Monday came, and Mal found herself talking with Manny about the apartment and how it all came together. The man, who wasn't shy about his big ideas, told her how Mal came to mind when one of his clients asked him to help him find someone to sublet the apartment. "Mal, this is perfect. You'll have your independence again, and you can return to do more vlogs inside your home. Also, decorating the apartment will be the perfect series to end the year."

Mal smiled, thinking of everything she could do in the new apartment and how excited she was about going out and finding the perfect things for it. Suddenly, Manny cleared his throat making her pay attention to what he was saying. "Mal, I think you should come to Toronto next week with me. I have a couple of meetings, and I would love for you to attend. You can invite a friend and make a week of it. I wrote to Miranda too to see if she wants to come; this is a big opportunity."

Manny explained that he was talking to some brands that wanted to work with some of his clients to promote their new lines for the end of the year. "At first, we talked about how they would send some pieces to show them on your channel, some stories, maybe a couple of TikToks. Now, though, they think a couple of you can go to one of their stores so the videos could include more clothes and make it look like a pretty woman moment."

"That would be great, but is there a timeline for this? I told you I'm traveling to New York for Thanksgiving, and I'm not changing those plans, Manny." The man nodded, but Mal could see he was not paying attention to her concerns while planning how to make the deal better for everyone. Manny was a great guy but also a great manager, which meant he always looked for the best opportunities for his clients, sometimes even ignoring their wishes. Usually, Mal had no issues with him getting her deals, even if they caused her to cancel plans or go on impromptu trips because she had no real attachment to any place. All her friends live a similar life, and Evie's job kept the girl busy enough that the few times Mal had to cancel her visits, she would just use the time to work or rest.

Mal knew that Ben would also understand if she had to cancel their plans for a big opportunity, but she didn't want to miss this trip. Meeting his parents was an important moment for her; she had only met Shane's parents, and the boy made a couple of vlogs about it, which made her uncomfortable. They were a lovely couple, and Mal knew they would be polite to any girl he brought home and forget about her the second he said they broke up. Now Mal hoped that Ben's parents like her; she wanted them to be happy that she was dating Ben because she saw a future with him.

"Mal, this is an excellent opportunity for you. I'll book the trip and the accommodations, so you won't need to worry." Before the girl could interrupt, Manny assured her she would have plenty of time to move into her new apartment the week before Thanksgiving, so she did not need to decline the trip. Mal agreed and went to visit Miranda to talk about the trip. They spent the rest of the day together, and Mal felt better about her decision to join the journey; that week flew by, and soon, the girls were making their way to Toronto.

Jay was supposed to leave for New York the week before Thanksgiving, but Carlos and Jane visited Ben two days before he left his plans changed. They told the boy that Mal had called them a couple of hours ago, telling them she would not return for another week. That meant she would have to push her moving to her new apartment after returning from her trip to New York. The couple had offered to help her move, so Mal called them so they could change their plans without worrying about helping her.

"We know how much Mal wants to be in her apartment, so we decided to help her move her things while she is on her trip." Jane shared their plan to pack and move Mal's things and furniture so she could go back to her apartment the moment she came back from her trip. Jay was sure that the girl was planning to film everything for her social media and told the couple that maybe Mal would want to wait so she could choose what to share and what not with her audience. The couple rolled their eyes and assured him that they were planning to film everything so that she could post what she wanted, but the surprise was that she could rest and not worry about anything.

Ben told the couple that even though their idea was great they needed to tell Mal about their plan before proceeding. The couple looked at the boy and said they would do it but asked him not to share their idea before they told Mal, and he agreed. The boys thought that was the end of the conversation when the couple said their goodbyes after chatting about their plans for the rest of the time before they went to New York. The next day, the trio woke up early to start their day. Lonnie and Ben left for work while Jay visited some friends until late at night, when they decided to meet at a bar near Lonnie's work. The trio finally made their way home after spending all day outside; Lonnie noticed a note on their door.

"I can't believe them!" Lonnie's scream stopped the boys from asking her about the note. The boys were shocked when she opened the door and showed them their living room, now without furniture. It took Lonnie reading the note aloud for them to realize that the couple went on with their plan of moving Mal's things out. How they managed to do everything in a day was surprising; suddenly, the trio ran upstairs to see what else they took. Ben's room was missing some things that Mal had left there, and the second he noticed them, anger consumed him. Lonnie's angry voice made the boy go to her room, and he realized that the mirror that Mal had given the girl was gone. "Mal gave me that mirror. What's wrong with those two? Did they go through all our things?"

Jay entered the room and told the couple that Mal's room was empty. "I don't think they knew that most of the furniture there wasn't hers." Then he turned his attention to comfort Lonnie, about the invasion of her privacy, assuring the girl that the couple must have opened the rooms and taken things that were in view that they knew were from Mal. "Ben, you should tell her about it; they cross a line. Why didn't Emily call you? She had to see them moving things out of the house."

"Emily is on a cruise with her book club. She was very excited about it, and the kids are with their mom this week, so there is no chance of them seeing the moving. I wish Emily were here; she would not only call me but also call the police." Ben remembered that they never closed the door, so he went downstairs and closed it; looking around the room, he decided not to tell Mal about the situation until she returned. Last night, after the couple left, he called Mal, and she shared that Manny managed to get her a couple of meetings for the next week there, and she needed to stay.

Ben remembered how Mal assured him that no matter what, she would be there with him in New York for Thanksgiving. Jay came down and asked Ben if he had already called Mal because Lonnie wanted to talk to her, too, but he had convinced her to wait for Ben to speak first.

"No, and I'm not going to. She is in the middle of having meetings with new contacts, Jay. Mal needs to focus on what she is doing, and I need to know how they got into the house." Jay realized they had never thought about that and told Ben they should check the cameras they installed a while ago. Ben also needed to redownload the app on his phone; when he went to Texas, he removed it because he felt like he was spying on Jay and Lonnie with the notifications. After checking the video, they saw that the couple arrived minutes after they left and opened the door with Mal's keys. "I'm guessing she gave them to them for some reason. So, we need to change the locks now."

"I can do that tomorrow. I'll go to the hardware store and buy something for the front door. I understand you don't want to worry, Mal, but this conversation needs to happen, Ben. They knew how you, the owner of the house, felt about them doing this, and they got into the house and took things not only from Mal's room but also into the other two rooms." Ben agreed and promised Jay that he would talk with Mal first, but he would also have a serious conversation with the couple.

Jay decided to stay until Lonnie left for New York on the week of Thanksgiving, making sure that there were no more issues with the house. Ben and Lonnie discuss the boy's decision not to tell Mal about what her friends did; the girl disagreed and tried to convince him that he should tell her now so she could talk to them. "I understand that you don't see it as a robbery, but they had no right to get in the house or search our rooms."

"I agree with you, Lonnie, but see it from my perspective. I call Mal and tell her what happened. What's next? Knowing her, she will take the next flight here and confront her friends, maybe making them bring the things back here at that moment. We can wait until after Thanksgiving for that. Lonnie doing it now would only make Mal lose opportunities, which wouldn't change what happened. Even if they apologize, we know they don't mean it; I'm sorry that they mess with your things and that you don't feel safe here anymore."

Lonnie assured Ben that it wasn't that she didn't feel safe in the house; she was mad about the situation and wanted something to happen to the couple. Ben smiled and hugged Lonnie, assuring her he felt the same way, but that needed to wait for now. Sending a quick text to Mal, wishing her a goodnight, Ben went to his room and went to bed, missing the squishmallow that his girlfriend had given him when she went on her trip so he could have something that smelled like her.

The next day, Ben went to his office and told Azis and Ryder what happened; both boys told him that they disagreed about not sharing with Mal what happened. Ben explained his reasoning, but the boys still asked him if there wasn't a chance that the couple would tell Mal what they did. "I don't think they are going to tell her how they used her keys to get into my house without my permission and took everything they wanted."

As soon as the workday was over, the three of them went to Ben's house and saw the new lock Jay put in the house. When they walked in, Ben noticed Jay and Lonnie coming down the stairs laughing, and he smiled at the sight of his friends happy. Jay told them that he had ordered enough food so they could sit down and discuss the plan for the new furniture. Ben told the group that he appreciated everyone's input, but it was his house, so in the end, he would pay for the couch, making a point to say this directly to Jay in case the boy had an idea about gifting it to him.

"I live here too, so I will help no matter what you say. So, let's just choose one and see if we can afford it." Ben was about to say something, but Lonnie raised her hand to make it stop, telling the boy they could search for couches or call Mal and ask her if she had any ideas on a new couch because they didn't have one anymore." Ben knew she wouldn't hesitate to do it, so they spent the rest of the night searching for budget-friendly couches and a nice table that would go with it. Jay posted a photo of the group sitting on the floor with the pizza boxes in the center and the computer to the side on his IG.

Mal tried calling Ben that night, but his phone was off. She saw Jay's photo and was happy to see the boy having fun with his friends, but there was something weird about the angle of the photo. The rest of the week was a repeat of missed calls and a few texts with Ben, and with each passing day, Mal felt uneasy about what was going on with him. On the other hand, Carlos and Jane text her several times a day and push the idea of being the ones picking her up from the airport. Mal finally relented the night before her flight and texted Ben that her friends were picking her up, and that she would see him at the house, but as she was putting her phone away, he called her.

"Hey stranger, long time no see." Ben's chuckle made her smile, and Mal wished they were facetiming to see him. The boy apologized for not calling her, but it was a crazy week. He was on his way to the house after leaving Lonnie and Jay at the airport to start their Thanksgiving trip; the group managed to buy the couch and the new table the weekend before, so the house was ready. The moment Ben read Mal's text, he felt like he should tell her about what happened, but now that he was talking to her, the doubts came back; he didn't know how to explain everything, but in the end, he wanted to be the one to tell her.

With that in mind, Ben asked if they could Facetime when he was back home, but Mal told him that she couldn't because her friends were ready to go out and were waiting for her, so she needed to go. After that, she told him that she needed to end the call and that she would see him the next day. Ben called Azis and asked if he could go by his apartment; he needed to talk, and nobody was home. He ended up spending the night there, and the following day, his friends lent him a shirt so he could go to work.

Ben was finishing a meeting when the receptionist came to find him and told him that Mal was waiting for him; the boy looked at his watch and was confused because she wasn't supposed to arrive yet, but he quickly made his way to the reception. He opened the door and saw her standing with her back to him, looking out of the window, fighting the urge to run to her; he called her name, making her turn. She looked troubled, and he couldn't stay away from her, so he quickly went to her and hugged her, whispering how much he missed her. The receptionist cleared her throat, making the boy turn to look at her, but he didn't let go of Mal until she gently pushed him.

"Sorry I came here, but I saw the apartment, and I needed to talk to you." The receptionist told Ben that maybe he could go for a coffee run, giving him an excuse to leave the office for a few minutes. He nodded, and the girl told him she was sending their order to the usual coffee shop, so he only needed to pick it up in about 10 minutes.

Ben took Mal's hand in his, and they left the building. In the elevator, the girl told him she had found an earlier flight a few days back but wanted to surprise him, so she didn't tell him. Then Carlos and Jane convinced her to pick her up, so after they picked her up, they told her how they wanted to show her the apartment. "You see, Manny sent me an email with the code for the apartment, and I shared it with them because they were dying to see the apartment, and I didn't see how that could be bad. I left my keys in their car when they took me to the airport on my way to Toronto, and I told them they could just leave my keys in the apartment because I was going to ask you to see them with me when I came back."

Finally, one mystery was solved: the couple had the keys to his house because Mal forgot it, which made him remember to give Mal a copy of the new key. He tuned back to the explanation of how the girl was shocked when the couple took her to the apartment to show her how they had "helped her" move her in. "I was so mad the second I saw the couch and the table from the house there. They were so proud of how they had managed to take everything from the house, even after you told them to ask me first, in eight hours. Apparently, they had asked a favor from one of Carlos's friends who owns a moving company; they made the entire move in exchange for me doing a post for them."

Ben nodded as the realization came. Finally, all the mysteries were clear, and he couldn't wait to share with Jay how Carlos found the moving company so quickly. Mal went on to tell him how mad she was with the couple, but also with Ben for not telling her about the situation, and Ben apologized and explain his reasoning behind not sharing what happened. "I almost told you last night, but I didn't want to dumb everything on you, so I was going to show you the new couch and then tell you." They reached the coffee shop, and Ben asked the barista about the order. The girl there signaled that he should wait, and he took a step back as Mal went to stand next to him. "You bought a couch? Ben, I wasn't planning on taking anything from the house."

The girl called Ben, and the couple picked up the coffee. On their way back, they continued to talk about what happened and how Mal was mad with the entire situation. As they finally made their way into the office, the receptionist came to take the coffees from Mal and thanked her. "Ben, I get it. You didn't want me to have to deal with it, and they didn't want me to lose a chance to enjoy my apartment as soon as possible. All of you decided for me and I don't like that."

At that moment, the door to the office opened, and the receptionist told Ben that they were looking for him. Ben closed his eyes and nodded, giving her the rest of the coffee and assuring her that he would be there in a second. "You are right; I was wrong about how I went about the situation. I have to go back to work now. We can talk later if you want. I'll give you a call after I leave here."

"I'm tired from the trip, Ben. I'll text you tomorrow." Ben nodded and turned, walking into the office and taking a deep breath; he focused on the work he needed to do, tired of everything.