Get Out of My House!

On New Year's Day, my childhood friend Paul asked for the passcode to my new house.

When I went to check on the place that weekend, I opened the door only to be shocked by over a dozen strangers inside.

Paul walked over to me with a smile:

Lena, what brings you here? Come on inyou're in luck. I'm hosting a family dinner right now.

I stood there completely bewildered. Before I could even voice my confusion, his girlfriend snapped:

"Why does she have your house passcode and can just waltz in whenever she wants?"

Paul immediately explained:

"She said she got into a fight with her family and got kicked out with nowhere to stay, so I let her crash here for a few days."

Upon hearing this, his girlfriend's face filled with contempt:

"How shameless! Who knows how many men she's begged to get what she wants."

Paul gave her a thumbs up:

"You're absolutely right! Last time she wanted to buy some designer bag she liked, she stripped naked and begged me for it."

His girlfriend covered her mouth, stifling a laugh.

Seeing Paul lie so shamelessly, I rushed forward and slapped him hard across the face:

"Who the hell do you think you are? You take over my house and slander meget out!"

The moment I opened the door, the dozen or so people standing in the living room froze in unison, looking just as shocked as I was.

"A thief?"

A woman in her fifties shrieked first:

"Breaking into my house in broad daylighthow audacious! Grab her and beat her senseless."

She was turning the tables on me. How shameless.

Furious, I pulled out pepper spray from my bag:

"This is MY house. You're all trespassing, and if you lay a hand on me, that's illegal. I'm calling the police to sort this out."

The people who'd rushed forward hastily retreated, cursing under their breath:

"She's got tricks up her sleeve. Get the mopI don't believe we can't handle her."

Just as those words left her mouth, Paul burst out of the kitchen to stop them:

"Don't call the police, don't fightthis is all a misunderstanding."

He smiled as he tried to calm the others down, then walked toward me while shooting me meaningful looks:

"Lena, what are you doing here? Come on inyou've got great timing. You caught us right in the middle of our family dinner."

I frowned, completely confused. Before I could ask my questions,

his girlfriend Lauren leaned against the doorframe and suddenly said in a mocking tone:

"Paul, is this childhood friend of yours especially sweet-tongued or something?"

Paul stopped in his tracks and raised an eyebrow at her:

"Babe, I don't even need to taste to knowher mouth isn't one ten-thousandth as sweet as yours."

Lauren shot him a coy glare:

"Stop it, I wasn't talking about that."

Their public flirting drew a round of laughter from everyone else.

I felt sick to my stomachlike a trusted partner had pushed me out to be used as a stepping stone.

At that thought, my voice rose sharply in confrontation:

"Paul, you brought outsiders here without my permission..."

But before I could finish,

Lauren cut me off with a shrill interruption:

"Paul, I'm really curious how she sweet-talked you into giving her your door code. If we hadn't been here today, what was she planning to do with you?"

The smile vanished from Paul's face instantly, replaced by a grave expression:

"Whatever she was planning, I'd never give her any opportunity. You're the only one in my eyes."

"She didn't sweet-talk the code out of meshe got on her knees and begged for it. Said she fought with her family, got kicked out, and had nowhere to go. You know I've always been soft-hearted, so I gave it to her without thinking much about it."

I felt like I'd been struck by lightning.

We'd grown up together, and this was the first time I'd witnessed him openly fabricate lies, destroying someone's reputation in seconds. I was too stunned to react for a long moment.

Lauren's face filled with contempt:

"Most girls couldn't be this shameless. Who knows how many men she's begged to get what she wants."

Paul gave her a thumbs up:

"Babe, you're so smart. Last time she wanted to buy some bag she liked, she stripped naked and begged me. I told you about it afterward."

At this, Lauren covered her mouth to suppress her laughter: "Oh, so it was her. How shameless."

Lauren's mother led the others in loud mockery:

"Her figure can't be that great, right?"

Paul wrinkled his nose and shook his head:

"I didn't look. Probably like a fat pig, though."

After saying this, he looked at his girlfriend expectantly.

Lauren smiled and praised him:

"That's my manknows where to draw the line."

"Looking at a woman with that kind of body would be painful."

Their back-and-forth ridicule, treating me like a plaything for their amusement, was utterly disgusting.

I suppressed the fury burning in my chest:

"Paul, for your mother's sake, I'll give you one more chance. Take them and get the hell out. I can pretend this never happenedotherwise, I'm sending all of you to prison."

"Big talk from you. I'm so scared."

Lauren sneered:

"Oh right, I forgot you're some hotshot lawyer who crawls out of god-knows-whose bed every morning, throwing your weight around at us ordinary people."

Paul's eyes flashed with panic as he tugged at her sleeve:

"There are so many people heregive her some face."

Lauren yanked her arm away forcefully, shouting in displeasure:

"What, you feel sorry for her?"

"Or am I wrong? She snuck in here today to seduce you, didn't she?"

Lauren's mother chimed in:

"Exactly. One look at her face and you can tell she's a shameless homewrecker who sleeps her way to the top."

The others joined in the mockery, each more foul-mouthed than the last.

What I couldn't accept most was Lauren constantly emphasizing this was her house.

The fury in my chest kept churning. With a dark expression, I warned:

"According to the law, spreading sexual rumors and trespassing can get you sentenced to 1-5 years in prison."

If it weren't for your mother being colleagues with my parents, having such a good relationship, and our families being neighbors for years, I would never waste words with themI'd go straight to the police.

"Paul, I don't care what reason you had for bringing these people to my house, but apologizing and leaving now is still an option."

Upon hearing this, Lauren acted like she'd heard the funniest joke:

"Your house? Keep dreaming."

"You're so used to being the other woman that now you want to steal my boyfriend and take over his house? Let me tell you, he'll never marry a slut like you who's been passed around by everyone."

At that moment, I nearly couldn't resist spraying her with pepper spray, but legally speaking, whoever strikes first is in the wrong. I could only rebut angrily:

"I've always conducted myself properly, unlike you who's been with countless men. Only trash like Paul would be a match for you."

"I'll say it one more timeI bought this house for 0-050,000. It's not your place to act out here."

With that, I pulled out my phone to call the police.

But Paul, whose eyes had been darting around nervously, suddenly went crazy and snatched my phone, smashing it violently on the ground while roaring at me:

"Lena, don't push your luck!"

"What do you mean 'your house'? You transferred it to me last month to settle a debt. Don't even think about going back on it."

Lauren's eyes widened instantly:

"What? This house was transferred to settle a debt?"

She looked disgusted:

"I don't want some dump where this slut has lived. Who knows how many men she's brought back here. So gross."

Lauren's mother and the others fanned the flames:

"Paul, do you look down on our Lauren? The wedding house is secondhand? Without $66,000 in betrothal gifts, forget about marrying her."

Hearing this, Paul frantically apologized:

"Everyone, I didn't explain clearly. This is a brand new house, definitely not secondhand. If you don't believe me, you can check online or even ask the property managementit was just handed over last month."

When he turned to look at me, hatred roiled in his eyes, each word dripping with venom:

"Lena, no matter how much you make a scene, it's useless. I could never like trash like you."

"If you're really that desperate for a man, Lauren's uncle happens to be single. For old times' sake, I'll introduce you to him first."

Lauren's uncle's eyes lit up with a lecherous smile:

"Sure! I don't mind that she sleeps around."

He reached out to grab me:

"Come on, let's find somewhere private for some fun."

His words sparked a round of laughter.

Seeing Paul's disgusting face joining in the mockery, the fury in my chest erupted completely.

I rushed forward and slapped him hard:

"Who the hell do you think you are? You take over my house, slander mewait for the lawsuit."

Paul clutched his face in disbelief:

"You actually dare to hit me?"

I was shaking with rage, trying my best to stay calm as I argued:

"You brought over a dozen people to occupy my property and refuse to leave. You led wave after wave of verbal abuse against me and deliberately had people grope me. I had no choice but to defend myself."

Hearing this, Lauren furiously raised her foot to kick me:

"Lena, you dare touch my man? You're asking for death!"

Since I dodged quickly, she lunged into empty air and fell heavily to the ground, screaming in pain.

This caused complete chaos.

Lauren's mother and her relatives chased after me:

"Bitch!"

To avoid getting hurt, I ran from the stairs all the way down to the ground floor, shouting in terror:

"Fire! Someone help!"

The tactic worked. Soon people walking in the neighborhood gathered around.

I immediately changed my story in panic:

"No waitit's murder! Someone's trying to kill me to take over my house."

At that moment, Lauren's mother and the others came running down with kitchen knives and mops. Seeing me hiding behind a group of neighbors, they jumped up and down in frustration:

"Bitch, you found more men to protect you in the blink of an eye. Come here if you dare."

The neighborsboth men and womenwere immediately offended and started arguing with them.

I said quietly:

"Please call the police. They broke my phone."

Just then,

Paul came down supporting Lauren. Seeing the situation, he immediately played the victim and explained to the neighbors:

"Everyone, the truth is she owes me $200,000 and used this 0-050,000 house to settle the debt. Now she's shamelessly trying to take it back."

"I have the transfer agreement in black and white with her signatureLena's name is right on it."

He pulled out a stack of documents to show everyone.

The neighbors crowded forward. After reading the contents, they turned to me:

"Are you Lena?"

I sensed trouble:

"That transfer agreement is definitely fake. I never signed it."

As soon as I said this, the neighbors' expressions changed, their eyes filling with more wariness.

Lauren then shouted indignantly:

"She's a pathological liar. Everyone stay away from her, or she'll seduce your husbands next."

"If I hadn't been home today, she would have stripped naked and thrown herself at my boyfriend. Absolutely shameless."

"When that didn't work, she threatened to burn down the house. Tell me, doesn't someone like her deserve a beating?"

Under her baseless slander, the neighbors immediately turned against me, cursing me out:

"You almost tricked us into wrongly accusing good people. How despicable."

Some of her relatives mixed into the crowd and shouted:

"Yeah, someone like her needs a good beating to teach her a lesson so she won't dare seduce other people's men again."

One sentence made everyone clench their fists, ready to attack me.

I tried to explain, but Lauren suddenly attacked from behind, kicking me hard:

"That's for trying to set a fire earlier! If it had actually caught, think of all the property damage. You don't care because it's not yours, right?"

Her angry tone sounded righteous, making those who didn't know the truth believe her, though her eyes couldn't hide her smugness.

Paul chimed in:

"My girlfriend is absolutely right. This person grew up with me, and she's not only a compulsive liar but also a gambling addict. Who knows how many men she's been with for money. Everyone should watch out for trash like her."

After speaking, he put on a pained expressionutterly disgusting.

I was in so much pain that cold sweat broke out on my forehead. Clutching my stomach, I struggled to stand:

"Paul, every word you say carries legal consequences."

"Everyone, please call the property management. I never did any property transferone check will prove it."

Hearing this, Paul smirked:

"Call them then. Who's afraid? Only liars get nervous."

The property management staff arrived quickly.

Seeing thirty-plus people surrounding me so tightly I couldn't move, they immediately realized the seriousness of the situation and hurried to understand what happened.

"The owner registered here is Paul."

The property manager looked me up and down:

"You... I think I've seen you more than once coming and going with different male owners from Phase Two."

His one sentence caused an immediate uproar.

Especially those neighborswith several of Lauren's relatives constantly adding fuel to the fire, they unanimously viewed me as a homewrecker everyone should condemn.

"Shameless! No wonder when she ran over just now, she crowded around the men. Turns out she's a repeat offender."

"Exactly. So damn arrogant. We owners need to unite against sluts like her."

Accompanied by insults and abuse coming in waves, these people's emotions grew increasingly angry, the scene nearly spiraling out of control.

No matter how I explained, they wouldn't listen.

Out of the corner of my eye, I caught the property manager and Paul exchanging knowing smirks.

That's when I rememberedwhen I bought the house,

Paul had pushed hard to recommend this neighborhood. Clearly, he'd been planning to seize my property all along. How despicable.

"Everyone, please listen to me..."

I shouted with all my strength, but suddenly an old woman attacked me with spit:

"Ptui! What more do you want to say? Stop playing trickswe won't fall for it."

The stench of her breath hit me in the face. I nearly vomited and had to quickly back away, but Lauren's uncle grabbed my arm.

"Right, this little slut is good at playing the victim to deceive people. A few days ago she said she had no money for food and would keep me company for two hours for just two hundred bucks. Scary."

Pretending to be an angry resident, he kept pushing and shoving me while taking the opportunity to grope me.

I was furious and slapped him across the face.

"You're slandering me. I will sue..."

Before I could finish, his face twisted viciously as he swung his fist at me.

I tried to dodge, but two of Lauren's relatives grabbed me directly, restraining my hands behind my back so I couldn't move.

He slapped me twice across the face, immediately making my mouth bleed.

Paul applauded:

"Well done! Trash like her deserves a good lesson. Everyone line up to slap her."

Hearing this, Lauren's mother led her relatives to act first, slaps raining down one after another.

Lauren covered her mouth and laughed from the side, shouting:

"Bitch, you deserve this! This is what you get for seducing someone's boyfriend."

Hearing this, Paul publicly kissed her:

"Having a girlfriend to protect me is such bliss."

My face was swollen and painful from the beating. I kept struggling and explaining that the property transfer was fake, but no one would listen.

"Paul, I have the property deed for this house. Do you?"

Hearing my roar, Paul immediately had them stop:

"Everyone hold on a moment. This woman still won't give upshe insists on producing her property deed to slap me in the face."

"Should we give her one more chance?"

Lauren and her group clearly didn't want to, but under my adamant defense and some neighbors' insistence,

Paul showed some conscience and helped me call my parents.

After waiting about half an hour, my parents and Paul's mother rushed over. Before they could say a word to me, they hurried to produce the property deed.

Opening it, everyone immediately panicked:

"Let's see you try to weasel out of this now!"

Paul and Lauren exchanged glances, both their faces showing triumphant smiles.

"Lena, we've been more than fairgave you more than one chance. Your parents brought this property deed themselves. What more do you have to say?"