Chapter 22 EX 20 vouchers The couple was shocked . " That guy looks decent , but he's actually so heartless . " After saying that , they comforted Alexei , " Don't worry , young man . Everyone in the neighborhood is keeping an eye out . We'll definitely help you chase him away ." Alexei smiled humbly . " Thank you all so much . It's our luck to live alongside such great neighbors . " Handsome and sweet - talking - the couple instantly felt their past assumptions about Alexei being hard to approach were just misunderstandings . Their resolve to protect the young couple's relationship grew even stronger . Right then , the old lady took out her phone and sent in the neighborhood group chat . [ Confirmed . The guy downstairs is a homewrecker trying to steal Alexei's girl . [ He even has a wife in the hospital . The girl already rejected him , but he still lurks around , probably plotting something shady . ] [ Wait , what ? He looks so handsome . Who knew he'd be so morally bankrupt ? Is he a creep ? ] [These types are the best at acting . His wife probably ended up in the hospital because of him . ] [ What ? That guy downstairs is an abusive psycho ? ] [ Wait , there's a stalking serial killer downstairs ?! ] The rumors snowballed , getting wilder with each retelling . Soon , Lucas found himself surrounded by the neighborhood's self - appointed justice squad . " Quick ! Grab him ! " " Where's security ? Call security ! " " Why bother with security ? Just call the cops . He's been stalking , and we're all witnesses . " Lost in painful memories , Lucas was suddenly slammed onto his car hood by a few burly men . Some women even took the chance to kick him . Never humiliated like this before , Lucas turned livid . ' What's wrong with these people ?! ' To be fair , he was unlucky . Even though he'd been Natasha's official boyfriend for three years , no one in the neighborhood actually knew him . This apartment was something Natasha had just saved up enough to buy this year , and she hadn't lived there long . As her first home , it held special meaning . 1/5 Chapter 22 20 vouchers Natasha had put a lot of effort into preparing a first meal in her home , inviting the only two people she was close to , her boyfriend Lucas and her best friend Sadie . But that day , Olivia had a really important performance match , so Lucas bailed last minute to go support her . Sadie was so mad that she cursed him out while eating . Later on , there was always one reason or another that kept him from coming , and their relationship took a nosedive over the year . Counting it up , he'd been here less than five times , and always kept a low profile . He even had less presence than Alexei , the injured guy Natasha occasionally took out for walks . Now , Lucas kept insisting that the owner of 1601 in Building 2 was his fiancée , but of course , no one believed him . Especially those in the group chat who'd gotten intel from the old lady , they were convinced he was delusional . To them , the young couple was doing just fine , and this guy was just spouting nonsense . So they started hitting him even harder . Lucas , caught in this unexpected disaster , felt nothing but frustration ... ***** Meanwhile , Natasha , munching on a strawberry cake while waiting for her Mr. House - Elf to cook , heard the commotion downstairs and perked up . " Huh ? What's going on down there ? " She immediately wanted to lean over the balcony to check it out . Because Lucas had been popping up unpredictably , she'd been going out for walks less often these days . What a buzzkill . Alexei , who was slicing fish in the kitchen , walked out and subtly blocked her path . " Natasha , pour me a glass of water . " For the guy cooking her meals , Natasha was happy to oblige on small requests like this . But after drinking the water , Alexei grabbed her again as she tried to rush to the balcony . " Weren't you hungry ? Come help me out . " Natasha blinked , really wanting to say she wasn't that hungry and could wait till after checking out the drama . But under Alexei's threatening gaze , she had no choice but to trudge after him into the kitchen like a dejected little duckling . Luckily , she mostly just served as a mascot and didn't take much effort to help out . 2/5 4:29 pm P Chapter 22 B EX 20 vouchers By the time they finished cooking and eating , the commotion downstairs had long since died down . Thinking about all the noise earlier , she couldn't resist opening the neighborhood group chat she usually never checked . Alexei sat down next to her with a plate of washed fruit , scrolling through the messages with her . Gossip is meant to be shared , so Natasha didn't mind , even holding her phone closer to him . " The group says there was a creep in the neighborhood today . Everyone was about to drag him to the police station , but he drove off . " The residents were still discussing it heatedly . [ That guy got a call as he was leaving - from the hospital . He looked super panicked , so maybe his wife really was in the hospital . ] [ Let's remember his face and call the cops next time we see him . ] [ Ugh , what a waste of a handsome face . ] [ C'mon , folks , stop eyeballing the packaging ! These days ? A pretty face can hide a killer . Seen too many wolves in sheepskin . ] [ That face might even be fake ? Haven't you seen the news about murderers getting plastic surgery to start new lives ? ] [ What horror story are you guys telling ? I won't be sleeping tonight . ] [ Black Belt Mike at your service ! Personal bodyguard - not $ 998 , just $ 9.99 . Limited time offer , DMs open . ] [ Dude , you look all righteous , but you're slick . Saw your chance to flirt , huh ? ] The chat spiraled into nonsense , getting wilder and weirder . Natasha giggled uncontrollably , thinking , " These normies next door ? Secret soap opera stars ! ' Since she was sharing the gossip with Alexei , they sat close . Leaning back against the couch , Alexei let her upper body nestle into his arms as she leaned in . Her hair fluttered when she laughed , a few strands brushing against his chest , her unique scent lingering on him . Glancing at the messages , Alexei absentmindedly played with her long hair , a faint smirk curling his lips . ***** 3/5 4:29 pm Chapter 22 EX 20 vouchers The next morning happened to be the weekend . While Natasha was still asleep , the neighborhood group chat exploded with messages again . [ Did you guys get it ?! ] [ Yup , yup ! My hubby's changing clothes and washing his hands , gonna open it super reverently . ] [ Lol , not me . I'm snapping pics like crazy . Gotta flex at least 10 posts on my feed . ] [ Pic pls ] [ Pic pls , too ] A newly awakened resident was totally lost . [ What's the riddle this early ? What did y'all get? ] [ Lol , you still in bed ? Go check outside or ask your fam . ] [ Getting up now . If there's no surprise , y'all owe me my beauty sleep back . ] [Relax , totally worth it . ] A few minutes later , screams of excitement erupted from one of the buildings . [ OMG , it's breakfast from the Green Farm . Their stuff costs a kidney , and their queue's longer than my life regrets ! Getting it ? Baby , you'd need divine intervention . ] [ Same ! Every time I walk past , I drool like crazy , salty that I'm not rich . ] [ LMAO ! My turn for some god - tier luck ! This meal's like a month's salary . ] [ Wait , why tho ? Which sugar daddy blessed our complex outta nowhere ? ] [ You didn't hear ? It's from the owner of 1601 in Building 2 - the one who's been harassed lately . ] [ Her hubby ordered breakfast for everyone to thank us for helping chase off that creep . ] [ No way ! That's next - level rich ! How much did this cost ?! ] [ Lowkey been meaning to say . That guy drives either a Bentley or a Maybach , and you can tell he's got more . Dude's flexing on the down - low , def a hidden tycoon in our hood . ] [ Hot , loaded , adores his wife , and generous ? Her hubby's the whole package . That guy yesterday dared to claim she was his fiancée ? Zero shame . ] [ Yeah , I noticed his wife when she first moved in . Absolute goddess - tier beauty , just super introverted . Wanted to befriend her , but no clue how . Anyway , never saw that guy from yesterday around her before . ] [ Trust the fangirl radar on this one . ] 4/5 4:29 pm PS Chapter 22 & 20 vouchers [ The people's eyes are sharp . My bf and I saw the 1601 owner strolling downstairs a couple of days ago - total couple goals . ] [ Same ! Their visuals are unreal . I lowkey stared for ages . ] Chapter 23 Chapter 23