Chapter 2

The atmosphere was incredibly awkward.

Ethan broke the tension by punching in the new password and opening the door.

The new code was clearly a birthdate. It wasn’t mine, Ethan’s, or our parents’. It had to be Maddie’s.

The previous code had been set by me, but Maddie had apparently found it too complicated and had Ethan change it to her birthday.

When Ethan explained this, I couldn’t help myself and punched him in the shoulder.

This idiot gave the house code to someone outside the family, and not only that, he changed it to something she could remember?

Ethan, sensing my irritation, resorted to his usual tactic—playing the pitiful little brother.

Fine. I’ll let it go this time since Ethan seems to like her.

After all, it was our first time meeting. Who knows if we’ll even see each other again? No need to make things too hostile.

But as soon as I stepped into the living room, I was in complete shock.

Can someone explain why everything was pink?

I had hired an interior designer to create a sleek, minimalist look. Now, the walls were covered with tacky, country-style paintings and posters. Cheap, mismatched decorations hung everywhere, like something out of a bargain bin at a discount store.

I swallowed my anger and walked inside. Ethan followed behind me but kept quiet.

I glanced at the staircase and saw my books scattered all over the steps. The table had an empty cup of instant noodles on it, with one of my expensive hardcover books underneath it, being used as a coaster.

What enraged me the most was that the upstairs suite—my room—had become their bedroom.

The second floor had a shared bathroom and a master suite with a walk-in closet and private bathroom, which was originally mine. Now it was a complete mess, and they had replaced the bedding with a hideous, bright red set.

Surveying the scene, I saw that my vanity, which had been lined with my collection of skincare products and makeup, was now nearly empty.

“Where’s all my stuff?” I asked, pointing to the now-bare wall where my perfumes and lipsticks had once been neatly displayed.

“What, did you eat my lipstick? Use my perfume for a bubble bath?”

I stared at Ethan calmly, which only made him more scared.

When I’m truly furious, I go quiet.

When I was little, I had a pet rabbit. A clueless relative killed it and tricked me into eating it. I calmly ate a bite of the rabbit, then picked up a baseball bat and went to their house, smashing everything I could.

For the next three months, I visited every month to smash something new until they finally moved away.

Maddie, however, seemed completely unfazed by my fury, casually sitting in a rocking chair by the window, enjoying an avocado smoothie bowl.

Ethan, terrified that I was about to explode, hurriedly promised he’d replace everything that had been lost or broken. That cooled me down slightly.

I grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge and strolled over to Maddie, flashing her a forced smile. “Maddie, I’m a bit of a neat freak. I don’t like people touching my stuff.”

Maddie wasn’t pleased by my words and shot back sarcastically, “Well, Harper, this is my boyfriend’s house. I can use whatever I want. The owner doesn’t mind, so why should you, the guest, care?”