Emily lost her mother when she was born and never knew or even heard of her father. She was instead raised by her grandmother who worked as a nanny for the Belle family's only daughter, Anessa.
Emily thought Anessa was a spoiled brat and incredibly annoying, but stay long enough with someone and they can truly grow on you.
When Emily's grandmother passed away from diabetes when she was 11 years old, she was taken in by Anessa's parents and lived with them for 5 years before she was forced to live with a distant aunt from the dark side of town.
After moving back to Urban City when she turned 20, the Belle family took care of her and even made her stay at their luxurious complex at an insanely low price.
Mrs. Belle sighed, "I'm very sorry Emily, but Roland went with Steve's idea despite my reasoning."
Emily gently smiled, "I know you must've done everything you could've Mrs. Belle, thank you."
Emily owed everything that made up her life to Mrs. Belle and Anessa, but even though they have offered many times to make her stay there free of charge, she hated feeling like a charity case.
She was a grown woman capable of earning her own money and covering her own expenses!
"Notice has already been sent to all the residents, so even if I could convince Roland it'd be too late to make adjustments to the rent again," stated Mrs. Belle.
Emily took up her phone to find affordable apartment listings out of the city, "I have a plan actually, I'm going to-"
"Find a roommate," Anessa quickly interjected before Emily could finish her sentence.
Mrs. Belle brought her freshly manicured fingers to her chin, "That's actually a pretty good idea."
Emily stared daggers at Anessa as she argued, "No, it's a very bad idea and I'm not getting a roommate." She showed them an image of a small apartment out of town, "This place is going for $20 a month and it's the closest apartment building to Urban City."
Anessa and her mother were far from convinced and looked at Emily with disapproving stares.
They couldn't understand why she would want to move from her luxurious apartment to live in another apartment that was even smaller than her closet just to avoid getting a roommate.
'What in the world is wrong with this girl?' Anessa inwardly questioned.
Mrs. Belle, on the other hand, wasn't going to let Emily out of her sight ever again after what happened when she moved in with that bad aunt.
"I promised your grandmother that I'll do everything in my power to keep you safe and that's exactly what I'm going to do. I'm never letting you of my sight ever again!" Mrs. Belle exclaimed.
She cleared her throat and got up from the couch, "You're getting a roommate and that's final."
Emily knew she owed her life to Mrs. Belle, but that didn't mean she could order her around like a child.
Mrs. Belle held on to the doorknob and looked at Emily from the corner of her eyes. "And if you still refuse, I hope there's a university in that city you're moving to that will accept an ex-convict in their institution."
Anessa's eyes widened, "Mom!"
Mrs. Belle knew she shouldn't have brought up the past since Emily has been trying to move on from what happened, but she was ready to play the bad guy just to keep Emily safe.
"You should return to your room Anessa, it's getting late and I'm sure Emily will need time to consider her options," Mrs. Belle simply responded.
"Yes mother," Anessa responded.
Her mother left and she looked apologetically at Emily, "I can't believe she threatened you like that, I'm so so sorry."
Emily knew she couldn't erase her past and could only run from it and try to move on, but even though it was wrong for Mrs. Belle to threaten her like that, she was right...no university would accept a twenty-year-old ex-convict charged with the most heinous crime there is.
"Mrs. Belle only said the truth, it's just her way of looking out for me," Emily reassured Anessa. She then yawned and stretched, "It's getting pretty late."
Anessa was still a bit unconvinced that Emily was fine but she nodded and left nonetheless after bidding Emily good night.
Emily went into the empty bedroom beside hers and walked around in the space for a bit. The room was slightly smaller than hers, but it was air-conditioned and had a walk-in closet as well.
She sighed and mumbled to herself, "I guess I'm getting a roommate."
Emily returned to her room and frowned as she pulled the blanket over her body, "I'll have to share my bathroom and that includes the hot tub."
Emily twisted and turned on her bed, trying to fall asleep, but that was easier said than done when all she could think about was the things she'll be forced to share with her roommate.
She didn't know at what time she fell asleep but she was sure only 5 minutes have passed before Anessa began shaking her awake.
Emily covered her head with the pillow and groaned, "What do you want?"
Anessa excitedly bounced on the bed, "They're here! They're here!"
Emily removed the pillow from her face and looked at her overly-excited friend with furrowed brows, "Who are here?"
"The roommate candidates!" Anessa responded alongside a squeal.
The sleep immediately vanished from Emily's eyes as she jumped out of bed, "What?" She raced to the door and slightly opened it to take a look.
Men and women crowded her living room and she tried not to run out there in only an oversized shirt and her underwear when she saw multiple people wearing shoes on her light brown fur carpet.
Anessa continued to bounce on Emily's bed, "Who knew so many people needed a place to live."
Emily took a deep breath to calm her nerves before addressing the unforeseen situation, "Tell all the guys to leave and have the women line up outside."