Chapter 125: Chapter 125: The Apartment from a Past Life

A heavy snow season was predicted for the end of the year. Melody Summers remembered the snow in her past life had been several meters deep, completely burying the lower floors of buildings. When that happened, her villa would likely become uninhabitable for a while.

Melody Summers had initially planned to take her family to The Nimbus Hotel, just as she had during the mountain fires. However, she wasn’t sure if she’d be able to secure a room this time.

The coming snowfall wouldn’t be the same as the mountain fires. The fires had only affected the villa district of The Metropolis Residences, which was why she’d been able to book rooms so easily.

But the nationwide heavy snowfall at the end of the year would affect everyone living in villas and on lower floors. There would surely be a massive influx of people trying to stay in hotels.

She didn’t have any special connections or pull, so booking hotel rooms then might be impossible.

’So it might be better to buy a couple of high-rise apartments just in case,’ she thought. ’If I can’t get hotel rooms, we can at least move to a higher floor.’

Hollis thought for a moment before saying to Melody Summers, "Miss Summers, as it happens, the government did a property liquidation early this year. I remember some investment properties in our complex, bought by wealthy people, went into foreclosure. Those owners were always willing to spend a fortune on renovations, so they should meet your standards... Let me take you to the sales office to inquire!"

Melody Summers went to the sales office with Hollis, only to find the entire place deserted. There was just one employee on duty, who was currently scrolling idly through his phone.

Hollis introduced the employee as Tate and then explained Melody Summers’s purchasing requirements to him.

Tate was stunned to hear that Melody Summers wanted to buy two apartments right now, and he gave her a peculiar look.

’These days, most people were just trying to figure out how to use what little money they had to make ends meet. The slightly more affluent were converting their cash into food, fuel, and gold bars as fast as possible. Who would still be throwing money at real estate? It was like enlisting in the National Army in 1949—a guaranteed losing bet!’

Melody Summers, however, was unfazed. Meeting Tate’s astonished and bewildered gaze, she simply spun a tale. "My ex-boyfriend dumped me for a woman who had a car and a house, back when I had neither. So, my biggest dream has always been to own lots and lots of apartments."

"Now that prices have dropped, I want to take the opportunity to buy a couple and make that dream come true."

Hearing this, Hollis, who was standing to the side, couldn’t help but let out a snort of laughter.

Although Tate didn’t understand, he was deeply respectful of her reasoning. After all, a sale meant a commission. He eagerly began making recommendations to Melody Summers.

"Miss Summers, based on your requirements, I’d recommend you consider units 1605 and 1606 in Building 4. They’re both foreclosed properties that were just listed after the New Year. We saw them when we assisted with the repossession, and they both have high-end renovations. What’s more, the original owner never lived in them after the remodel, so all the appliances and furniture are brand new."

Melody Summers froze. ’Building 4, unit 1606?!’

...Wasn’t unit 1606 the very place she and the Lancasters had stayed in when they sought refuge at The Metropolis Residences in her past life!

Melody Summers was surprised for a moment. She never expected that in this life, the Lancaster Family wouldn’t even manage to hold onto this apartment.

But she quickly composed herself, nodding as she replied, "Alright. Please take me to see them."

With Melody Summers’s confirmation, Tate and Hollis grabbed the keys and led her to Building 4.

On the way, Hollis said to Melody Summers, "As it happens, Mr. Lynch from the supermarket and his family live on the 18th floor of Building 4. Miss Summers, if you don’t plan on moving in right away, you could ask them to occasionally pop over and keep an eye on things for you."

After all, break-ins were becoming far too common. Robbery crews were targeting long-unoccupied homes, stripping them of all furniture and selling everything off for cheap.

Melody Summers nodded at the suggestion. Crystal Lynch’s family lived in unit 1806 of Building 4. If she did end up moving here during the blizzard, the two families could look out for one another.

The three of them arrived on the 16th floor of Building 4. Tate used a key to open the door to 1606 first.

Even though she had braced herself, the moment Melody Summers stepped into unit 1606, her breath caught in her throat. It felt as if the blood in her veins had turned to ice.

Her eyes fell upon the living room’s familiar French-vintage decor, the familiar furniture arrangement, the familiar ornaments—everything was identical to her past life.

Melody Summers remembered it all. In her past life, she had been sitting on this very cream-colored sofa when she drank the water Elaine Hughes handed her... and then lost consciousness.

"Miss Summers?"

Noticing her pale expression, Hollis asked with concern, "Miss Summers, are you alright? You’ve suddenly gone white as a sheet."

Melody Summers snapped back to reality. She gently shook her head, suppressing the torrent of thoughts flooding her mind. Forcing a smile, she replied, "I’m fine. I just got a little warm on the walk over."

Hearing this, Tate scratched his head. "Yeah, the upper floors can get a bit warm. This unit has central air conditioning, but unfortunately, the power is disconnected, so I can’t turn it on for you."

"It’s fine," Melody Summers replied with a smile. "I’ll be okay in a minute."

Tate nodded and continued to show Melody Summers the apartment’s layout.

Melody Summers followed Tate through the rooms, listening with half an ear. When it came to the layout and decor of this apartment, no one was more familiar with it than she was.

The Lancasters were obsessed with cleanliness. In her past life, Melody Summers had been forced to scrub the entire apartment, inside and out, by herself almost every single day.

It was a traditional four-bedroom apartment with a living room and dining room. The four rooms consisted of a master bedroom and a second bedroom, both with en-suite bathrooms, a guest room, and a fairly large study.

In her past life, Robert Lancaster and Elaine Hughes had taken the master bedroom. Sylvia Lancaster had the second bedroom, while Simon Lancaster and Silas Lancaster occupied the guest room and the study, respectively.

As for Melody Summers, she had lived in a small, partitioned-off space in the hallway next to a bathroom.

The hallway was freezing at night. During the months of heavy snow, Melody Summers hadn’t dared to fall into a deep sleep, terrified that if she did, she might never wake up.

The living room was huge, and the adjacent dining room was spacious and empty, but the Lancasters forbade Melody Summers from sleeping there. They said it would look bad if guests came over.

Yet, in her past life, right up until the day she died, not a single guest had ever set foot in that apartment.

As Melody Summers walked through the apartment, she couldn’t help but feel a pang of sorrow for the injustice her past self had endured.

Robert Lancaster and Elaine Hughes had originally bought this apartment as an investment. Back then, the Lancaster Family was still rich and powerful, spending money without a second thought. They had poured a fortune into renovating the place, essentially buying whatever was most expensive. Not only had they installed central air conditioning and a water purification system, but they had even upgraded and reinforced the windows.

After finishing his tour, Tate asked, "So, Miss Summers, what do you think? Is it suitable?"

Melody Summers nodded. She had lived here for some time in her past life; she had no complaints about the property itself.

After looking at 1606, the three of them moved on to 1605.

The renovation in 1605 wasn’t as luxurious as in 1606, but it was still a high-end unit, fully equipped with appliances and furniture. It was completely move-in ready.

Unlike the three-bedroom-and-a-study layout of 1606, the owner of 1605 had converted one of the guest rooms into a home gym, complete with a variety of exercise equipment and even a climbing wall.

After touring both apartments, Melody Summers announced, "I’ll take them both."

The sales office hadn’t closed a deal in two months. Selling two units in one go made Tate ecstatic. He nodded eagerly. "I’ll get the paperwork started for you right away."

Melody Summers nodded, then asked, "I’d like to knock through the wall between the two apartments to create a small, hidden door. Is that possible?"

Tate was taken aback for a second, then he answered hesitantly, "It’s possible... There’s a non-load-bearing wall between the two units that you could break through, but we wouldn’t recommend it."

Tate looked at Melody Summers and explained earnestly, "Because if you ever want to sell these apartments in the future, you’ll have to restore the wall first. It’s a huge hassle, so it’s better not to do it."

Since the apartments were right next to each other, Tate felt it was an unnecessary complication.

But Melody Summers just nodded, unconcerned. She had no intention of ever selling them anyway. She said to the two men, "In that case, could you have the property management office help me contact a reliable construction company? I need them to install a hidden door in an appropriate spot to connect the two units."

After a moment’s thought, she added, "Also, the locks on the security doors. Please tell the construction company to replace those for me as well. I want the highest-security mechanical locks, no electronic ones. And have them install security bars on the windows and surveillance cameras next to all doors and windows."

Seeing her insistence, Tate didn’t press the issue. He jotted down her requests one by one and nodded. "Alright, you can count on me!"

Melody Summers thought for another moment, then handed Tate a red envelope with some cash, asking him to help oversee the renovations.

Tate happily accepted the money and patted his chest, guaranteeing he would get everything arranged perfectly.

After settling these details, Melody Summers returned to the sales office with the two men, paid for the apartments, and completed the paperwork. Only when she held the two property deeds in her hands did she finally feel a sense of relief.