Chapter 1

Karen, the daughter of my neighbor, is three months pregnant. She sent a message in our building's SnapChat group, tagging every resident.

"My daughter is pregnant, and all expenses for the child will be shared among all residents of Building 3."

"For those who can't afford to pay, we'll reluctantly accept valuable items as collateral, like designer bags or jewelry."

"Each household needs to contribute $1,000 upfront. Monthly payments are allowed, but with a $10 interest charge per month."

"Reply to this message to confirm you've seen it. Otherwise, I'll come knocking on your door, and you'll have to pay an additional $50 inconvenience fee."

Karen swears that her daughter's baby daddy is one of the residents in our building.

The first-floor resident protests, claiming his 90-year-old bedridden father couldn't possibly have impregnated Karen's daughter.

The seventh-floor resident pleads innocence, stating their apartment has been empty for two years, so it couldn't have been a ghost from their place.

As a single woman living alone on the same floor as Karen, I'm under the most suspicion and am being asked to pay double the "nutrition fee."

I love money too. Is it too much to try and get a few hundred dollars out of Karen's pocket first?