Elaine Hughes grabbed Sylvia Lancaster by the ear. A sharp, intense pain shot through it, so excruciating it nearly brought tears to Sylvia’s eyes.

While hurriedly trying to pry Elaine’s hand away, she anxiously explained, "Mom! You’ve got it all wrong! I didn’t buy these for myself! Dad told me to get them for you!"

Sylvia then quickly rummaged through the bag, pulled out a brand-new bottle of serum, and held it up to Elaine. "Look, Mom! See? These... these are all brand new, still sealed! I really didn’t waste money primping myself!"

In reality, Joanne White had paid for all of it.

Robert Lancaster had previously told Sylvia to find a way to give Elaine a makeover. Sylvia had agreed on the surface, but she couldn’t bear to spend her own money on Elaine.

Luckily, Sylvia had some dirt on Joanne White. ’Waste not, want not,’ she thought, so she blackmailed Joanne for the items.

Elaine glanced skeptically at the plastic-sealed serum, then looked down to inspect the other items in the bag.

Seeing that the skincare products and hair dye were all brand new and unopened, Elaine’s expression finally softened.

She snorted coldly and jabbed Sylvia’s forehead hard with her index finger. "It’s good you know your place," she cursed. "You’re just a little bitch born from a homewrecker! A cuckoo in the nest, stealing the life that should have been my daughter’s. That cheap face of yours doesn’t deserve to use any of this! Got it?!"

A flash of hatred glinted in Sylvia’s eyes. She lowered her head and said softly, "Got it..."

Elaine snorted again at the sight. She pulled the box of hair dye from the bag, tossed it at Sylvia, and said impatiently, "Don’t just stand there gawking like an idiot. Hurry up and dye my hair. I want to take a nice bath and do a facial treatment afterward!"

After speaking, Elaine shot Sylvia another glare and added, "And be careful, you little bitch! If you get any of that dye on me, you can get the hell out!"

With that, Elaine ignored Sylvia completely, sat down, and undid the silk scarf that had been wrapped around her hair.

Elaine hadn’t washed her hair in days. Water was a precious resource now and couldn’t be wasted lightly. Her hair was slightly greasy, but thankfully, since it was winter, the smell wasn’t too strong.

Sylvia pressed her lips together, forcefully suppressing the rage in her heart as she began to mix the hair dye and apply it to Elaine’s hair.

The thought of Elaine being sent to Bernard Simmons’s bed tomorrow like a piece of merchandise, becoming the very "bitch" and "homewrecker" she herself spat out, made an uncontrollable excitement bubble up inside Sylvia.

She was so excited that her hands trembled, almost making her drop the bowl of dye.

’I can’t wait to see how Elaine will feel when that time comes...’

******

「That evening」

Winnie and Colin Summers looked haggard when they returned home.

Seeing their expressions, Grace Sutton hurried over to them. "What happened to you two? Why do you look so awful?"

Colin wearily wiped his face with a hand and said in a heavy voice, "Ugh, don’t ask... There was another death over in Building 7..."

He trailed off, the horrific scene he had witnessed making it difficult for him to continue.

Seeing his state, Grace grabbed his arm and pressed him, "What is it? Stop beating around the bush and just say it!"

Melody Summers walked over as well, looking at Winnie with concern. "Mom, what happened?"

Winnie sighed and explained, "In Building 7, three households—neighbors who were usually on good terms—gathered in one apartment to save energy. It’s been too cold these past two days, so they were burning charcoal to stay warm... But they didn’t pay attention to ventilation and got carbon monoxide poisoning. By the time they were discovered..."

Winnie couldn’t bring herself to finish the sentence.

It was three households: one was a family of five spanning three generations, another was four university students who were renting and living together, and the last was a couple with a child.

All told, twelve people, crammed into one small room, lost their lives forever to carbon monoxide poisoning.

When the staff from the Emergency Management Office arrived on the scene, the situation inside was nothing short of tragic. The entire apartment was shrouded in death.

A dozen people lay scattered on the floor, lifeless. Their skin and lips had turned a grotesque cherry-red. The three young children, in particular, had pained expressions, white foam frothing from their mouths—a heart-wrenching sight.

At the time, Winnie, Colin, and the other staff from the Emergency Management Office had entered the apartment cautiously, clinging to a sliver of hope, trying to find survivors. But the result was heartbreaking...

Twelve people. No survivors. The old, the young, the adults—all of them had become cold corpses...

After hearing Winnie’s account, both Grace and Melody felt a heavy weight in their hearts. 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

At the dinner table, Melody picked at her food distractedly, scrolling through the community residents’ group chat.

Earlier in the evening, the Emergency Management Office had sent out a group notice about the tragedy, reminding everyone to ensure proper ventilation when heating their homes, to place charcoal braziers near vents, and to prevent such a horrible incident from happening again.

Now, the residents were all discussing it. With over a dozen people dead in one go, the mood was grim. The joyful atmosphere from the past few days of sunshine had vanished, replaced by a somber sorrow.

"7-408 Gone with the Wind: Sigh, I never thought something like this would happen... I heard four of them were university students renting together. How devastated their families must be..."

"7-901 Adventurous Lawson: It was terrifying. I was on the first floor waiting for the elevator when the police came to move the bodies. I watched them make three or four trips. The scene was enough to make your skin crawl!"

"4-1009 Lowell On Deadline: Twelve people crammed into one bedroom, burning charcoal without ventilation... just thinking about it is absurd. Sigh. Even if the students didn’t know any better, didn’t the worldly-wise elders?"

"7-408 Gone with the Wind: @4-1009 Lowell On Deadline They’re already gone, don’t make cynical remarks. Besides, it’s so cold outside now. Open a window for two minutes and all the warmth in the room is gone. It’s understandable why they didn’t want to."

"2-1908 Coco: @4-1009 Lowell On Deadline I heard it wasn’t that they didn’t open a window, but that the vent was blocked, which is what caused the high concentration of carbon monoxide."

"2-1908 Coco: Everyone should be careful. Don’t put any obstructions between the charcoal brazier and the vent. Make sure the air can circulate freely."

"12-1803 AAA Building Supplies - Lawson - Out of Business: At the end of the day, burning charcoal for heat is just too dangerous. I’m sticking with my space heater. It’s better to pay a bit more for electricity. I have kids at home; life is more important."

"2-1408 Bella Grant: @12-1803 AAA Building Supplies - Lawson - Out of Business You still have savings to pay the electricity bill? The rates are even higher than during the heatwave. We can’t afford it anymore."

"12-1803 AAA Building Supplies - Lawson - Out of Business: @2-1408 Bella Grant I sold our other apartment while the prices for high-rise units were up."

"12-1803 AAA Building Supplies - Lawson - Out of Business: Sigh, my wife and I worked our whole lives to earn those two apartments. That one was supposed to be for our kid to have after getting married. Now look, it’s all gone!"