Chapter 3

Now I finally understood.

She wasn't doing all of this for herself. She wanted me to spend my own money and effort to soundproof my apartment so her parents would have a perfectly quiet "sanctuary" when they moved in.

"Ms. Vance, have you made up your mind?" the lawyer pressed.

I stared at Audrey, speaking slowly.

"If I'm not mistaken, you’ve already posted your little 'report' in the community Snapchat group, haven't you?"

Audrey shrugged, pretending to be innocent.

"I was just raising awareness. After all, noise and heat pollution affect everyone."

My phone started buzzing like crazy.

Texts from Mr. Higgins, a few friendly neighbors, and even the local HOA board members were piling in.

They were all asking if I was really causing that much trouble in the building.

Audrey saw my screen lighting up, and her smirk grew wider.

"See that? That’s the power of the rules. Public opinion alone can ruin you."

She leaned against her doorframe, crossing her legs.

"I’ll give you one last chance. Sign the paper, and we can still be good neighbors."

"Otherwise, I don't mind making this a local news story. I can easily get a couple of local blogs to run a piece on the 'Neighbor from Hell.'"

"I don't think you want to be famous in this town, do you?"

Every word she said was testing the absolute limits of my patience.

I looked at her incredibly smug face. I was genuinely curious what kind of family could raise someone so self-centered.

I pulled out my phone and started recording right in front of her.

"Audrey, are you sure you want to go to war with me over this?"

She laughed, as if I had just said something hilarious.

"It’s not just 'this.' It’s $35,000 and my peace of mind. Can't you do the math, Ms. Vance?"

"And besides, it's about principle."

She adjusted her glasses, a cold glint in her eyes.

"I want to make sure you realize that being inconsiderate comes with a very steep price."

"Very well."

I stopped the recording and turned around.

"I hear your demands. I’ll give you my answer in three days."

With that, I unlocked my door.

"Ms. Vance, are you trying to buy time?"

Audrey yelled after me.

"It won't work! My lawyer has all the paperwork ready. We can file the lawsuit at any moment."

I didn't look back.

I shut the door and took a long, deep breath.

The sun was shining bright outside, but I felt incredibly cold.

I sat on my sofa, not doing anything immediately. Instead, I let myself think.

Going head-to-head with her in a standard shouting match wouldn't work.

Audrey was stubborn and impossible to reason with.

She used the law as a weapon and public opinion as a shield. She thought she was invincible.

To deal with someone like her, I couldn't use normal methods.

I needed to find her weakness.

The one weak spot that would completely break her.