Version v2024-08-02 - Completed.
Blackmailing My Neighbor Version: v2024-08-02 Status: Completed
Sometimes Leo checks the news. No arrests. No scandals. Just silence.
Richard smiled. “That’s better. Here’s my final offer: Delete everything. I’ll give you one last payment—$100,000—to disappear. Move to a different city. Change your name. And I’ll delete my recordings of you.”
But on the night of the fourth demand—$500,000—Richard did something different.
Leo didn’t sleep that night. He deleted the files. He packed a single bag. At 6:00 AM, he collected the $100,000 from Locker 117—a peace offering, or a bribe, depending on your morals.
For six months, the arrangement continued. Leo bled Richard dry: $50k, $100k, $300k. Each time, Richard paid. Each time, Leo moved the money to a crypto wallet. He felt invincible.
A month later, Leo’s landlord raised the rent. His biggest client went bankrupt. The $50,000 was gone.
The money arrived on time. $50,000 in unmarked, non-sequential bills.
Instead, he knocked on Leo’s door.