Intruder

It was two hours past midnight in Alexandria's suburbs. The streets were peaceful as most of the people living there had long gone to sleep.

Outside one townhouse, a dark figure stealthily entered through a basement window and slowly walked up the stairs. Despite the darkness, the shadow moved in a precise manner, hardly making any noise.

The owner of the house, a woman in her 50s with the name Gertrude Moore, was fast asleep in her bedroom on the second floor, unaware of the intruder that was inside her home.

She had been out gambling with some friends the entire day and had come home exhausted and with an empty pocket. She wasn't worried about losing money, though. After all, she only needed to make one phone call and money will be deposited in her account. That was the reason why, despite being unemployed for the past 15 months, she was able to live in her own home in a nice suburb and spend her days gambling in the casino.

Quietly, the intruder walked up to the side of the bed, then quickly placed a handkerchief laced with chloroform over Gertrude's nose and mouth.

She woke up with a start just as she felt the cloth cover half of her face. She tried to fight the intruder off, but as the anaesthetic began to take effect, she slowly lost strength then fell unconscious after a few minutes.

With the victim disabled, the intruder methodically bound and gagged Gertrude before taking her out of the house in the dead of night.

—-------------------------

Anya grimaced as she stood in front of the apartment building. The building was old. The paint was peeling off and the walls were dingy and cracked in some places. It was also located in one of the less-developed areas of the town.

"Are you sure this is the place?" she asked doubtfully.

"It's what's on her file," her assistant replied.

With no security personnel around, the two were able to get in without any problem and seeing that there was no elevator, they walked up the stairs to the fifth floor. There, they walked through a narrow corridor before they found the unit they were looking for.

Erica knocked on the door. There was no response. She knocked again but got the same result.

"Miss, I don't think anyone is home," Erica said.

"I know you're in there," Anya called out. "Please open the door for us."

Silence.

But just as they were about to give up, they heard the sound of the door unlocking. The door opened slightly and Anya saw a silhouette peeking from inside.

"M-miss Anya, what are you doing here?" an astonished voice came from inside the unit.

"I'd like to talk to you, Lizzie. Would you let us in?"

The door opened fully, giving Anya a view inside the unit.

"P-please come in," Lizzie said, ushering them inside. "M-my apartment is a bit small but please make yourselves comfortable."

Anya detected a hint of embarrassment in the young girl's voice. Looking around, she noticed the broken tiles on the floor, the peeling wallpapers, as well as broken window panes. The walls were also so thin that they could hear every movement that was coming from the adjacent units. Yet despite it all, Anya could see that Lizzie had taken great pains to keep the place neat and tidy.

Seeing all these, Anya felt as if her heart was stabbed by hundreds of needles. She couldn't imagine how hard the young girl's life must have been in the past two years. For a Reinhart, who had been brought up in luxury, to be living in such conditions…

"Were you doing something?" Erica asked. "You took a long time to answer the door."

"A-actually," Lizzie said, biting her lip. "I thought you were my landlady coming to ask for the rent I owe her, s-so I didn't want to open the door."

Anya was speechless.

Lizzie tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear before changing the topic. "S-so what did you want to talk to me about, Director?"

That question brought Anya back to her senses. "I want to invite you—"

The front door was suddenly unlocked and opened just a little thanks to the chain Lizzie placed.

"LIZZIE FUENTES, TAKE YOUR THINGS AND GET OUT OF THIS APARTMENT RIGHT NOW!" a woman's loud voice was heard outside the door followed by a series of loud banging. "I TOLD YOU THAT IF YOU DON'T PAY THE THREE MONTHS WORTH OF RENT TODAY I'LL HAVE NO CHOICE BUT TO KICK YOU OUT TO THE STREETS."

Anya looked at Lizzie and when she saw fear in her eyes, she quickly stood up but stopped when she felt Lizzie's hand pulling at her wrist.

She glanced back and saw Lizzie desperately shaking her head. She placed a hand over Lizzie's head and gave her a smile.

"It's going to be alright," she said, patting the top of Lizzie's head before walking to the door.

"LIZZIE I KNOW YOU'RE IN THERE!" The banging on the door continued until Erica finally opened the door.

Outside was a middle-aged woman in a tie-dye loungewear dress with curlers in her hair. When she saw Erica and Anya at the door, her eyes widened in surprise.

"Who're you?" she asked in confusion. "Where's Lizzie?"

"I'm Lizzie's boss," Anya said tartly. "You must be the landlady."

The landlady nodded.

"So how much is it?"

"What?"

"The rent. How much does she owe?" Anya asked, taking her wallet out of her purse.

"Director, you don't need to do this," Lizzie protested from behind.

"It's alright, Lizzie, let me handle this," Anya called over her shoulder. She counted a number of bills and handed them to the landlady. "Will that be enough to cover it?"

Seeing the large amount of money in her hands, the landlady was dumbfounded and could only nod enthusiastically.

"Good. Then shut your mouth. Your voice is grating on my ears." She turned to Lizzie. "Take everything that's important to you and let's go."

"W-where are we going?"

Anya smiled brightly at her. "You're moving in with me."