<h4>Chapter 128: Chapter 129 Ingrates</h4>


    One of the men at the table looked up and squinted.


    ‘Hey. Who the hell are you? How’d you get in here?’


    Another twisted around and whistled. ‘Who ordered a call girl?’


    ‘Not me.’


    ‘You stupid fuck, that’s not a call girl. Not dressed like that.’


    I walked in.


    A guy with patchy facial hair stood up and waved a hand. ‘Alright, seriously, who even are you?’


    I kicked aside a banana peel on the floor and said, ‘I’m the one who pays the rent.’


    Theughter came immediately.


    ‘This ce belongs to Priya. You her stalker or something?’


    I stared at the ceiling and exhaled hard through my nose. ‘Funny. No one told me the t changed itsst name to Sharma.’


    That finally got them quiet.


    Neal had turned around, gaping.


    Le Sharma rushed out of the kitchen.


    Rohan popped up from the sofa, rubbing sleep from his eyes.


    Le threw on a wide smile. ‘Mirabelle, darling! You should’ve called. Come,e, sit—’


    She shoved the guys aside and started brushing off the sofa cushions with both hands like it’d make any difference.


    I didn’t move.


    ‘When thendlord asks for damages, the money’sing out of your pocket.’


    Le blinked at me. ‘What damages? It’s just a bit of trash—’


    Neal was blunter. You’re seriously going to make us pay? You’ve got all that money and—’


    ‘I’ll clean it.’ Priya stepped out from behind her mother timidly. She barely looked me in the eye. ‘I’ll fix everything. We’ll be gone once thepensationes through. I swear.’


    Le shoved her back with one hand. ‘Don’t be stupid. We’re staying. This is our home now.’


    ‘Staying?’ I crossed my arms. ‘Fine. Stay. But rent’s on you from now on.’


    Neal’s smile dropped like a curtain. ‘You brought us here, Mirabelle. You said you’d look after everything. Food, rent, clothes. And Priya, she’s your key witness. Without her, you wouldn’t have won shit. My daughter handed you that verdict. This is how you repay her?’


    I dug my nails into my palm to keep from throwing something.


    ‘I already wired you money before you came to Skyline. A lump sum. Enough for food, bills, taxis, all of it. The case is long over, and you’re still squatting in my t. I’d done more than enough. But I’m not your damn sponsor.’


    Rohan mumbled something under his breath. ‘We helped you. You should help us. It’s only right...’


    I spun to face him. ‘Priya wasn’t just a witness. She was part of the case. She testified for her own sake as much as mine. You think one courtroom appearance earns your whole family a free ride for life?’


    Silence. Even the guy who’d been chewing loudly stopped mid-crunch.


    Priya swallowed hard and looked at her feet. ‘We’re not trying to freeload. We won’t stay. Mum, Dad, stop saying that stuff.’


    Le turned and pped her on the shoulder. ‘Shut your mouth! You don’t speak for us.’


    Priya flinched.


    I grabbed Priya and yanked her away from Le. Her wrist felt thin and damp in my hand. ‘Are you insane? You don’t hit your daughter.’


    ‘Exactly, she’s my daughter.’ Le snorted. ‘And I didn’t hit her. It was just a tap. Didn’t even hurt.’


    ‘She’s got a busted leg and you still make her do everything. Cooking,undry, scrubbing floors. While the rest of you sit around. That’s how you treat your daughter?’


    ‘She’s a girl. That’s what girls do. I’m just training her for when she gets married.’


    My jaw clenched so hard my temples started to throb. I turned to Priya.


    ‘The money I sent you. You didn’t keep any of it, did you?’


    She didn’t speak. Just stared at the floor. Tears dropped straight down onto the front of her sweatshirt.


    That was my answer.


    I already knew her backstory—grew up poor, got into Skyline on a schrship, parents took a payout from the Brookes and ran.


    I’d sent her money so she could buy herself a decent meal every now and then.


    Clearly, none of it stayed in her ount.


    ‘Right. So the whole family’s been living off you like leeches.’ I tried not to raise my voice. They weren’t worth it. ‘You’ve got one day. Clean the t. Pack your shit. Be out by tomorrow night. If you’re still here, I’m calling the police.’


    ‘No!’ Neal scowled. ‘You brought us here! You used us! Now you want to kick us out like we’re trash?’


    ‘You ARE trash. And thewyers spelt it out at the start. We wanted Priya to testify. None of the rest of you were actually invited. And we sure as hell didn’t promise you a permanent address in Skyline.’


    I turned to leave.


    Priya tugged at my sleeve.


    When I looked back, her eyes were bloodshot, and her nose was running. She wasn’t saying anything, but I could read the panic written all over her face.


    If I walked out now, they’d take it out on her.


    I grabbed her wrist and pulled her with me. ‘I said I’d show you around the city, didn’t I? We’re doing that today.’


    Multiple voices started shouting. I mmed the door hard enough to make the hallway shake.


    Inside the lift, she mumbled, ‘Sorry.’


    She barely reached my shoulder. With her head ducked like that, all I could see was the top of her scalp and the stringy part in her hair.


    ‘I thought your parents gave a damn,’ I muttered. ‘That’s why they travelled all the way here with you. I didn’t realise they only came here to see what they could wring out of you.’


    ‘They didn’te here thinking that. Not at first,’ she said in a small voice. ‘But after we arrived, and thewyer had everything arranged, and you put us up in this fancy building... Then you stopped showing up, and they assumed you’d forgotten. They thought they could push it.’


    ‘So it was all my fault now?’ I raised an eyebrow. ‘I should’ve just stayed away and let them do whatever they liked?’