Chapter 75

"Finished setting it up?" Leonard asked.

Suzy nodded with a grin. "All done!"

She opened the monitoring app, and the live feeds from the Ashford family villa immediately filled the screen.

There were multiple camera views inside the software—the living room, the kitchen, the backyard, and more.

Every camera had been well maintained. The footage was crystal clear, 4K resolution with full 360-degree coverage, leaving virtually no blind spots.

Suzy tapped on the living room feed.

The entire Ashford family was gathered there.

Now that the household staff had been dismissed, only family members remained in the villa.

Suzy zoomed in on the footage. The Ashfords were all dressed in light clothing. The doors and windows were shut tight, and the air conditioner was set to the lowest possible temperature.

Tommy lounged lazily in an armchair, gnawing on an ice cream bar.

George and Fiona were watching television together, while Wendy sat nearby scrolling through her phone, replying to messages.

At least for the moment, the family seemed to be living quite comfortably.

On the television, a news report about severe droughts across the country was playing. The sound from the TV carried through the camera’s microphone, reaching Suzy’s phone clearly.

Leonard clicked his tongue.

"Looks like they’re living pretty well."

This wasn’t quite the desperate scene he had imagined for the Kale family amid such extreme heat.

"That’s normal," Suzy said calmly. "After all, Wendy knows the apocalypse is coming."

As the story’s female lead, Wendy wasn’t likely to struggle in the apocalypse. That had been true in Suzy’s dreams—and it would be true now as well.

Still watching the surveillance feed, Suzy casually turned the volume up.

"Another death... This weather is terrifying," Fiona gasped as she watched the news.

George glanced toward the sealed windows. "Who knows when this will end."

Fiona replied, "Didn’t Wendy say it might last several months?"

She turned to her daughter with a proud smile.

"Good thing Wendy warned us to prepare ahead of time. Otherwise, we wouldn’t be living this comfortably right now."

George looked at Wendy with increasing warmth. "That’s right. Our precious daughter really is the best."

Wendy smiled sweetly. Then, as if suddenly remembering something, she sighed softly.

"I wonder how my sister is doing."

The moment Suzy’s name was mentioned, George’s expression darkened instantly. "That brat? Who cares about her!"

George now loathed Suzy. In his mind, it would be best if she died somewhere out there.

The thought of the enormous fortune Elisabeth Ashford had left behind—money that Suzy had taken with her—still burned like a thorn in his chest.

That money should have been his.

His!

Fiona’s expression was no better.

Tommy suddenly straightened up in his chair. "Still haven’t found Suzy?"

The family exchanged glances and all shook their heads.

Once Suzy had blocked their numbers, she had vanished as if she’d disappeared from the world.

They had always ignored her so completely that now, when she deliberately disappeared, they had no idea where to even begin looking.

"Maybe something happened to her," Fiona said with a worried expression—though a flicker of malicious satisfaction flashed through her eyes.

"Suzy has always been lucky," Wendy said gently. "I’m sure she’s fine."

George looked at her with obvious approval.

"Our Wendy is truly kindhearted. As for that Suzy girl—forget about her. Always sickly and weak. Just looking at her is unpleasant."

"Yes, she’d better not die yet," Tommy suddenly said, sitting up straighter. "She still hasn’t bought me that car she promised. If she’s going to die, she should at least buy the car first."

The family’s conversation made Leonard’s face turn green on the other side of the screen.

He had never imagined Suzy had been treated like this at home.

Looking at her now, his eyes filled with sympathy.

Poor kid.

If he had known things were this bad, he would have brought her to live with him long ago.

Suzy shivered slightly. "...Uncle, please don’t look at me like that."

The conversation in the surveillance footage continued. Perhaps feeling that talking about Suzy was unlucky, the family soon changed the subject.

Suddenly, Suzy heard a familiar doorbell chime through the speakers.

"Someone’s here," she said.

Inside the footage, the Kale family also looked startled.

"Who’s that?" George asked in confusion.

At a time like this, who would visit them?

Fiona shook her head.

Wendy looked equally puzzled.

But Tommy suddenly stood up. "Oh—it’s my friend."

Wendy’s expression shifted slightly. "Your friend? Who?"

"Just a friend," Tommy replied casually. "My girlfriend. We just started dating."

"You brought someone here?" Fiona frowned.

Under normal circumstances, she wouldn’t have objected. But things were different now.

With everyone living in fear of the worsening crisis, bringing a stranger into the house seemed reckless.

"Oh come on, don’t worry!" Tommy waved dismissively. "She’s your future daughter-in-law!"

Before anyone could object further, he strode toward the door.

In the living room, the remaining three exchanged awkward looks.

Meanwhile, in front of the screen, Suzy and Leonard glanced at each other.

This was going to be interesting.

Moments later, Tommy returned with a young woman around his age. She was delicate-looking and somewhat pretty.

He led her straight into the living room.

The moment the woman stepped inside and felt the cool air from the AC—and saw how neat and comfortable the family looked—her eyes lit up.

Looks like I came to the right place.

This family was clearly living well. Anyone could see that. Her gaze flickered with calculation.

Beside her, Tommy introduced her proudly.

"Dad, Mom—this is Vanessa, my girlfriend. Vanessa Sanders."

However, the other three showed little enthusiasm.

Fiona forced a polite smile to smooth things over. "So you’re Vanessa. What a pretty girl."

Tommy’s expression finally brightened when he heard his family praising his girlfriend.

He pulled Vanessa down to sit beside him and gestured to Fiona. "Mom, get her some green tea. Cold."

Vanessa quietly surveyed the Ashford household. Though her face remained composed, her eyes moved rapidly, clearly calculating something.

Wendy, however, didn’t like Vanessa at all and showed little interest in her presence.

Soon, Fiona returned carrying a glass of iced green tea.

She handed it over. Vanessa grabbed it eagerly and gulped it down in large swallows.

When she finished, she looked at Fiona expectantly.

Tommy frowned. "Mom, can’t you see she’s still thirsty? Pour her another one. Actually, just bring the whole pitcher. We’ve got plenty at home anyway."

Vanessa’s eyes sparkled even more.

Plenty.

She really had come to the right place.

Back where she lived, the water and electricity had already been cut off for several days. One bottle of mineral water had lasted her days because she rationed every drop.

Seeing how comfortable the Kales were living, she silently made up her mind:

No matter what, she had to stay here.

Fiona didn’t dare disobey Tommy. Even though she felt reluctant, she went to refill the drink.

She carried several more glasses back and forth before finally sitting down again.