Ellie, Lena, Maya, and Amy froze solid, trying desperately not to make a sound as they kept their eyes glued to the laptop screen. "Click... click," they heard the sound of a key being forced into the lock from outside, and a moment later, "thud... thud... thud," knocking came from the door. The four of them just watched Alex trying his key and knocking on the door on the laptop screen, completely silent.

They could also hear Alex's shouts calling for Ellie from outside, matching what they saw on the monitor. Ten minutes later, Alex turned, glanced back once more, and immediately left the porch.

"Haaah," Ellie, Lena, Maya, and Amy let out a sigh of relief. Then they immediately sank back onto the sofa, relaxing.

"Your father finally left," Amy said.

"Wasn't he supposed to have been caught on that cruise ship?" Lena asked.

"I don't know, he just called yesterday... I don't understand it at all," Ellie replied.

"Well, the important thing is he's gone now. We're safe," Maya replied.

But a moment later, more movement appeared on the laptop screen from the porch camera. They looked back at the screen and saw Alex return, bringing a locksmith with him. Naturally, Ellie, Lena, Maya, and Amy started to panic.

"Ugh... why did he come back?" Maya said.

"The police... call the police," Lena replied.

"Yeah, hurry up, Ellie," Amy added.

"O... okay, I'll... I'll call," Ellie replied.

With trembling hands, Ellie dialed the emergency number. They could hear the locksmith starting to work on the porch at Alex's command. When the call was answered, Ellie immediately explained everything to the officer. Then Ellie hung up and stood, staring at the laptop screen while occasionally glancing back at the door. Five minutes later, a police car pulled up in front of Ellie's house. Two officers got out and approached the porch. Alex's face looked a little panicked on the camera as the two police officers approached him. Ellie walked to the door and opened it a crack.

Alex immediately turned to look at Ellie and tried to push the door open, while Ellie, Lena, Maya, and Amy held the door shut from the inside.

"Please step back, sir," one officer said, stopping Alex.

Alex didn't resist. He raised both hands and stepped back, but his eyes kept staring at Ellie, who now opened the door wide. Meanwhile, the locksmith standing there looked confused and eager to leave quickly.

"Ellie... this is my house! Why are you changing the locks on a whim? Don't you know you're breaking the law?" Alex shouted, getting ahead of the situation.

The police officer turned to look at Ellie after hearing what Alex said. Then he turned back and asked Ellie,

"Is that true, ma'am?" the officer asked, looking annoyed with having to deal with this sort of thing and having seen similar situations countless times.

"I am the owner of this house, officer. Please look at the copy of the deed on my smartphone. My name is Ellie Jackson," Ellie replied, showing the screen of her smartphone and then handing the smartphone to the officer.

The officer looked at and read the copy of the deed on Ellie's smartphone screen while Ellie explained everything that had just happened. Then he asked for Ellie's ID to confirm, and after seeing it, he turned to look at the locksmith, who was just standing there clueless, looking like he felt he was in the wrong place at the wrong time. After that, the officer turned to look at Alex.

"You are trespassing by coming here. This property is not yours," the officer said.

"This is my house (pointing at Ellie)! She's my daughter, we are father and daughter," Alex yelled.

"Huh... didn't you already decide I wasn't your daughter when you sent thugs here to harass me, Dad? I still have the recording," Ellie replied, raising her phone.

"This is a civil matter and not police business. If you feel your daughter has done something she shouldn't have, please take your complaint to your lawyer. But at this moment, you are trespassing on this property and attempting to change the locks by force. Please leave the premises, or we will assist you in doing so," the officer said.

Alex immediately went silent, his face red and flushed like a tomato. He stared intently at Ellie and briefly opened his mouth as if he wanted to say something, but he immediately walked off the porch instead. After Alex left, the officer turned to look at Ellie.

"Alright, ma'am, going forward, please contact your lawyer to get a restraining order if he approaches your property or threatens your safety again. We will make a report to support your case," the officer said.

"Yes, officer, thank you," Ellie replied.

The officer smiled and nodded, touching his cap. Then he and his partner immediately left. After they were gone, the locksmith turned to look at Ellie.

"I'm sorry, ma'am. I didn't know this was actually your house. He was very convincing when he said he lost his key and wanted to replace it. If I'd known it would turn out like this, I wouldn't have taken the job," the locksmith replied.

"It's okay, sir, no problem," Ellie replied.

After the locksmith left, Ellie went inside and locked the door again. "Haaaah," all four of them sighed in relief once more. They immediately sat down on the floor, relaxed.

"After Dylan's house renovation is finished, I'm just going to sell this house," Ellie said.

"That seems like the best idea," Amy added.

"Right now, we should eat first. We've been stressed, and I'm hungry... maybe my baby is hungry," Lena said.

"Yeah, true, I agree with Lena," Maya added.

"Dling," a torrent of messages came through on Ellie's smartphone, all from Alex. When read in order, they looked like an emotional novel. The first few messages seemed angry, even threatening, then he started to negotiate, then he suddenly apologized, claiming he didn't mean any harm, and finally tried to manipulate her by saying how much he loved her. Of course, Ellie didn't reply, but she didn't delete them, keeping them for documentation.

"Why aren't you deleting them?" Maya asked.

"For evidence," Ellie answered casually.

"Hmm... you're surprisingly clever about stuff like this," Lena replied, thoughtful.

"I saw the look in Dad's eyes, he looked unhinged, and I don't want everything to spin out of control later. I have to start saving everything so he can't twist the story," Ellie replied.

"Hmm... you're smart. Where did you learn to think like that?" Amy asked.

"From my grandfather. He always taught me: if you're afraid of something or find something wrong, stay calm and start documenting everything. Don't let your emotions get the better of you, that's what he said, but I'm not brave enough to act on it like you, Amy," Ellie replied.

"Oh, no wonder you're always calm like Amy and not noisy like her when something happens," Lena said, pointing at Maya.

"Huh... what do you mean pointing at me?" Maya yelled.

"See? Noisy and loud," Lena replied.

"You...I'll beat you up, come here," Maya replied, yelling.

"Nope...bye," Lena replied, running.

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