I was so angry I couldn't stop myself from rolling my eyes.
“She does something idiotic and you want me to spend money to make her feel better? Daniel, what exactly is she to you?!”
Daniel's voice hitched for a second before he exploded.
“We're all going to be neighbors! Do you really have to make things this ugly?!”
“Neighbors? I wouldn't count on that.”
I hung up and blocked his number on the spot.
Less than thirty seconds later, Manager James from property management called.
His tone was dripping with condescension.
“Miss Calloway, you own the crown unit. If anything, you should be the first one supporting our move-in event. Miss Sullivan has a massive following. She's willing to promote the community, and that's a good thing. Why would you go after her just because you're jealous?”
Jealous?
I was genuinely baffled.
“Jealous of what, exactly? That she's out of her mind, or that you people are right there going along with the circus?”
Val James's tone hardened.
“It's just a temporary test password. Stop blowing this out of proportion. Your behavior is having a very negative impact on this community, and I'm ordering you to go apologize to Miss Sullivan right now.”
Celia's livestream viewer count was still climbing. More and more people now knew the building's password. Watching the numbers tick upward, I couldn't hold back a laugh.
“Sure. You all sit tight. I'll go apologize right now.”
I hung up. The living room went quiet.
But less than ten minutes later, someone was pounding on my door so hard the frame shook. Daniel stood in the hallway, his face dark with fury.
Beside him, Celia sniffled into her camera, putting on her most pitiful expression.
“Spring, I just wanted to make the neighbors happy. Why do you hate me so much?”
Daniel's brow furrowed.
“Spring, open this door and explain yourself to Cece. Now.”
I looked at Celia's face, that smug satisfaction she couldn't quite hide no matter how hard she tried, and the words left my mouth before I could stop them.
“If you want to make everyone happy, why don't you change your bank PIN to your birthday too?”
Celia's expression froze. Tears appeared on cue.
“Spring, I know you don't like me, but you don't have to humiliate me like this.”
Daniel immediately stepped in front of her and slammed his palm against the door.
“What is wrong with you, Spring? Cece was trying to bring the neighbors together, and you have to twist that into something as ugly as you are?”
I didn't bother responding. I turned around and walked back to the living room.
Through the door, Celia's sobbing drifted in, thin and broken.
“Maybe I'm just too stupid. I only wanted everyone to remember today, and I never thought Spring would think that about me. Did Cece do something wrong?”
Comments in the livestream were flying.
“That homeowner is straight-up heartless!”
“Cece made something special for the whole building and this woman gives her attitude? Guess not every girl can be as sweet as our Cece!”
Shortly after, Yvette sent me a screenshot from the homeowners' group chat. The entire feed was people consoling Celia.
“Don't cry, Cece! We all support you.”
“A shared password for the whole building is such a meaningful gesture. Spring Calloway is just spiteful. She can't pull off something like that herself, so when someone else does, she gets jealous!”
“It'll get changed back tonight after the inspection anyway. What's she so worked up about?”
Some were even more outrageous.
“If you ask me, her unit should get changed to Cece's birthday too. Otherwise she doesn't even deserve to live in this building.”
I stared at that message, so furious my fingertips went cold.
The phone rang again. This time it was Melinda Whitney, Daniel's mother.
The second I picked up, she tore into me.
“Spring Calloway, you're going to marry into this family! What is wrong with your head, making a mess of every relationship you have with the neighbors?!”
“Cece is a sweet young girl, everybody adores her. Why can't you just tolerate her?”
