A global heatwave and drought had been going on for over six months, and 90% of the rivers on Terra had dried up.

It was now impossible to buy bottled water on the market. Ordinary people could only get by, storing water during the limited daily supply hours.

But in the courtyard of the Adler family’s villa, there was a large fountain. A column of water shot into the air, turning into droplets that fell back to the ground, glittering dazzlingly under the sun.

The sun was scorching, and the water evaporated quickly. The fountain had to be refilled several times a day, and each refill used almost as much water as a family’s entire monthly ration.

"Aunt, here’s your bag." Flynn Adler smiled and handed a bag to Mrs. Lawson.

Mrs. Lawson quickly took the bag and opened it. It was the custom-made luxury handbag that had been stolen from her a few days ago.

She hurriedly opened it and looked inside. The cash was gone, but her ID, phone, cards, car keys, and the like were still there.

After checking the bag, Mrs. Lawson let out a long sigh of relief and said with a smile, "Flynn, thank goodness for you. Otherwise, I would’ve had to get all my documents replaced."

Replacing documents had become much more troublesome after the cataclysm, a thought that gave Mrs. Lawson a headache.

Flynn Adler chuckled and shook his head. "Aunt, don’t mention it. Those robbers were just blind. It was a classic case of ’the flood washing away the Dragon King’s temple’—they didn’t realize they were robbing one of their own."

The Adler Family had connections in both the criminal underworld and legitimate society. Flynn Adler knew most of the organized robbery crews, so getting a stolen handbag back wasn’t difficult for him.

Mrs. Lawson grumbled, "It’s all that Mrs. Lancaster’s fault. If she hadn’t insisted on me coming with her to meet her daughter, this never would’ve happened! I told her, there’s no precedent for an elder visiting a junior first!"

The more Mrs. Lawson thought about it over the past few days, the angrier she got. She was the elder. According to etiquette, Melody Summers should have been the one to visit her first, not the other way around. If she hadn’t gone to The Metropolis Residences, she wouldn’t have been robbed.

Flynn Adler knew his aunt was currently looking for a wife for her mentally challenged youngest son. He smiled and asked, "Aunt, didn’t I hear that my cousin’s wedding was set for November 1st? Is the bride the Lancaster family’s biological daughter?"

At this, Mrs. Lawson sighed, shaking her head in frustration. "Don’t even mention it. That girl was raised in the countryside, so she’s not close to the Lancaster family. Besides, she has a foul temper and is completely stubborn. Mrs. Lancaster said she needs to go back and discuss with her family how to persuade her daughter. The wedding date will probably have to be postponed."

The more Mrs. Lawson thought about it, the angrier she became. "Sigh, I even had a master pick November 1st as an auspicious date, and now it’s all delayed. The Lancaster family is so unreliable. No wonder their business is doing worse and worse."

Flynn Adler inwardly snickered. ’What normal family would marry their daughter off to a man with a developmental disability? Especially a violent one.’ Maids and servants at the Lawson residence were occasionally injured by Trey Lawson, and Flynn didn’t believe for a second that the Lancaster family hadn’t heard the rumors.

Besides, once word got out that they were selling their daughter, who would dare do business with the Lancaster family? Everyone would know the Lancasters were ruthless and vicious and would be on their guard. ’For the Lancasters to risk their reputation and push their own daughter into a fiery pit... they must be truly desperate for money.’

’No wonder Sylvia Lancaster has been flirting with me so much lately, both openly and subtly, sending me suggestive messages. She’s probably short on cash, too, and wants to keep her options open.’

But Flynn Adler had been riding a wave of success recently, with a constant stream of new women by his side. He used to be the one chasing after Sylvia Lancaster, but now, he couldn’t be bothered with her. Without the halo of a wealthy heiress, Sylvia seemed plain and unremarkable in his eyes, far less appealing than the gentle and considerate girls he was currently seeing. 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

Mrs. Lawson continued to complain to Flynn, "You have no idea. I, her elder, went to visit her personally, and that little brat actually cursed me out. We went all that way under the blazing sun, and she wouldn’t even let us in the door! She didn’t offer us so much as a cup of tea and just pushed us right out."

Flynn Adler frowned. "I heard her adoptive parents are just ordinary farmers. A country girl like her actually dared to do that?" ’Isn’t she afraid of offending the Lawson and Lancaster families?’

Flynn could only try to console her. "Aunt, please calm down. This is the Lancaster family’s business, so let them handle it. Right now, they’re the ones begging to marry their daughter off. You don’t need to worry about it. If the Lancasters want that capital injection, they’ll surely do everything they can to persuade her. You just have to sit back and wait for your daughter-in-law to arrive."

Hearing this, Mrs. Lawson thought to herself, ’I’ve realized it over the past few days. That Elaine Hughes is an idiot, and the rest of the Lancasters probably aren’t much brighter. I can’t count on them.’

Her eyes darted around, and she grabbed Flynn Adler’s hand. "Flynn, dear, you have to help your cousin Trey. It’s not easy for him to find a wife. You have so many people working for you—can’t you help your aunt think of something?"

Flynn Adler didn’t really want to get involved. In his view, these things should be consensual. If the Lancaster girl wasn’t willing, there were always other girls who would be. Why be so fixated on one from the Lancaster family?

But his mother had passed away early, and his aunt and uncle’s family had always taken good care of him. Now that his aunt was pleading with him, he didn’t have the heart to refuse her outright.

So, Flynn could only say reassuringly to Mrs. Lawson, "Don’t worry, Aunt. Send me the Lancaster girl’s photo and personal information later, and I’ll see what I can come up with."

In truth, Flynn didn’t have any brilliant ideas. Given his style, the only method he could think of was to kidnap Melody Summers and lock her up until she agreed, or to simply force the issue. ’A country girl like her is bound to care about her reputation. When the time comes, would Melody Summers still be able to refuse?’

’Then we’ll just hold a wedding banquet for them to solidify the de facto marriage. Anyway, Melody Summers’s biological parents have already agreed to the match. Even if she goes to the police later, it would just be considered a domestic dispute.’

*

Back at The Metropolis Residences, Austin Hale was severely reprimanded by two police officers and given a formal warning.

The current warning system was all networked. Anyone who received two warnings would be banned from making purchases at every supply point.

Terrified, he could only apologize profusely and promise he would never do it again. After being released, he quickly staggered home.

Mrs. Hale had cooked some noodles and was waiting for Austin Hale to get home. Seeing his crestfallen appearance, she hurried over and asked anxiously, "Austin, what’s wrong?"

Seeing the concerned and anxious look on his mother’s face, Austin Hale hesitantly explained how he had gone to see Melody Summers to try and win her back, only for her to call the police and have him driven away.

Mrs. Hale was furious. She felt her precious son had been terribly wronged. While comforting Austin, she cursed, "How can that Melody Summers be so ungrateful! Does living in a villa give her the right to look down on people? If she hadn’t tricked you into buying that school district apartment from her, where would she have gotten the money for a villa!"

Then, Mrs. Hale sighed again. "And you, what were you thinking, going to see her? I think she’s just a jinx. If it weren’t for her, you never would have bought that apartment. If we hadn’t bought it, we’d still have at least three million in savings, and we wouldn’t have to pinch pennies just to get by."

Now, that apartment wouldn’t even sell for one million. Even though the exterior wall had been repaired, who would buy a place with known safety hazards?

Besides, in these times of cataclysm, who was still buying property? And who cared about a school district anymore? The schools had all been closed for ages. Everyone was saving what little money they had for utilities and food!

Seeing Austin’s miserable expression, Mrs. Hale’s heart ached for him again. She comforted him softly, "Austin, dear, just ignore that Melody Summers. I’ll arrange a few more blind dates for you in a couple of days. As soon as those girls hear you’re working at the Adler Group, they’re all very eager to marry you. Every single one of them is younger, gentler, and more sensible than Melody Summers."

But Austin just ran his hands through his hair in frustration. "Mom! Can you please stop introducing me to your poor relatives’ daughters? Being with girls like that will only drag me down! What’s the use of ’gentle and sensible’? My salary of just over ten thousand a month is barely enough to support the two of us. How could I possibly support another woman?"

Austin angrily covered his face with his hands and rubbed it hard a few times before continuing, "Melody Summers lives in a villa now! I saw it today. Her roof is completely covered in solar panels, and she even has misters running in her yard. If I could get back together with her, we could live in that villa, too. We’d have free air conditioning, and I wouldn’t have to wake up from the heat every single night!"

"Mom, do you have any idea how long it’s been since I had a good night’s sleep? I don’t need you to introduce me to women who are good for nothing except being obedient! I need a woman who can help me financially! Do you understand me or not?!"

Looking at Austin, Mrs. Hale’s heart still ached. "But Melody Summers has such a temper," she said. "You’ll just suffer if you’re with her. You’re a man. How can you put up with that kind of treatment? It just breaks my heart to see you like this."

Austin felt like he couldn’t communicate with his mother at all. He practically roared, "I’d rather suffer than live here! I wake up from the heat every night, drenched in sweat. We eat nothing but boiled noodles every single day! My mouth is full of canker sores! I can’t even survive like this anymore, and you’re talking to me about whether I’ll suffer or not?!"

Seeing Austin’s furious state, Mrs. Hale grew a little scared. She quickly tried to placate him. "Okay, okay. Don’t worry, Mom understands now. You just want Melody Summers for your wife, right? Mom agrees. I’ll let her marry into our family."

Austin gave a bitter laugh. "What’s the use of you agreeing? She won’t even talk to me now. I went to her front door to profess my love, and she wouldn’t even let me inside. It’s hopeless."

Mrs. Hale gently patted Austin’s back to soothe him, her mind already scheming. After a moment, she said softly, "Don’t you worry. Mom has a plan. I’ll make her beg you to marry her!"