Chapter Four

Vanessa stood on the cool, sprawling top-floor balcony of the two-story hilltop villa. Through the reinforced glass railing, she had a clear, unobstructed view of the apartment complex directly across the street—her former marital home.

They were completely oblivious she was standing right there, looking down on them.

When the sun turned into a deadly furnace and civilization melted into chaos, she wouldn't just survive in ice-cold, air-conditioned luxury behind steel blast doors. She would sip aged wine right here on this balcony and watch with her own eyes as those parasites clawed at each other's throats for a single bottle of warm water.

"This is beautiful," Vanessa murmured softly, her fingers tracing the smooth, stone railing.

"I am glad you like it," the real estate agent said with a warm, slick smile, stepping up beside her as his voice carried across the terrace. "It really is built to the highest standard. As I mentioned on the phone, Mrs. Tinnon—"

"Ah, Miss Axerold," Vanessa cut in, her voice dropping into an icy, razor-sharp edge. "That is what I go by now... and that is what should be on the document. Recently divorced."

The agent swallowed hard, clearing his throat awkwardly as he tapped his tablet to update the deed. "Ah... Miss Axerold. My apologies. Well, as I was saying, we already have a buyer lined up who put down a million dollars in cash. I only brought you here for a walk-through because you were so persistent..."

"I'll pay double," Vanessa said without batting an eye. She didn't even turn to face him, her eyes fixed on Andrea's apartment balcony across the road. "Two million dollars. Wire transfer right now. Make sure whoever that buyer is, they're compensated well enough to shut up and walk away."

The agent choked on his own spit, his eyes practically popping out of his skull. "D-Two million?! Cash? Are you completely sure, ma'am?"

"Yes," Vanessa said calmly. "Tap the terminal."

"I... I'll process the transfer immediately!" he stammered, his hands trembling violently as he held out the digital reader.

Vanessa pulled out her black card and tapped it. *Beep.* The funds cleared instantly without a hitch.

The moment the electronic deed landed in her email under her true name, Miss Axerold, she pulled out her phone and dialed her contractor.

"Matt, I got the place I spoke to u moments ago... get ur heavy team," Vanessa said, her tone sharp and uncompromising. "We're gutting this place."

"Gutting it?" Matt sounded genuinely baffled over the line. "Vanessa, that villa was built to the highest standard by top structural engineers! It doesn't need renovations!"

A slow, chilling smile touched her lips. "It needs *my* specifications, Matt. I want industrial thermal insulation behind every wall, dual subterranean water storage tanks, private deep-well pumps, triple-redundant solar generators, and solid alloy blast shutters over every single window."

"That's... not a renovation, Vanessa. That's an apocalyptic fortress," Matt replied slowly, taking a heavy breath. He had no idea she was preparing for the deadly heatwave forty days away. "Alright... I'll have the heavy equipment on site by dawn."

She hung up, but before she could drop the phone into her pocket, it vibrated violently in her palm.

*Veronica.*

A dark, twisted thread of amusement shot through Vanessa. She slid the screen and brought the phone to her ear without uttering a single word.

"Vanessa, you ungrateful, low-life piece of trash! What the hell happened to my credit cards?!" Veronica’s shrill, screeching voice blasted through the speaker so loudly it echoed across the wide balcony.

Vanessa didn't answer. She pulled the phone away, staring at the screen with a quiet, deadly sneer. Did this bitter old leech really think she was still the pathetic, timid girl who would cry and beg for her validation?

"Answer me!" Veronica shrieked, hyperventilating with pure rage. "First you pull this ridiculous divorce stunt, and now you freeze my supplementary accounts?! Andrea told me about your pathetic temper tantrum... why are you being so vicious and greedy?!"

In the background, the flat, disgusted voice of a supermarket cashier cut through the noise: *"Ma'am, your card was declined again. If you can't pay, you need to step aside and let the other customers through."*

"Will you shut up?!" Veronica barked at the cashier, rounding on her with wild eyes. "Can't you see I am sorting something out?!"

A wave of loud, agitated grumbles erupted from the growing line behind her. Other people in the queue started shouting at her, demanding she move, so she dragged her overflowing cart to the side, gripping her phone so hard her knuckles turned white.

"See what you have caused because of your greed?!" she hissed into the receiver. "I will—"

"Greedy?" Vanessa let out a low, humorless laugh that sent a shudder right down the line, interrupting her cold. "V, it's my money. Not a single cent of it belongs to you, your worthless son, or your parasite family."

"You ungrateful bitch!" Veronica spat, gasping for air as shoppers stared at her. "We took you in when you had nothing! You lived under our roof! And now you're hoarding millions while I'm being publicly humiliated at the organic market register over groceries?! You owe us!"

"I don't owe you a single drop of my sweat," Vanessa said, her voice dropping into a terrifyingly calm, venomous register. "Tell your precious son to pay your bills. Get a job. Or ask Andrea to cover your organic berries. Because as far as I'm concerned, all of you are dead to me, Veronica."

"Are you insane?! Did you just call me by my name—don't you dare hang up on—"

Vanessa clicked off the call and instantly added every single member of the family to her permanent block list.

Two miles away, standing in the middle of the crowded organic supermarket, Veronica stared at her black phone screen in pure, paralyzed shock.

"I will be back!" she snarled at the cashier, her face burning purple with humiliation as she shoved past the line, abandoning a cart piled high with thousands of dollars in imported delicacies and spa products.

She stomped toward the exit, her head spinning with toxic rage. For the first time in years, she had been forced to count pennies and argue over prices like a common beggar!

"Veronica! Oh my goodness, hi!"

Veronica stopped dead in her tracks, forcing her twisted face into a tight, strained smile. It was Mrs. Vance, one of the wealthiest socialites in their neighborhood, dripping in diamonds.

"Oh... hello, Mrs. Vance," Veronica lied smoothly, patting down her silk blouse. "Just doing some quick shopping."

"Ooh, I thought I just saw you kicked out for not paying," Mrs. Vance muttered under her breath, a petty, knowing smirk flashing across her face before she smoothly covered it up.

"What?" Veronica snapped, her heart dropping into her stomach.

"Oh, I said to forget shopping! Have you heard the unbelievable news?" Mrs. Vance gushed, grabbing her arm with wide, envious eyes.

"What news?" Veronica demanded, her stomach churning.

"Well, not to ruin the surprise, but that gorgeous hilltop villa directly across from your son's complex just sold an hour ago! Paid in full! Cold hard cash!"

Veronica blinked, a cold pit forming in her stomach. "Really?"

"Yes! And you'll never guess who bought it—your daughter-in-law, Vanessa!" Mrs. Vance gasped, practically shaking with envy. "The title agent said she bought it under her maiden name, Miss Axerold, paid *double* the asking price—two million dollars cash!—and she’s already hired industrial teams for a massive renovation! Honestly, your family is so incredibly blessed. She's an absolute walking gold mine!"

Veronica froze.

The blood drained completely from her face, leaving her ghost-white before a suffocating, violent wave of pure jealousy surged through her veins.

Two million cash?! Double the price?! Miss Axerold?!

"Veronica? Are you alright dear? You look like you've seen a ghost," Mrs. Vance asked, eyeing her suspiciously.

"I... I am fine," Veronica choked out, her teeth grinding together so hard her jaw throbbed. "I just... I need to go home. Right now."

She didn't even wait for a reply. Veronica bolted to her car, threw herself into the driver's seat, and slammed the door so hard the glass rattled in its frame.

Vanessa wasn't broke. She wasn't begging in some dirty alley. She had fifty million dollars, she was building a literal palace directly across the street under her maiden name, and she was leaving them to rot in poverty!

Veronica slammed her foot on the gas, her tires screaming against the asphalt as she tore out of the parking lot. Her hands gripped the steering wheel so hard her manicured nails nearly cut into the leather.

Our money! That's OUR gold mine! she screamed in her head, every red light driving her further into madness. *How dare that ungrateful little leech spend millions right under our noses?!*

She swerved aggressively into the complex driveway, slammed the brakes, and practically threw herself out of the car. She marched up the stairs like a madwoman, kicked the front door wide open, and let out a blood-curdling shriek that shook the entire living room.

"Andrea!" Veronica screamed, her voice cracking with pure hysteria. "Andrea, get down here RIGHT NOW!"