Chapter 2

"Coming right up! I'll make it happen!"

Holding the light-resistant glass bottle filled with highly concentrated sulfuric acid, my mother-in-law turned and walked out of the workshop. Step by step, she headed toward the bathroom.

Jeannie propped her phone on the bathroom sink and adjusted the angle until the camera pointed directly at the toilet.

"Everyone, today you are going to see just how much of a rip-off this thousand-dollar bottle really is!

"If you want to watch my mom dump it out herself, send gifts and hit that like button! She is opening it right now!"

The livestream instantly came alive. Virtual gift animations flashed across the screen as comments flooded the chat.

[Come on, streamer! Make it count! Dump the whole bottle in! Don't leave a single drop!]

[Exactly! That vain woman needs to learn her lesson!]

After reading the comments, Jeannie immediately urged her mother-in-law on.

"Mom, everyone says you should dump the whole thing!"

My mother-in-law nodded approvingly.

"Something this useless and overpriced is a waste of money just sitting around!"

Meanwhile, I was sweating bullets on the other side of the screen.

That is highly concentrated industrial sulfuric acid! I thought in horror.

If it came into contact with the water in the toilet, the reaction would release an enormous amount of heat. The acid could splatter violently, turning the entire bathroom into a living nightmare.

I frantically typed comment after comment.

[Stop! Don't open the bottle!]

[That isn't cosmetics! It can react violently with water!]

[And breaking into my workshop is illegal! Get out immediately!]

However, no matter how frantic I became, I could not stop them.

[LOL, who is this? If you are going to make up a story, at least make it believable.]

[It will explode when it touches water? What do you think this is? A movie?]

[Breaking and entering? This is the streamer's brother's house. His mother has every right to enter her own son's home!]

[Why are you making such a fuss over a few bottles of water?]

I wanted to argue with them, but every comment I sent vanished almost immediately. All I could do was call Chester again.

A moment ago, the call had gone through, even if he had hung up on me. This time, however, an icy, automated female voice answered immediately.

"We are sorry. The number you've dialed is currently busy."

Chester had blocked me.

I was on the verge of tears, but I forced myself to stay calm. I opened my contacts and found the number for the apartment complex's management office.

"Hello, is this the management office? I'm the owner of Unit 1201, Building 8, Block 3.

"Someone has broken into my home and is tampering with dangerous chemicals. Someone could die at any moment!

"Please, send security over immediately and get the people in the bathroom out of there!"

After hanging up, I fixed my eyes on the livestream.

A few minutes later, urgent knocking sounded from the front door.

"Hello? Anyone home? This is security conducting a routine check!"

Jeannie stopped what she was doing and turned toward the bathroom door.

Looking thoroughly annoyed, my mother-in-law set down the bottle and stormed out, muttering under her breath.

"What is all that banging for? Are you trying to knock the door off its hinges?"

Although the camera could not show what was happening at the entrance, her sharp voice came through loud and clear.

"What are you checking for? We own this place!"

The security guard sounded hesitant.

"Ma'am, the homeowner called and said there were dangerous substances in the house. We came to make sure everything was all right."

My mother-in-law flew into a rage.

"What dangerous substances? That is nothing but cosmetics my wasteful daughter-in-law bought!

"I came here today to teach my daughter-in-law a lesson. This has nothing to do with you!

"This is a private family matter. What gives you security guards the right to interfere?

"Get out of here! If you don't leave right now, I will file a complaint with your supervisor!"

The guard was too intimidated to argue back. Soon, the area outside the door fell silent.

My mother-in-law returned to the bathroom, looking triumphant. She picked up the light-resistant glass bottle again. Her rough fingers settled around the sealed cap, and she began twisting it with all her strength.