I knocked loudly on the door, instantly drawing everyone's attention. They looked up at me, frowning, but said nothing and returned to what they were doing.

I knocked again, harder this time, and all eyes turned toward me once more. Maintaining a neutral expression, I asked, "Excuse me, who do I speak to about renting a place?"

The men seemed uninterested. Those playing cards continued their game, and the others acted like they hadn't heard me. Finally, a man sitting at the back with his feet propped up and picking his nose gestured for me to approach.

"Come here," he said.

I walked up to him, and before I could say a word, he slapped a piece of paper in front of me. "Take a look. Once you've decided, let me know which one you want. But let me make this clear: decide carefully. Don't waste my time dragging me around just to say you don't like it! I don't have the patience to cater to you!"

I looked at the paper, which only listed the floor numbers and prices, without any details about the size or condition of the units.

I was speechless. "What am I supposed to get from this? I don't even know the size or condition of the units."

He sneered. "Obviously, the more expensive, the better. If you have the money, rent the expensive ones. If you don't, then rent the cheaper ones. It's that simple. Why ask?"

"The more expensive it is, the better?"

I thought that was complete nonsense. Someone who didn't want to be in the sun might ironically choose the most expensive option, which often came with the sunniest, largest balcony. Someone who didn't need a kitchen might end up with a room with the best kitchen but poor conditions elsewhere. How could they let customers choose units based on this?

I could think of these issues even if I had never rented a place. What about someone who actually needed a place?

I couldn't take it anymore. "Is this how you work? Do you think the building will actually rent out with this renting process?"

"It's none of your business whether it gets rented or not! Pick your unit. If you don't want to choose, just get lost!"

I took a deep breath, deciding not to argue with him. I asked about the sixth-floor apartment, the one I had reserved for Jane. I wondered what she would think when she saw the condition of the staff here.

"Is this unit rented out yet?"

"This one? It's been reserved already. The owner hasn't come yet, but the boss said not to rent it to anyone else. Pick something else."

At least they knew the room was reserved. From his words, I gathered that Jane hadn't arrived yet.

As I was about to speak, the man suddenly winked at me. "Well, since you're the first to rent, here's a little secret. A beautiful woman rents this room. If you're looking for a chance at romance, you could rent the room next to hers. If you're interested, I can set you up."

I held back my anger and disgust, forcing a smile. "You're going to set me up?"

"Yeah. For example, I might cut her electricity, shut off her water, or maybe, before she arrives, sneak a camera into her room... What do you think?"

I inhaled sharply, almost unable to resist punching him. Who the fuck were they? Sophia was courting death by hiring such people!

I bought this building for Jane, and the people Sophia hired couldn't guarantee her basic safety. They had become the biggest threat to her. Damn it! This was exactly why one couldn't trust unreliable people—even if given a thousand chances, they would still disappoint.

I wanted to fire Sophia, but knew it wasn't the right time. First, I needed to deal with these idiots.