Steal My Penthouse

My distant cousin was getting married next month, and she was flaunting her fiancé all over the place at our big family dinner. After a few drinks, Aunt Brenda suddenly turned to me in front of all the relatives. "Chloe, I heard you have a massive penthouse sitting empty downtown. Sarah desperately needs a decent place for her wedding. Why don't you let her borrow it for a few years?" "We won't even take it for free. We’ll pay you fifty bucks a month for rent. That’s way better than letting it sit there gathering dust." Hearing her words, I almost choked on my drink. My downtown penthouse was ultra-luxury, custom-designed, and cost millions just to renovate. Aunt Brenda really thought she could bully me into renting it out as a wedding home for a pathetic fifty bucks a month? And for years? I shut her down on the spot with a stone-cold refusal. I never imagined that just a few days later, I’d get an urgent call from building management. Someone had literally broken in and smashed through the locks, utterly destroying my multi-million-dollar interior. Aunt Brenda even posted in the family SnapChat group, brazenly declaring that since the place was empty anyway, moving in was just their way of "not letting resources go to waste." Fine. If you’re so eager to ruin your own lives, don't blame me when I show no mercy! Today was Grandma’s eightieth birthday dinner, and the whole extended family had gathered at a fancy restaurant. The private dining room was loud and buzzing with chatter. My distant cousin, Sarah, was clinging to an arrogant, slicked-back guy in an overly shiny suit, strutting around to toast every relative at the table. His name was Kevin, and they’d only been dating for six months. Aunt Brenda was grinning from ear to ear, practically shouting for the entire room to hear. "Oh, our Sarah is so blessed! Kevin is an executive at a huge corporate firm, making hundreds of thousands a year!" "Their wedding is next month, and you all better show up to celebrate with us!" The relatives chimed in instantly, pouring on the flattery. "Sarah really hit the jackpot with him!" "Kevin, you’ll have to look out for our kids when they need jobs!" Kevin waved his hand dismissively, his face practically dripping with smug arrogance. "Oh, please, it's nothing." "As long as it's within my power, just say the word." I sat quietly in a corner, sipping my tea, having zero interest in joining this ridiculous circus. Over the past few years, I’d been completely absorbed in running my company, rarely attending these family gatherings. On top of that, I had dressed down in a simple, unbranded casual outfit today. In the eyes of these relatives, I was probably still just a regular desk jockey barely getting by. Right then, Aunt Brenda turned her sharp gaze on me. "Chloe, are you still working at that little company?" I answered mildly, "Yeah, still there." Aunt Brenda curled her lip, her voice dripping with condescension. "Look at you, pushing thirty with no boyfriend, no house, and no car to your name." "Though, I did hear a rumor... Didn't your boss assign you a downtown apartment to live in? Is that true?" I frowned slightly. That place was an ultra-luxury, top-floor penthouse downtown that I bought outright with cash—worth tens of millions of dollars. I rarely stayed there because it felt too empty, only sending in cleaners now and then. I had no idea where Aunt Brenda picked up that gossip, but she actually believed it was some company dorm my boss lent me. I didn't bother elaborating and just said calmly, "It's my own place." The room instantly went dead silent. Sarah burst out laughing. "Chloe, stop embarrassing yourself!" "Downtown real estate is insane! With your measly paycheck, you couldn't even afford a bathroom there in ten lifetimes!" Kevin looked down his nose at me too, a mocking smirk playing on his lips. "Seriously, Chloe. I get that young people have egos, but there’s no need to front in front of family." "If you're really struggling, I can put in a word with one of my supervisors. I can get you a receptionist or janitorial gig. It pays way more than whatever you're making now." I gave him a cold look. "No thanks. I'm perfectly happy with my current job." Aunt Brenda cut in impatiently, waving her hand. "Alright, whatever, who cares whose house it is? You live alone anyway, you don't need all that space." "Sarah’s wedding is next month. Kevin’s family only has a tiny place out in the boonies, which is way too embarrassing for a wedding venue." "That downtown apartment of yours is perfect. Hand over the keys tomorrow so Sarah can use it as her wedding home." Her tone was so disgustingly entitled, as if she wasn't demanding a multi-million-dollar luxury penthouse, but casually asking to borrow a paper towel.I could hardly believe the audacity. "Aunt Brenda, have you had too much to drink?" "It’s my property. Why on earth would I hand it over to Sarah?" Aunt Brenda’s face instantly darkened. "Watch your attitude, young lady!" "We’re family! What’s wrong with helping each other out?" "Besides, it’s just sitting there empty. What’s the harm in letting Sarah use it for a few years? It’s not like she’s going to break it!" Sarah chimed in beside her, her voice dripping with venomous sarcasm. "Right? Don't be so selfish, Chloe." "Don't worry, Kevin is a generous man. We’re not going to take advantage of you." "He said he'll pay you fifty bucks a month in rent. Honestly, that's practically charity on our part!" I let out a sharp, incredulous laugh. "Fifty bucks? That wouldn't even cover the building's trash fee!" "Let me make this crystal clear: I am not renting it to you, and I am definitely not lending it to you." "If you need a venue, buy one yourself. Keep your hands off my property." With that, I grabbed my bag and stood up. Seeing that I wasn't backing down, Kevin’s face twisted in anger. "Chloe, don't push your luck!" "Offering you fifty bucks for that place was doing you a massive favor!" "Do you have any idea who I am? One word from me, and I can make sure you never find work in this city again!" I stared back at him with pure disdain. "Oh, really? I'd love to see you try." "Don't flatter yourself just because you landed some mid-level title. You’re a nobody." I turned back to Aunt Brenda. "Don't ever invite me to one of these gatherings again." Leaving their outraged shouts behind the closed door, I walked straight out of the restaurant without looking back. Stepping outside, I took a deep breath of the cool air. Spending even another second around those toxic, entitled freeloaders felt like psychic damage. I thought I’d made myself abundantly clear, and that they’d finally back off. Turns out, I severely underestimated just how shameless and depraved these people could be. Three days later. I was in the middle of an executive board meeting at our corporate headquarters. Suddenly, my private phone began buzzing relentlessly on the table. The caller ID displayed the building manager of my downtown luxury complex. That residence was the most exclusive, high-end gated community in the city, protected by elite private security. Without a resident's explicit clearance, not even a fly could get past the gates. My stomach dropped, and I answered the call. On the other end of the line, the manager’s voice was practically shaking with terror. "M-Ms. Vance! Something terrible has happened!" "A group of people just forced their way in—they broke your locks and barged right into your penthouse!" I slammed my pen onto the table and shot up from my seat. The entire boardroom of executives flinched in shock, instantly freezing into dead silence. "They did what?!" "What on earth is building security doing?! Can't you guys even guard a front door?!" The building manager sounded on the verge of tears. "Ms. Vance, I swear it's not our fault!" "A whole mob showed up earlier claiming they were your family, insisting you promised them the penthouse for their wedding." "When the guards stopped them, they caused a massive scene at the gate. An older woman even threw herself on the ground, pretending to have a heart attack!" "We were terrified someone was going to die right outside our gates, so we had to let them in first." "How could we have known that as soon as they went up, they’d call an emergency locksmith to completely dismantle your reinforced front door?!" I was trembling with fury, my eyes turning to ice. "I’m on my way right now!" "Have your chief of security lock down that entire building immediately. Don't let a single soul slip out!" I hung up and sprinted out of the boardroom. Seeing this, my executive assistant, Ryan, scrambled after me. "Ms. Vance, should I call the police?" I said coldly, "Not yet. I'm going to see for myself just how suicidal they really are!" Half an hour later, my Maybach pulled up to the curb. The building manager, flanked by a dozen fully geared-up security guards, was waiting downstairs, practically shaking in his boots. The second he saw me, he looked ready to drop to his knees. "Ms. Vance! Thank God you're here!" "They're still up there right now, and they've even hauled in tons of their cheap, beat-up furniture!" I didn't spare him another glance and walked straight toward the private elevator. When the elevator reached the top floor and the doors slid open, what I saw sent my blood pressure skyrocketing.My custom-made, twenty-thousand-dollar reinforced security door had been violently ripped off its hinges, propped crookedly against the hallway wall. Nasty, jagged scratches scarred the frame. The once-pristine foyer was now piled high with cheap laundry bags and battered cardboard boxes. Obnoxiously loud, trashy club beats were blasting from inside, mixed with raucous laughter from men and women having the time of their lives. Stepping over the debris, I marched into the living room. And what met my eyes inside almost drove me insane. Aunt Brenda was sprawled out across my three-hundred-thousand-dollar imported Italian leather sofa, shoes and all. Kevin and Sarah were posing right in front of my panoramic floor-to-ceiling windows, having amateur photographers snap their tacky wedding shots with cheap DSLRs. Beneath their feet lay the hand-woven Persian rug I had personally bought at an exclusive auction! It was now ruined with filthy, muddy shoe prints, along with several charred black holes from extinguished cigarettes. To make matters worse, the antique porcelain vases from the display cabinet had been yanked out and stuffed with cheap, gaudy plastic dollar-store roses! Every drop of blood in my body rushed straight to my head. "WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?!" I unleashed a furious roar with every ounce of air in my lungs. The blaring music abruptly stopped. Everyone in the room turned around, looking at me like I was some lunatic making a scene. Aunt Brenda sat up from the sofa, carelessly dusting snack crumbs off her shirt. "Oh, look, it's Chloe! What brings you here?" "Honestly, the soundproofing in this place is terrible. We play a little music inside, and you can hear it all the way out there?" She had the audacity to blame my soundproofing! Sarah gathered the hem of her cheap wedding dress and strutted over, looking smug. "Since you're already here, Chloe, you might as well clean the place up for us." "Look how much dust gathered while it sat empty! Do you have any idea how much work it took for us to move in?" Kevin lit another cigarette, casually flicking the ashes straight onto my hundred-thousand-dollar rug. "Chloe, out of respect for family, we'll just consider your silence as consent to rent the place to us." "I already sent the fifty-dollar rent to your PayPal. Make sure you check your balance." Looking at their sickeningly entitled faces, I burst into a bitter, infuriated laugh. "Who gave you permission to step foot in here?" "Who gave you the guts to smash through my door?!" Aunt Brenda rolled her eyes. "Why are you being so difficult?" "We are your elders! What’s wrong with letting us stay here for a few days?" "Besides, what does a single girl like you need with such a massive penthouse anyway?" "You're going to get married off eventually, and this place will just belong to another family. You might as well let Sarah have it first!" Sarah chimed in, feeding the flames. "Exactly, Chloe! You are being so ridiculously selfish." "I'm your first cousin! Are you seriously going to ruin our family harmony over an apartment?" "Do you have zero family loyalty?!" Looking at her hypocritical face, I wanted nothing more than to slap it clean off. "Family loyalty?" "You brought thugs to break my locks, trashed my home, and now you want to lecture me on family loyalty?" I pointed at the ruined Persian rug on the floor. "Do you have any idea how much that rug costs? Five hundred thousand dollars!" I pointed at the antique vase stuffed with fake plastic flowers. "That is a museum-grade antique worth over two million dollars!" "Right now, you haven't just committed criminal trespassing—you’ve caused massive, felony-level property destruction!" "You couldn't pay this off in ten lifetimes!" Hearing those numbers, the room fell silent for a fraction of a second before erupting into roaring laughter. Kevin laughed so hard he dropped his cigarette. "Hahaha! Chloe, have you completely lost your mind over money?" "Five hundred grand for a piece of cloth? Two million for an old bottle?" "Do you seriously think I'm some backwoods hillbilly who hasn't seen the world?" "Let me tell you, I work at a major corporate firm—I see luxury goods every day! Everything in this dump put together isn't worth a thousand bucks!" Aunt Brenda sneered right along with him. "Oh, Chloe, at least rehearse your lies before you tell them!" "With your pathetic little salary, you think you can afford luxury like that?" "Don't act like we don't know the truth! Your boss didn't want this place anymore and let you crash here!" "Who are you trying to intimidate with your fake tough act?" Sarah covered her mouth, giggling maliciously. "Chloe, if you're really hurting for cash, just say so. We can toss you an extra twenty bucks for rent." "No need to cook up insane lies to extort us. You know extortion is illegal, right?" Looking at their blinding stupidity, I lost my last shred of patience. Trying to reason with these people was a waste of breath. I pulled out my phone and dialed 911 directly. "Hello, I need to report a crime." "Multiple intruders used brute force to break into my private luxury penthouse. They've unlawfully occupied the residence and maliciously destroyed millions of dollars worth of property." "The address is..." Seeing me actually call the police, their smirks finally vanished. Aunt Brenda shot up from the sofa, pointing a venomous finger straight at my nose. "Chloe! You ungrateful little snake!" "How dare you call the cops on your own aunt?!" "I’ll rip your mouth off!" Screaming like a banshee, she lunged right at me with her claws out.