Yvonne Shelby opened the door with a smile. "Itâs Sierra! Come on in! Itâs been too long!"
Just as Sierra Sullivan was about to speak, a womanâs voice rang out from behind Yvonne Shelby.
"She lives right upstairs, but after all these days, she couldnât be bothered to come down for a visit. So of course itâs been a long time, hasnât it?"
Yvonne Shelbyâs brow furrowed immediately. "Charlotte Morgan, what nonsense are you spouting!"
Charlotte Morgan, Yvonne Shelbyâs eldest daughter-in-law.
"Mom!" A smile remained on Charlotte Morganâs face, but it didnât reach her eyes. "When did I ever spout nonsense? Isnât everything Iâm saying the truth? She lives right upstairs, and after all this time, she hasnât come down to see you and Dad!"
As Charlotte Morgan spoke, she walked over, her gaze quickly locking onto the box in Jayceâs hands.
"Whatâs this? A gift for meeting the parents? Whatâs inside? This is all she brought for her first time meeting her in-laws?
How come I heard she gave up 10,000 jin of supplies just to keep her apartment? She gave up that much for her apartment, but now that sheâs meeting her in-laws, she only brings this little thing?
Mom, this shows she has absolutely no respect for you or Dad!"
The smile had completely vanished from Yvonne Shelbyâs face. "Charlotte Morgan, if you say one more word of nonsense, get out!"
Charlotte Morgan pouted nonchalantly. "Mom, Iâm just standing up for you and Dad. Itâs one thing if you donât appreciate it, but why scold me? If youâre going to be like this, youâll really hurt my feelings!"
Jayce stared coldly at Charlotte Morgan. The next moment, he placed the box on the ground and strode purposefully into the house.
Charlotte Morgan had been a little worried at first, but seeing Jayce walk away, that last bit of concern vanished completely.
âJayce must be angry, right?â
âOf course!â
âJayce really cares about his parents!â
âHow could Jayce not be angry when Sierra Sullivan is treating his parents so disrespectfully!â
Charlotte Morgan looked at Sierra Sullivan with undisguised glee, her heart filled with exhilaration.
âBefore, she wouldnât have given an orphan girl like Sierra Sullivan a second thought. If Jayce wanted to marry her, so be it. It had nothing to do with her anyway.â
âBut now!â
âJayce is a Water Ability User!â
âIf Jayce lived at home, wouldnât she, her children, and her husband be able to use as much water as they wanted?â
âIt wasnât like now, where Jayce only came down to refill their water every two or three days. It forced her to be so stingy with water that she couldnât even shower and put on makeup every day!â
âThey arenât even married yet!â
âAnd Jayce is already living at Sierra Sullivanâs place and not coming back.â
âIf they really get married, wonât Sierra Sullivan be the one reaping all the benefits?â
âWhat about the rest of us?â
âSierra Sullivan canât blame her. If she has to blame someone, she should blame this damned apocalypse!â
Just as Charlotte Morgan was lost in her thoughts, she suddenly heard a pained groan.
The voice sounded very familiar. âCould it be... her husbandâs voice?â
Charlotte Morganâs eyes instantly flew wide open.
Before she could make a move, she heard the cries of two children.
"Uncle, stop hitting my daddy!"
"Uncle, why are you hitting my daddy!"
"SOB SOB SOB!"
"WAAAH!"
The two childrenâs cries made it crystal clear to Charlotte Morgan that she hadnât misheard.
âJayce was hitting her husband!â
"Jayce!"
Charlotte Morgan shrieked and ran inside.
Before she could even get in, Jayce was already dragging a man out of the room by his collar.
Right in front of Charlotte Morgan, Jayce punched the man in the face.
The man was knocked directly to the ground.
Just from the sound, you could tell it must have hurt a lot.
"Honey!"
Charlotte Morgan cried out and scrambled forward.
"Honey, are you okay?"
Seeing the manâs battered face and the blood on his lips, Charlotte Morgan was filled with both pain and fury.
"Jayce! Have you lost your mind? Why are you hitting your older brother?"
Tim Everett, who was Jayceâs older brother, got to his feet with Charlotte Morganâs help. "Jayce, are you crazy? Why did you hit me?"
Jayceâs eyes were still icy, and his voice sounded like it was filled with shards of ice.
"Because your wife runs her mouth!"
"I wonât hit her, but if she runs her mouth, Iâll hit you."
"If she ever dares to say a single bad word about Sierra again, Iâll give you a punch!"
"You two better remember my words! Iâm not joking!"
Tim Everett heard what Jayce said, but he didnât understand a single word of it.
He turned to Charlotte Morgan. "What? What did Jayce just say? What âSierraâ? Who is Sierra? Who were you badmouthing? Why did you provoke him?"
Charlotte Morgan also hadnât expected Jayce to resort to violence so readily, without any hesitation.
âThatâs his own brother!â
âAnd he just hit him, just like that, all for Sierra Sullivan?â
Charlotte Morgan didnât answer Timâs question. Instead, she turned to Yvonne Shelby. "Mom, look at him! Arenât you going to do something?"
Yvonne Shelby sneered. "Your big mouth got your husband beaten up. Why should I get involved?"
Rebuffed like that, Charlotte Morgan was momentarily at a loss for words.
Just then, she saw Kevin Everett walk out of the study and felt as if sheâd seen her savior.
"Dad!" Charlotte Morgan cried out hurriedly. "Dad, look! He beat up his own brother like this for an outsider! You have to do something!"
Kevin Everett was about five-foot-nine. He wasnât particularly tall and had an average build and wore glasses, but he possessed an undeniable, commanding presence.
Hearing Charlotte Morganâs words, Kevin Everettâs expression didnât change. He just gave her a faint, cool look. "Eldest daughter-in-law, if you keep making trouble out of nothing and sowing discord, your family can just move out."
At his words, the color instantly drained from Charlotte Morganâs face.
âShe could choose to ignore what other people said.â
âBut she didnât dare ignore Kevin Everettâs words.â
âWithout Kevin Everett, they wouldnât have a house like this to live in at all!â
âTheyâd be lucky just to be crammed into a single apartment with other people!â
âMore likely, theyâd be huddled together on some outdoor staircase, just barely surviving.â
âShe would rather die than live a life like that!â
By now, Tim Everett finally understood what was going on.
âSo heâd gotten beaten up for nothing, and it was all because of his own wife!â
Tim Everett shook off Charlotte Morganâs hand. "Charlotte Morgan, is your life too comfortable for you? Who told you to run your mouth? Itâs one thing for you to spout nonsense on your own, but you dragged me into it and got me beaten! How did I end up marrying someone like you? If you keep this up, believe me, Iâll throw you out myself! You donât think things are the same as before, do you?
Back then, a man had to offer a bride price to get a wife. Now? I can walk outside with a single bottle of water, and there will be plenty of young, beautiful girls willing to spend their lives with me! If you donât start appreciating what you have, donât blame me for what happens next!"