply, when a photo flooded the chat.
It showed Mrs. Caldwell sitting alone on a stone pillar by the complex entrance, completely soaked, her white hair clinging to her face.
Her back was hunched, and she was clutching a tattered cloth bag. Her suitcase was tipped over in a puddle next to her.
Leo had posted the photo, with a caption:
"This is the handiwork of my wonderful wife! An 80-year-old woman, a tenant for ten years, cruelly thrown out of her home."
"Let the community judge!"
The group chat erupted. Accusations flooded in like a tide.
"Shes an animal! How could anyone treat an elderly person like that?"
"@SiennaReed Do you have no conscience? Mrs. Caldwell was so kind to everyone here, have you forgotten?"
"People like this don't belong in our community! Get out!"
"Ive already called the police. Theyll be there soon!"
I watched the screen, my fingers trembling slightly as the insults refreshed.
My phone began to vibrate incessantly, calls coming in from unknown numbers, one after the other.
When I answered, all I heard was enraged screaming and cursing.
"You heartless monster! Youll be cursed!"
"Just wait, the police are coming for you!"
I quietly hung up and turned off my phone. I walked to the window and looked toward the complex entrance.
Through the rain, I could faintly see three silhouettes still standing there.
Leo held the umbrella, Donna seemed to be talking, and Mrs. Caldwell kept her head down, her thin shoulders shaking slightly in the downpour.
The next morning, I was woken by a rapid, insistent ring at the door.
Peeking through the peephole, I saw several strangers holding cameras, led by a woman in a sharp business suita reporter. Leo and Donna stood behind them, their faces grim.
"Ms. Reed, we are with the City Gazette. We'd like to interview you about the eviction of your eighty-year-old tenant."
I opened the door just enough, and the cameras immediately focused on me.
The reporter was aggressive. "Why did you force an elderly tenant out in the freezing rain in the middle of winter? Don't you think that is cruel?"
Leo, standing by, said in a cold voice, "The whole city knows what you did now."
I looked directly into the camera lens. "This is my property. I have the right to decide who rents it."
"But Mrs. Caldwell is eighty years old! Did you consider her safety?"
"She is not my responsibility," I finished, and tried to close the door.
Just then, my phone rang. It was the Community Director.
"Ms. Reed, weve received countless resident complaints. A generous citizen has offered Mrs. Caldwell a free place to stay in the next complex. Could you please permit her..."
"No," I cut him off immediately. "According to our contract, pending the formal termination of the lease, she is not permitted to move into any alternative property."
"What?" The voice on the other end was shocked. "But you are the one who kicked her out!"
"That is a separate issue," I said, and hung up. I saw everyone staring at me as if I were a creature from a nightmare.
The female reporter shook her head, disbelieving. "I've covered a lot of ugly stories, but Ive never seen anyone as... cold-blooded as you."
The story quickly went viral. "Cold-Blooded Landlord" and "Elderly Woman Evicted in Rain" dominated local headlines and social media.
My photo and personal information were plastered everywhere, and the internet was a cesspool of condemnation.
That afternoon, when I prepared to leave for work, I found a crowd of people gathered outside the complex gate, many live-streaming on their phones.
The moment they saw me, they swarmed.
"There she is! Look at the monster!"
"Bullying an eighty-year-old! Shame on you!"
I pushed through the crowd, heading straight for my car parked curbside.
Suddenly, an egg hit the side of my head, the viscous liquid running down my hair and face.
"Elder abuser! You deserve to die!" a middle-aged woman screamed.
I wiped the yolk from my cheek and kept walking.
That's when I saw the Community Director leading Mrs. Caldwell out of the community service center, surrounded by several well-meaning neighbors.
"Mrs. Caldwell, don't worry, we found you a nice new place."
"Yes, right across the street. Everythings ready for you."
I sped up, and to the shock of everyone, I grabbed Mrs. Caldwell's frail wrist.
"Who allowed you to look elsewhere?" I demanded, my grip firm. "Per the contract terms, pending formal termination, you are confined to the designated temporary residence."
"Sienna! Are you truly insane?" The Community Director shoved me away. "Are you only satisfied if Mrs. Caldwell is homeless and on the street?"
Mrs. Caldwell's lips trembled, her tear-filled eyes looking up at me. "Sienna, my dear... what did I do wrong...?"
"You don't need to know," I fixed my eyes on hers. "You only need to remember that without my permission, you are not allowed to go anywhere."
The surrounding crowd erupted in furious shouts.
"This woman isnt human!"
"Call the police! She needs to be arrested!"
Ignoring the cacophony of condemnation, I turned and walked away.
Behind me, I heard Mrs. Caldwell's distressed weeping and Leos furious yell: "Sienna, you absolute menace! We are getting a divorce if you keep this up!"
The next day, I dragged myself to the office, utterly drained by the relentless online abuse and the cold stares in public.
I found my manager, Mr. Harrison, and the HR Director waiting for me right at the lobby entrance, their expressions grim.
"Sienna, finally," Mr. Harrison stopped me. "Let's go upstairs and talk."
Under the curious gaze of my colleagues, I followed them into a conference room.
The HR Director slid a document across the table.
"This is a notice of suspension," she adjusted her glasses. "Your recent personal conduct has generated an extremely negative public reaction, causing severe damage to the companys reputation."
"The management team has decided you are suspended from all duties, effective immediately. Go home and reflect."
"On what grounds?" I couldn't help but argue, my voice shaking with agitation. "This is my private life! It has nothing to do with my work!"
"Private?" Mr. Harrison scoffed. "The entire city is buzzing about the 'Cold-Blooded Landlord' from our firm who threw an eighty-year-old woman out into the winter rain!
"Do you know how many partners called this morning to question us? The companys image has been dragged through the mud because of you!"
Looking at their angry faces, I knew any defense was futile.
Clutching the suspension notice, I practically fled the office.
My phone vibrated constantly, the screen filling with unknown numbers and malicious curses.
First, search for and download the MotoNovel app from Google. Then, open the app and use the code "333200" to read the entire book.
MotoNovel
Novellia
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