My patience completely ran out at that point.
[Sorry. Please look for another place.]
It seemed to me that Yvonne sensed that I was getting angry because her next message sounded softer.
[Well, I understand. But how about this? If your parents come over, we’ll move out, all right?]
[If they want to stay, they can. I’m fine with that.]
[I’ll even deduct the rent for the days they visit. Fair deal, right?]
I almost laughed out loud at her shameless offer. But before I could reply, other flat owners started speaking up.
[What’s wrong with you? She already said she’s not renting. Why are you still bothering her?]
[Even if her house is empty, that’s her business. The law doesn’t say she has to rent it to you.]
[Why are you making trouble in the group chat in the middle of the night? Trying to bully a girl?]
It might be because of those messages, Yvonne finally went quiet. The group chat stayed silent the rest of the night. However, I woke up to the sound of someone knocking on my door the next morning.
When I opened it, a middle-aged man I’d never seen before was standing there. He was holding a handful of dried noodles and smiling widely.
“Good morning, Miss Rylance. I’m Marcus Eden, Yvonne Eden’s husband. The one from the group chat last night.”
“She was a bit rude yesterday, but I’ve already talked with her.”
“These are our homemade Shrewsbury cakes from Birmingham. Please try them.”
“By the way, may I come in for a moment?”
I had thought Yvonne stayed quiet last night because the other owners had told her off. It turned out that it was her husband who had done it.
It was hard to be rude to someone who was being polite. Even though I was still annoyed about Yvonne’s behavior, I stepped aside and let him in. After sitting down, Marcus rubbed his hands together and started talking.
“Look, Miss Rylance, my wife may have spoken out of turn. But she wasn’t wrong.”
“We’re neighbors, right? The flat next door is empty anyway. If you rent it to us, you’ll earn some extra money. Our family will have a place to live. Everyone wins.”
“And she’s right. A flat only stays in good condition when people live in it.”
He gave a small laugh.
“So I came here today partly to apologize and partly to talk about renting again in person.”
I sneered inwardly. Now I truly understood what it meant when people said, you couldn’t reason with someone who’s already decided to take advantage of you.
“If that’s what you came here to say, then please leave,” I said flatly.
“I already made it clear in the group chat yesterday. I’m not renting the flat next door.”
When he saw I wasn’t changing my mind, Marcus quickly shifted his tone.
“Miss Rylance, you’re young. Maybe you don’t understand how hard life can be. We have old parents and young kids to take care of.”
“I’m the only one working. The small one-bedroom we’re renting is really too small. If this place weren’t near my workplace, I wouldn’t even think about renting here.”
“I’m from Birmingham. Life here in London isn’t easy. My kids are older now. They need to go to a private school here in London. If we don’t move somewhere bigger … ”
I couldn’t listen anymore. I stood up, walked to the door and opened it wide.
“Mr. Eden, your family situation has nothing to do with me. I’m not responsible for your problems. Please leave.”
“I need to get ready for work, so I won’t see you off.”
Marcus’s smile disappeared the moment I said that.
