Luxury Lies: My Roommate's Secret Life

Scarlett's words sent a jolt of panic through me. I rushed over, swiftly closing the game app in the background.

"Scarlett, you can use any other apps you want, but don't touch the game. I've been grinding for ages to collect stuff, I'm about to pull from the card pool I've been saving for!"

She nodded, took the tablet, and started scrolling through videos.

Just then, my phone rang—an important call from a teammate. I stepped onto the balcony to take it.

"Mm-hmm, that card's been recorded. I'll send it over to you tonight once I've organized it. The tablet's with my roommate right now, though…"

When I returned to the room, I found Scarlett with a look of triumphant innocence, holding up the tablet in front of me.

"Joyce, I pulled so many five-star cards for you! You've got to check it out!"

I glanced at the game screen and froze, my blood rushing to my head as I saw the glaring zeros next to diamonds and lottery tickets.

"Are you out of your mind? I told you not to touch my game! Didn't I make myself clear?!"

I snatched the tablet from her hands, rage shaking me as I saw a whole bunch of new character cards—none of them were the ones I'd been aiming for.

I glared at Scarlett, but she just looked back at me with the most exaggerated expression of innocence, pouting like she was about to cry.

"I—I was just curious. Everyone's playing this game, so I wanted to see what it was all about… I've never played games before, not back in the countryside…"

I couldn't hold it anymore. "What does not having played games have to do with me? There are a ton of things you've never done. Am I responsible for taking you through everything, step by step? I'm not your mother!"

She didn't expect me to blow up like this. She stood frozen for a moment, then pouted again, trying to justify herself in a pitiful voice. "I saw online that you need five-star cards for this game, and I thought you'd be happy if I helped you get some…"

"If you want cards, then make your own account and spend your own money! Why touch mine? Do you have any idea how long I've been grinding for this stuff?!" I shot back.

From her top bunk, Lily threw a stuffed toy at me with a sneer. "What's all this shouting about? You woke me up from my nap. It's just in-game items, how much can they be worth?"

I snapped and threw the toy back at her. Lily looked shocked and didn't immediately retort.

"Oh, not worth anything, huh? Well, maybe I'll call the police and let them tell you what it's worth."

I pulled out my phone, decisively calling the cops.

Scarlett's face paled when she saw I was serious about calling the cops. She stood next to me, weakly trying to apologize and hoping I'd back down.

I ignored her and quickly started sorting out my game data, reaching out to friends in the gaming community to find a professional appraiser. I also compiled evidence of everything that had happened.

The police arrived soon enough. Seeing my firm resolve, they took all of us to the station for questioning.

"So, Scarlett Newman, without Joyce Landon's permission, you accessed her game account and used her in-game items, resulting in a loss for Joyce?" The officer's voice was cold and serious as he stared at Scarlett.

"No... no, it's not like that. Joyce knew, she agreed to it…" Scarlett's voice quivered, but she refused to admit the truth.

I opened the tablet and played a recording, fast-forwarding to the relevant part of our conversation.

"No, I didn't agree to her using my account. Here's the proof."

In my rush to record the game scene for my teammate, I'd forgotten to close the screen recording app. It had captured everything, including my warning to Scarlett.

When she heard my voice saying, "Don't touch my game," Scarlett's face turned ghostly pale.

"Scarlett, based on the evidence provided, you have indeed committed theft. The penalty will be determined based on the value of the loss."