Chapter 4
606 Words
After that, they grew even bolder.
On the feed, Jackson clearly wasn't satisfied with just messing up the hallway anymore.
At three in the afternoon, clutching a keyring with various keys he'd somehow acquired, he started trying to unlock my door.
First key, second, third...
On the fifth try, there was a distinct click. The lock turned.
I squinted.
'Impossible.'
'My lock was a high-end smart lock. Only my fingerprint, my passcode, and the property manager's emergency key could open it.'
Jackson seemed stunned too. He pushed the door gently, and it swung open a c***k.
He turned and yelled excitedly, "Dad! I opened it! I can go into Ms. Hayes's house!"
Vincent rushed out. His initial shock lasted a split second before morphing into smug satisfaction.
"That's my boy! What a pro! Come on, let's go have a look around."
He actually took his son's hand and pushed my door fully open, stepping inside.
Watching them escalate from theft to trespassing, I was almost curious to see what they'd do next.
I straightened up, my eyes glued to the screen.
The father-son pair wandered around my apartment like it was a museum exhibit.
Jackson ran straight to the living room, leaped onto my leather sofa, and started bouncing on it.
"Dad, this couch is so soft!"
"You like it? We can come play here more often if you do." Vincent even pulled out his phone for a selfie. "Alright, champ, smile with your old man."
After taking the picture, he started looking around, eyeing my possessions.
Meanwhile, Jackson had already run into my bedroom.
He jumped on my bed, rolling around on it, then opened my closet, pulling out clothes one by one and throwing them on the floor.
"Daddy, this dress is pretty!"
"If you like it, take it. Ms. Hayes has plenty of clothes anyway, so she won't miss one."
Vincent didn't stop him; instead, he helped his son pick through the clothes.
Finally, Jackson took a fancy to a diamond-studded hair clip on my dressing table.
I had bought that antique at an auction last year for one hundred and twenty thousand.
"This shiny thing is so pretty! I want this!"
"Sure, sure, it's all for my precious boy." Vincent pinned the hair clip onto his son's head. "Let's go check out other stuff."
The father and son then wandered into the study.
Jackson showed interest in my computer. He pressed the power button, but it required a password.
"Stupid computer!" He angrily slapped the keyboard, then suddenly grabbed the glass of water on the desk and poured the remaining half onto the computer tower.
A soft fizzing sound could be heard as a wisp of white smoke rose from the computer case.
Vincent was startled and quickly pulled his son back. "Sweetie, you can't touch that; it could electrocute you!"
His first reaction wasn't to apologize or offer compensation, but to worry about his son getting hurt.
It seemed my high-end computer, worth over thirty thousand, didn't matter at all. After all, in his eyes, the kid didn't mean it.
They stayed inside for a full forty minutes.
When they left, Jackson was holding my hair clip and a limited-edition LEGO set, while Vincent had helped himself to several of my dresses and high-end skincare products.
The door closed again, as if nothing had happened.
Yet, the mess everywhere, the broken computer, and the running surveillance cameras told a different story.
I turned off the surveillance feed, walked to the edge of the terrace, and took a deep breath.
'Evidence had been gathered; it was time for me to head back.'
- Writer
