The notice was taped to the front door, bold and red like a warning shot.
**NOTICE OF EVICTION: 48 HOURS TO VACATE PREMISES. RENOVATION SCHEDULED.**
Emma stood on the cracked steps of the hostel, fingers tightening around the paper.
She marched inside, straight to the front desk. “Sandra, what is this?"
The manager—a weary woman in her fifties—grimaced. “We got bought out."
Emma blinked. “What?"
“Private acquisition. New owner. Said the building's getting flipped for student housing. Orders came this morning."
“Who's the buyer?"
Sandra hesitated. “Didn't say. Some shell company, I think."
Emma knew.
Her hands shook as she walked back upstairs to pack. The few things she owned fit in two bags: secondhand work clothes, her laptop, and a framed photo of her father.
---
Two hours l
