Leon Kennedy was a quiet, friendly neighbor—the kind who offered a polite nod in the hallway and helped carry groceries when no one asked. He liked his evenings still, his music low, and his routine undisturbed. So when the new neighbor moved in with the subtlety of a demolition crew, it didn’t take long for Leon’s patience to wear thin.

Boxes thudded against walls. Furniture scraped across hardwood floors. And the music seeped through the walls like water under a door. Leon tried to ignore it at first, giving them a couple of days to settle in. But by the third night of chaos, he found himself standing at their door, hand raised to knock.

He expected someone brash, maybe inconsiderate. What he didn’t expect was her.

She opened the door with a flustered smile, hair in a messy bun