Melinda came charging over, her shrill voice cutting through the noise.
“Do you even want to marry into our family anymore? Cece is the sweetest girl alive, and you've ruined her like this. You owe her an apology!”
Manager James squeezed through to the doorway with two security guards in tow.
“Miss Calloway, just cooperate and open the door.”
I kept my voice ice-cold.
“My apartment was just renovated. There are cameras inside. Set one foot through that door, and I'm calling the police.”
One of Celia's diehard fans shouted immediately.
“Quit the act! She's obviously hiding the admin account in there!”
“Get in and find it! Everything we've lost is on her!”
A deafening bang. The lock casing crumpled inward.
Bodies shoved through the door, shoes grinding across the white carpet I'd just had laid.
Someone tore through my entryway cabinet. Someone else slammed into the coffee table and sent it toppling. In seconds, the apartment I'd just finished renovating was trashed beyond recognition.
My pupils contracted. Thirty thousand dollars. I'd spent thirty thousand dollars on this renovation, and they were destroying it in front of me.
Before I could react, Melinda rushed me and cracked her palm across my face.
“That's what you get for causing trouble! That's what you get for hurting people!”
Daniel ripped the phone from my hand and hurled it into the wall.
“You want to call the cops? Apologize to Cece on her livestream first!”
Celia's livestream was still rolling. Tears streamed down her face, pretty as a wilting flower.
“Spring, just admit it. You refused to help, and that's why nobody can get into their homes.”
Manager James looked almost feral, desperate to dodge any blame. He pressed harder.
“Miss Calloway, confess your mistake now in front of the livestream audience and there's still room to fix this. Otherwise, you're done.”
I lifted my head and stared at them. My cheek burned like it was on fire.
These people. They'd caused this disaster themselves, and now they wanted to pin every last bit of it on me.
“You want me to take the fall for you? In your dreams.”
The instant the words left my mouth, Daniel and the others turned vicious. Fists raised, they closed in on me as one.
“Fine. You won't admit it? We've got plenty of ways to make you.”
I hadn't even opened my mouth when a furious roar tore through the hallway.
“Everyone, STOP!”
Clement Lambert stormed in with his own security team. He took one look at the wreckage and his face went ashen with rage.
“Who gave you permission to break into a homeowner's unit?”
“And who authorized changing every lock password in this building to Celia Sullivan's birthday?”
