Chapter 9: The Landlord's Betrayal
257 words
That billboard smile burned into my retinas, mocking every step of the walk back to my apartment. I clutched the three hundred dollars in my pocket—my only shield against starvation. But when I reached my building, the key stuck in the lock. The barrel had been changed.
My heart hammered against my ribs. I looked up to see Mr. Henderson, my landlord, leaning against the doorframe. He wasn't alone. Two burly men in coveralls were hauling my furniture out to the curb.
"What are you doing?" I screamed, dropping my bag. "Rent isn't due until Tuesday!"
Henderson smirked, waving a piece of paper that looked suspiciously unofficial. "Building changed hands this afternoon. New owner wants immediate renovations. This is a wrongful eviction, maybe, but you don't have the money for a tenant rights lawyer, do you?"
"You can't do this! I have nowhere to go!" I lunged for a box of Mark's books they were tossing like garbage.
Henderson stepped in front of me, his breath smelling of stale tobacco. "Take it up with the new management company, 'Sterling Real Estate Holdings.'"
The name sucked the air out of my lungs. Preston Sterling. He bought the building just to throw me out.
"I need time to find housing assistance," I pleaded, my dignity crumbling.
He shoved my suitcase toward me with his boot. "Mr. Sterling wants this unit empty by tonight. You're trespassing, Sarah. Move."
He slammed the heavy door in my face. The bolt clicked home, locking me out of the last sanctuary I had.
End of Chapter 9
