Chapter 2

In the playback, he crept out of his apartment, snatched my delivery bag, and bolted back inside. In his haste, spicy broth splashed out, leaving a trail on the floor.

As he ran, he muttered under his breath:

"Seafood boil? This little whore, Stella, must make fast cash spreading her legs to order such expensive food!

"Fucking waste of space!"

Steam was practically coming out of my ears. Mrs. Miller had always seemed like such a sweet old lady. How could she have such a vile grandson?

Hearing me vent, Chloe gave me a look like I was an idiot.

"You've never heard the apple doesn't fall far from the tree?

"Don't believe me? Keep watching the footage."

I was skeptical at first, but the recording slapped me right across the face.

Kevin opened his door and snatched my food with practiced ease, while Mrs. Miller stood guard, keeping watch.

The sweet, kind grandmother seemed to have completely vanished. Her brow was deeply furrowed, her beady eyes narrowed, and she spat viciously:

"Takeout again. Stella is such a useless brat! Whatever family gets stuck with a creature like her is cursed."

She then bent down and carefully inspected a potted plant outside my door.

"Kevin, sweetie, does this thing need new batteries? If it dies, it won't catch anything."

I took a screenshot and zoomed in. An icy chill ran up my spine.

The flowerpot had a floral painted design, and right in the stem, a tiny pinhole had been drilled. The hidden lens pointed straight at my front door.

That planter was a housewarming gift from Mrs. Miller. I had told her I wasn't great with plants,

so she sweetly suggested keeping it in the hallway, promising to water it whenever she had time. Turns out, she had hid a spy camera in it all along.

Just then, Kevin cursed, "That bitch is so damn guarded. I already took deposits from people, and a whole bunch of guys in the chat are waiting for clips!

"She bundles up like a mummy every time she leaves the house. What is she playing hard to get for?"

He turned to Mrs. Miller and snapped, "Didn't you say you gained her trust? Why haven't we made any real progress?

"Use your damn brain, get closer to her, and find a way to plant a camera inside her place!

"The guys in the group love that innocent look of hers. If we get the good stuff, I'm going to make a fortune selling it."

The two whispered by my door for a while longer.

It all made sense now. Kevin ran an illicit pay-per-view group chat, making money by sharing hidden-camera footage and voyeuristic photos.

Thank God I always dressed modestly when heading out, or his sick scheme would have worked.

Their trap was perfectly designed: use a frail, elderly woman to lower the guard of a young woman living alone, pretend to be caring and warm, win her trust, get invited inside,

and install surveillance equipment for profit. If it weren't for the stolen food, I never would have realized that sweet old Mrs. Miller was actually a wolf in sheep's clothing.

Judging by their seamless coordination, I definitely wasn't their first target. Who knew how many other girls had fallen victim to them?

After whispering for a bit, their smug smirks made it clear they were up to no good.

Sure enough, they carefully sliced a tiny slit into my welcome mat and shoved another micro-camera inside.

They were trying to take upskirt videos.