As Melody Summers and Grace Sutton watched in confusion, Mrs. Vance explained in detail how Zella Kane had come to her door to buy a bed.
"That woman kept complaining to me. She said her family and yours are in-laws, but that you were being cold-hearted and refused to lend them a place to stay..."
"That in itself wasnāt a huge deal. The main thing is, she kept hinting to me that your family has a lot of supplies right now!"
At this, Mrs. Vanceās expression grew serious. "The moment I heard that, I knew that woman was up to no good! In times like these, any family with supplies can become a public target. And sheās deliberately spreading this information around... Isnāt she intentionally trying to make trouble for you?!"
"Even though youāre in-laws, as the saying goes, you canāt read a personās heart. Especially in a situation like this, you canāt even fully trust your own blood relatives, so you have to be even more wary of in-laws! You two must be careful!"
Melody Summers and Grace Sutton exchanged a look upon hearing this, and both could see the "just as expected" expression in the otherās eyes.
āSo the Kane family really hadnāt given up on making trouble!ā
Melody Summers sighed helplessly and said to Mrs. Vance, "We understand, Mrs. Vance. Thank you for telling us this. Weāll be careful."
Mrs. Vance smiled and shook her head. "Miss Summers, thereās no need to be so formal with me!"
The three of them chatted for a while longer before Mrs. Vance finally got up to leave.
As she was leaving, Grace Sutton grabbed a bag and filled it for Mrs. Vance with five pounds of potatoes, ten pounds of pork, two cans of milk powder, five pounds of apples, and two fish for her to take with her.
Seeing this, Mrs. Vance quickly tried to refuse. "No, no, this is far too valuable! I canāt accept this!"
Grace Sutton smiled and pressed the bag into Mrs. Vanceās hands. "We accepted the rice you brought us, so you have to take what weāre giving you. Itās only fair. Please, donāt refuse!"
Mrs. Vance glanced at the rice she had brought. āWhat kind of fair exchange is this?ā she thought.
She was well aware that she had only brought a mere three pounds of rice, while the return gift from the Summers family was so generous. She felt too embarrassed to accept it!
Seeing that Mrs. Vance was about to refuse again, Melody Summers quickly cut in, "Mrs. Vance, please, just take it! Susan is pregnant, and sheās about to give birth. This is exactly when she needs plenty of nutrition. You have to make sure she eats well!"
Mrs. Vance froze when she heard Melody Summers say this. Thinking of her daughter-in-law at home, so close to her due date yet still so frail, she felt a pang of guilt.
āThatās right,ā she thought. āI canāt let Susan Warren give birth on an empty stomach!ā
So, in the end, Mrs. Vance nodded and took the bag of supplies. She looked at Melody Summers and Grace Sutton gratefully and said, "Alright, Iāll accept it. Thank you so, so much! Once the baby is born, Iāll be sure to repay your kindness!"
As Melody Summers walked Mrs. Vance to the door, she suddenly thought of something else. Leaning close to Mrs. Vanceās ear, she whispered, "Mrs. Vance, if itās not too much trouble, could you help me keep an eye on apartments 1501 and 1506 on your floor?"
Apartment 1501 was where the couple, Gene Young and Yvonne York, lived. Apartment 1506 was home to Ethan Sutton and his parents.
Seeing Mrs. Vanceās confused expression, Melody Summers explained in a low voice, "The people in 1501 have a criminal record, and the family in 1506 framed me before..."
Melody Summers then briefly recounted how Mr. and Mrs. Sutton had conspired with Maisie Lynch and Ivan Warren to frame her.
Mrs. Vance was furious after hearing the story. "That old couple in 1506!" she said angrily. "To do something like that... how shameless! No wonder they havenāt dared to leave their apartment these past few days. Theyāre probably hiding inside, too ashamed to show their faces!"
Melody Summers took Mrs. Vanceās arm, calming her down as she spoke. "Mrs. Vance, those two families have been getting close lately, and Iām worried they might stir up more trouble... If you have the time, please just help me keep an eye on them and see if they do anything out of the ordinary."
At that, Mrs. Vance patted her chest and promised, "Miss Summers, you can count on me! Iāll keep them under close watch! If thereās the slightest sign of trouble, Iāll let you know right away!"
Melody Summers smiled and nodded. "Okay, thank you for your help!"
...
After seeing Mrs. Vance off, Melody Summers was surprised to see a few people standing in the hallway.
Officer Tristan Tanner was standing at the door of 1603 with two people from the property management company.
And the resident of 1603, Titus Lowell, was currently bowing and scraping before Officer Tanner, apologizing profusely. "My fault, my fault. Iām so sorry, Officer. I know I was in the wrong..."
Officer Tristan Tanner looked at Titus Lowell with a stern expression and said, "Titus Lowell, you threatened and intimidated others in the chat group, and even announced your intention to retaliate against them. This behavior is illegal, not to mention the fact that one of the people you threatened was a minor!"
Hearing this, all of Titus Lowellās previous arrogance from the chat group vanished, and his face went slightly pale.
He wiped the fine beads of sweat from his forehead, lowered his head, and said, "Yes, yes, Officer. I know I was wrong. Iām really sorry... Itās all my fault for running my mouth! I promise Iāll never do it again! Please, give me another chance. Donāt put me on the blacklist..."
As he spoke, Titus Lowell kept bowing to Officer Tristan Tanner in apology.
Watching the scene unfold, Melody Summers rememberedāthis was the guy, Titus Lowell, who had harassed that girl who went by "Fruit Gummy" in the residentsā group chat. When his advances failed, others in the group had called him out.
After being called out, not only did Titus Lowell fail to reflect on his actions and admit he was wrong, but he had instead threatened the people who criticized him, saying heād teach them a lesson.
Looking at the scene before her, Melody thought, āThe people Titus Lowell threatened must have actually called the police. Thatās why Officer Tanner showed up at his door.ā
āSeeing how meek and subservient Titus Lowell was now, it was hard to imagine how he had been threatening and intimidating people in the group chat earlier.ā
āHe probably never imagined while he was running his mouth in the chat that the police would actually come knocking.ā
āAfter all, the level of security varied between residential complexes these days. In those with poor security, the police would often turn a blind eye to anything short of murder; they couldnāt be bothered with minor incidents. A community like The Metropolis Residences, which had always maintained a stable sense of order, was becoming a rarity.ā
āTitus Lowell had just moved in a couple of days ago. He was probably used to throwing his weight around in other complexes, so after moving to The Metropolis Residences, he fell back into his old habit of trying to bully people.ā
āHe just never expected to mess with the wrong crowd this time.ā
āThe emergency management office at The Metropolis Residences placed great importance on the communityās overall stability. When they saw a proactive troublemaker like Titus Lowell, they would immediately pay him a visit to nip the problem in the bud.ā
āHopefully,ā Melody thought, āTitus Lowell has learned his lesson and wonāt go around provoking people anymore.ā
Seeing that Officer Tristan Tanner was still lecturing Titus Lowell, Melody Summers didnāt stick around to watch. She turned and went back home.
...
After dinner, Melody Summers opened her phone and casually scrolled to the group chat.
She wasnāt expecting anything, but what she saw made her jump.
The group had suddenly started discussing apartment 1606!
Startled, Melody Summers quickly scrolled to the top of the chat history to read everything from the beginning.