Sylvia Lancaster froze at her words, her hands beginning to tremble uncontrollably.

She had already entrusted Flynn Adler with taking the necklace to be auctioned off. She couldn’t understand why Elaine Hughes would suddenly bring it up.

Sylvia could only force herself to say quietly, "The necklace... it isn’t with me right now. Mom, why are you suddenly asking about it? Didn’t you say it was a wedding gift for me?"

Seeing the look on her face, how could Elaine not understand?

She stared at Sylvia in disbelief and said, "You... you didn’t actually sell it, did you? Don’t you know that was passed down from your great-grandmother to your grandmother, and then from your grandmother to me? How could you just sell it off like that?!"

Sylvia froze. ’How could Elaine know I sold the necklace?’

The auction at The Nimbus Hotel was a private event, open by invitation only to internal VIP clients. Given the Lancaster Family’s current situation, it was impossible for them to get an invitation. ’Who on earth snitched to Elaine?’

Hearing Elaine say this, Sylvia was even more afraid to admit the truth. She steeled herself and tried to argue, "No, Mom. A friend just borrowed it for a few days. I’ll get it back from her."

Seeing this, Elaine let out a cold, angry laugh. She snatched Sylvia’s phone and said, "Fine. Then call this ’friend’ of yours right now, in front of me!"

Sylvia knew then that Elaine was truly furious. This wasn’t something she could easily brush aside. As this thought hit her, a wave of anxiety washed over her.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the household maids glancing their way, some trying to be subtle, others not. This only made her more flustered.

Sylvia was already not well-regarded in the Sutton Family. The maids were all the type to treat people according to their status, and they didn’t respect her much. They never treated her like Ethan Sutton’s wife and would do a half-hearted job when she asked for anything.

After this scene Elaine was causing today, Sylvia felt her position in the Sutton household would become even more precarious.

At this thought, tears immediately welled up in Sylvia’s eyes. She sobbed quietly, "Mom, please don’t blame me. I did sell the necklace."

Hearing this, Elaine slammed Sylvia’s phone down on the table. She stared at her daughter and scolded, "Sylvia Lancaster, what is wrong with you? Do you have any idea that sapphire necklace is a family heirloom? Why on earth would you sell something so important?"

Sylvia sobbed as she replied, "Mom, I know I was wrong, but I had my reasons."

As Elaine watched her, her anger still simmering with confusion, Sylvia continued, "Ever since Ethan and I got engaged, Dad cut off my allowance. The Sutton Family is having cash flow problems right now, so I felt bad constantly asking Ethan for money. I was completely out of options. I need money to live, you know."

Sylvia had never been in the habit of saving money. Her expenses were high: buying the latest luxury goods, getting spa treatments, attending social gatherings and afternoon teas—every little thing cost money.

Even the Sutton family’s maids wouldn’t properly prepare her afternoon tea unless Sylvia regularly gave them little tips.

Before the engagement, Ethan Sutton had solemnly sworn to Sylvia that he would take care of her for the rest of her life. But after they got married, his attitude slowly changed.

Recently, whenever Sylvia asked Ethan for money, he would accuse her of spending recklessly and complain that she brought no value to the Sutton Family, only squandered their wealth.

When Sylvia complained, he would retort dismissively, "I’m the one earning money to support you right now. What more do you want?"

At times like that, Sylvia was left speechless.

The once-promised "Don’t worry, I’ll take care of you" had become a condescending "You’d better remember, I’m the one supporting you." Sylvia could only think how unbelievably stupid her past self had been. 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

Sylvia couldn’t stand living like this anymore—always having to hold her hand out and live at someone else’s mercy. Left with no other choice, she could only start selling off her dowry for cash.

Sylvia cried pitifully. "Mom, I really had no choice. A single meal out can cost hundreds of thousands these days. I just thought I’d sell the necklace for some cash flow and then secretly buy it back when I have money again. Mom, please forgive me, okay?"

Seeing her crying so wretchedly, Elaine couldn’t bring herself to say anything more. She sighed and said, "Fine. How much did you sell the necklace for? Give the money to me first. The family is short on cash right now. Your brother and your father are out borrowing money every day, so busy they don’t even have time to come home. You’re a daughter of this family, after all. You can’t be so selfish."

Sylvia was short on money, but so was Mrs. Lancaster. The wealthy wives in her social circle didn’t even invite her to their gatherings anymore. Everyone knew she was broke.

Sylvia was furious. ’The sapphire necklace was given to me as part of my dowry. What right does she have to demand the money back?’

Besides, she’d only sold one sapphire necklace, and here was Elaine, showing up first thing in the morning to condemn her.

’And what about Elaine and Robert? They’ve sold off so many family heirloom antiques and paintings recently. They’re far bigger spendthrifts than I am!’

Sylvia knew she couldn’t get out of this. Elaine wouldn’t back down until she had the money. She bit her lip gently and said in a small voice, "The auction house just transferred the money. Mom, I’ll send it to you right now. I want to help ease the family’s burden, too."

Seeing Sylvia agree to transfer the money, Elaine didn’t press the issue further. In her heart, she still cared for Sylvia. As for the heirloom sapphire necklace, she had no idea who had bought it. They would just have to wait for a chance to buy it back in the future.

Looking at Sylvia’s tear-streaked, pitiful face, Elaine sighed again. She patted Sylvia’s back comfortingly. "Sylvia, you’re engaged to Ethan now. It’s normal to ask him for money, so don’t be embarrassed. You also need to learn to swallow your pride and coax Ethan’s parents a little more. If they know you’re short on money, they won’t just stand by and do nothing. After all, you’re a daughter-in-law of the Sutton Family."

Sylvia forced a smile. In truth, she had already humbled herself as much as she could in the Sutton household, but Mr. and Mrs. Sutton had only grown more distant and cold. It was as if they were just waiting for her to break under the emotional abuse, call off the engagement, and move back to the Lancaster estate.

And as for all of Ethan’s past vows of eternal love, all his sweet nothings—looking back now, they seemed like a complete joke.

Elaine then remembered what Melody Summers had said about the 420 million Pink Diamond. She said to Sylvia, "Sylvia, don’t be too upset. I heard Ethan bought a 420 million Pink Diamond at the auction. He’ll probably give it to you."

Sylvia was taken aback. She didn’t feel any joy, only a strong sense of unease.

Silas Lancaster had told her before that someone saw Ethan fawning over Miss Walsh at a party. Sylvia was frantic with worry but felt completely helpless.

Ethan no longer took her to any parties, and no one invited her either, so she had no way of even showing up. Ever since Hugh Hayes went missing, Clara Hayes had been preoccupied and rarely went out, and Wendy Sheffield was even less help.

Now, hearing that Ethan had bought a Pink Diamond, she felt as if a bucket of cold water had been dumped over her. Her intuition told her that this diamond was definitely meant for another woman.

But meeting Elaine’s gaze, Sylvia could only force another smile. She couldn’t tell her mother that she had been humbled to dust in the Sutton household, only to be ignored. She was afraid the Lancaster Family would drag her back home and marry her off to some fool for a business alliance.

Sylvia could only say with a strained smile, "Mom, don’t worry. I’ll get along fine with Ethan."

*

For the past few days, Melody Summers had been sharing a hotel room with Winnie Summers. With her mother around, Melody hadn’t had a chance to enter the Arcadian Space.

Today, her family was finally called over to the neighboring room by Miss Dunn to play cards, so Melody quickly seized the opportunity to enter the Arcadian Space.

Many fruits in the Arcadian Woods were ripe. Melody worked diligently, picking sweet apricots, peaches, apples, persimmons... She filled basket after basket, moving them all to the warehouse to await sale.

The pineapples and melons in the fields were also ready for harvest, filling the air with the sweet scent of pineapple.

Melody peeled a pineapple with her "Dubain-style" knife skills and eagerly took a bite. The sweet and sour fragrance of the fruit instantly filled her mouth.

Melody polished off the pineapple in no time. It was an excellent variety; even the core was soft, and it didn’t irritate her mouth even without being soaked in saltwater.

After finishing the pineapple, Melody still wanted more, so she cut open a plump, round melon. The melon had a rich, fruity aroma and a soft, ice-cream-like texture. It was juicy and sweet as honey.

Plump bunches of grapes hung from the vines, glistening like purple gems in the sun. Melody combined the purple grapes with green Shine Muscat grapes, planning to sell them as a two-variety gift box once she got home in a few days.

There were also many watermelons. Each one was a triploid seedless variety with a thin rind that would crack with a simple flick of a finger. Melody ate half of one in a single sitting until her stomach was bulging. As expected, it tasted much better than the watermelon from the buffet.

The pumpkins were just as numerous as the watermelons, and each one was so big that Melody couldn’t even move them. The trellises were completely covered with string beans and cucumbers, more than she could ever finish picking.

Melody cleared another patch of land nearby and planted some eggplant, fennel, green onions, shepherd’s purse, and chives. New Year’s Day was just a month away, and she could use them to make dumplings.

The chickens, ducks, and rabbits in the livestock pen were growing quickly. The calves and lambs had also gotten much bigger. Melody selected two young rams from the pen, planning to slaughter them when she got home.

After finishing her work and leaving the space, Melody picked up her phone to scroll through the news, wanting to check on the wildfire situation on the mountain behind The Metropolis Residences.

According to reports, a firebreak had been established. If all went well, the wildfire should be extinguished within a few days.

Melody breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed the fire was finally under control.

Melody was just about to take Albus over to Miss Dunn’s room to visit when she suddenly received a video from Crystal Lynch.

Melody opened the video. Crystal Lynch was telling her that the first batch of sand vine cakes had arrived today.

Each resident could collect two cakes per day by showing their ID. These cakes were rich in water, plant fiber, vitamins, and protein, basically enough to meet a person’s daily survival needs.

Melody watched Crystal’s video intently. Round sand vine cakes were stacked neatly together. They had a pale, yellowish-green crust, each about the size of her palm and roughly 2 centimeters thick.

Crystal had also filmed a clip of residents lining up to get the sand vine cakes. As soon as people heard they were free, they flocked to get in line, even though the cakes were made from Desert Vine.

Are you kidding? With how much even a bag of rice costs these days, who would pass up free food!

Melody opened the chat group for The Metropolis Residences. The residents were all sharing their reviews of the sand vine cakes: