Although Mr. White didn’t speak, he also looked at Joanne White with concern.

As a man himself, he knew just how ruthless a man could become once love was gone.

If Joanne never secured her official status, he was afraid that the moment Zane Simmons grew tired of her, she would be thrown out of the villa.

Joanne White’s face instantly turned deathly pale.

This was the one topic she dreaded her parents bringing up, the one subject she most wanted to avoid. She didn’t know how to answer, so she could only bite her lower lip and gently shake her head.

The more time Joanne White spent with Zane Simmons, the more she realized he wasn’t someone she could easily manipulate.

Zane Simmons seemed like a debauched, good-for-nothing playboy, and many of his business partners saw him as an easy mark. In reality, however, very few ever managed to get the better of him.

He appeared to be a philanderer who flirted with everyone, but he had never genuinely fallen for any of his companions. It was all strictly transactional.

Joanne White had always considered herself a master of manipulation. She could effortlessly wrap even a man as polished and self-serving as Austin Hale around her finger. But when it came to Zane Simmons, she found she was completely powerless. 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚

Worse, she was starting to care more and more about Zane Simmons—perhaps due to the hormonal imbalance after childbirth.

This terrified her. She knew she couldn’t afford to catch feelings in a transactional relationship like this, yet she couldn’t seem to control herself.

’I have to keep a clear head,’ she constantly reminded herself. ’I absolutely cannot let myself get swept away.’

Seeing Joanne White lower her head in silence, both Mr. and Mrs. White’s hearts ached for her. They were well aware of the injustices she faced, but at present, there truly was no better alternative.

It was a year of cataclysm. The drought and scorching heat had persisted for a full year. Although Mr. and Mrs. White lived in what was considered a luxury apartment complex, people were still dying from the heat. Many couldn’t endure it any longer and chose to end their own lives by jumping from the rooftops.

Zane Simmons gave Joanne White a sum of money every month. Thanks to this, Mr. and Mrs. White didn’t have to worry about water or electricity. They could afford to eat rice and bread, unlike their neighbors, who were mostly subsisting on sand vine cakes.

Joanne White could only force a smile. "Mom, Dad, don’t worry," she said. "I’ll figure something out."

Mr. White nodded but still offered a word of caution. "There’s no rush. You must be patient and strategic about this. Don’t ruin your relationship with Mr. Simmons."

Mrs. White nodded vigorously. "That’s right, Joanne! It’s fine if you don’t have an official title for now. Whatever you do, don’t be hasty and get on Mr. Simmons’ bad side!"

If she tried to force the issue and angered Zane Simmons, the Simmons Family had a thousand ways to make her entire family disappear from the face of the earth.

Joanne White bit her lower lip gently and nodded. "I know, Mom and Dad."

*

Private Hospital.

The three Lancasters had walked in to see Melody Summers on their own two feet, but two of them were carried out.

Seeing that Robert Lancaster had fainted from rage and Silas Lancaster was slipping into unconsciousness from blood loss, the police didn’t press the matter. They simply reprimanded Elaine Hughes, filed a report, and warned them never to set foot in The Metropolis Residences again.

In the end, out of a sense of humanitarian duty, the police brought the family of three to the hospital.

A checkup revealed nothing seriously wrong with Robert Lancaster. Thankfully, his collapse wasn’t due to a stroke from high blood pressure; he had simply fainted in a fit of rage and would be fine after some rest.

The wound on Silas Lancaster’s leg was deep and had reached the bone.

The doctor bandaged the wound to stop the bleeding, but even with anesthetic, Silas’s body still twitched uncontrollably from the pain.

After reviewing the CT scan, the doctor frowned. "This is a bit tricky. It’s not just a flesh wound—he has a fracture in his femur."

Elaine Hughes heard this and quickly asked, "What should we do, Doctor? Does he need surgery?"

The doctor thought for a moment. "Surgery is quite expensive right now. At his age, he could opt to let it heal on its own. The only risk is that if it doesn’t heal properly, he could be left with some long-term complications."

The three words "long-term complications" nearly made Elaine Hughes break down. She cried out desperately to the doctor, "Do the surgery! Doctor, we choose the surgery! My son isn’t even twenty yet! He can’t be left with a disability!"

The doctor frowned, glancing at Elaine Hughes’s attire. "Medical resources are scarce at the moment," he said. "A surgery like this is very expensive—at least 200,000. Are you sure you want to proceed?"

Elaine Hughes froze. Two hundred thousand. Before the cataclysm, that sum would have been nothing to the Lancaster Family—it was barely a month’s allowance for Silas.

But things were different now. The company that held their policy had gone bankrupt, leaving the entire family without commercial insurance. Robert’s checkup and Silas’s initial treatment had already cost a pretty penny, and she had almost no money left on her.

But looking at Silas’s pale face and his body, still twitching in pain, Elaine’s heart went out to her younger son. She gritted her teeth. "Do it! We’ll do it!"

The doctor nodded. "In that case, please head to the cashier to pay the fee."

Elaine Hughes was taken aback. "I... I don’t have that much money on me right now," she said anxiously. "I need to go home to get it. Could you please operate on my son first?"

The doctor gave Elaine Hughes a faint, mocking smile and shook his head. "I’m sorry, ma’am, but you’re aware of the current situation. Medical resources are tight, so our hospital requires payment upfront to avoid issues with patients skipping out on their bills."

The doctor deliberately emphasized the two words "skipping out," and Elaine Hughes’s face instantly flushed crimson.

She came from a family of scholars and had been the wife of a magnate for over twenty years. Never before had anyone associated her with "skipping out on a bill."

In that moment, she felt the last vestiges of self-respect she had so desperately clung to shatter into pieces.

But Elaine Hughes was helpless. "Just a moment," she said in a low voice. "I’ll have someone transfer the money now." Then she hurried out of the examination room.

Elaine Hughes first tried calling Sylvia Lancaster, hoping to ask for some money, but Sylvia didn’t pick up.

Elaine Hughes tried calling several more times, but there was still no answer from Sylvia.

Frustrated, Elaine Hughes racked her brain before finally resolving to call Simon Lancaster.

The call connected, and Simon Lancaster’s impatient voice came through the receiver. "Mom, didn’t I tell you not to call me today unless it was an emergency? I’m with Holly Rhodes at the Rhodes Family estate for New Year’s Eve dinner. It’s my first time meeting her family, and I need to make a good impression."

After Simon Lancaster started working at Rhodes, his supervisor learned he was single and introduced him to his daughter, Holly Rhodes.

This supervisor was from a collateral branch of the Rhodes Family and didn’t hold much power within the Rhodes corporation, but this familial tie was enough to get him an invitation to the New Year’s Eve dinner at the Rhodes family’s ancestral home.

Naturally, Simon Lancaster wasn’t about to miss an opportunity to get close to the Rhodes’ upper echelon, so he attended the family gathering as Holly Rhodes’s boyfriend.

Elaine Hughes quickly began to sob. "I know, son, but I have no other choice right now. Your brother injured his leg. He needs an operation that costs 200,000. Can you transfer some money to me?"

Simon Lancaster was stunned. "What?! Mom, what are you talking about? What in the world happened?"

Elaine Hughes could only stammer, "It’s all Melody Summers’s fault. We went to see her today to try and patch things up, but not only was she ungrateful, she was vicious. She made your father faint from anger! Silas couldn’t stand it and wanted to teach her a lesson, but she actually shot him in the thigh with some kind of weapon!"

Simon Lancaster said urgently, "Did you call the police? If Melody Summers injured Silas, you should report it and make her pay for it! If she refuses, have the police arrest her!"

Elaine Hughes’s voice was tinged with guilt as she replied, "We did. But the police said that because Silas had a knife, what Melody Summers did was considered self-defense."

She didn’t dare tell Simon that all three of them had been officially warned by the police.

On the other end of the line, Simon Lancaster’s brow furrowed. "Mom, what were you thinking?!" he complained, exasperated. "How could you let Silas bring a knife? The moment a weapon is involved, the whole situation changes! I just started at Rhodes. Their internal reviews are strict, and they care a lot about their employees’ family image. If word gets out that you showed up at someone’s door with a knife looking for trouble, do you think I’ll be able to keep my job?!"

Simon’s words made Elaine Hughes feel increasingly guilty. She stammered, "It was our fault, son. Please don’t be angry. Silas is waiting for surgery right now. The doctor said he could be disabled if he doesn’t have it... What are we supposed to do?"

As she finished, she began to sob softly in desperation.

Simon Lancaster let out a heavy sigh. "I get it. I’ll transfer the money to you now. But you have to remember: don’t ever go to the Summers family to cause trouble again. Even if we’re going to deal with them, now is not the time. I can’t talk anymore. I’m hanging up."