She agreed.

The next day, I received a $5,500 deposit and saw her heartfelt apology online. Carla’s crew cleaned her home and left a list of Veronica’s past insults with a note: “A new beginning.”

To my surprise, Veronica changed. She started calling often, asking for advice, and even invited me to help plan my son’s birthday.

That night, she took my hand and said, “Thanks for teaching me a lesson I’ll never forget.”

I smiled. “I may be retired, but I still know how to handle troublemakers.”