Chapter 4

Once they got the address, the two officers made a quick decision.

Everyone involved would go together.

At this point, the whole situation was a tangled mess. The only way to figure out what was really going on was to confront everyone face to face.

Sitting in the police car, watching the familiar streets pass by outside the window, I started feeling worse and worse.

It was not until we stopped in front of a door I had visited more than once before that everything finally clicked into place.

My expression darkened instantly.

The doorbell rang for more than ten seconds before the door finally opened.

An elderly woman with a heavily wrinkled face peeked out.

Before I could even speak, Rita hurried forward first, her voice full of urgency.

"Mrs. Zander! We finally found you!

"When you made purchases at our store before, you personally said we should charge your daughter's card!

"Now the cardholder, Ms. Pearson, is causing trouble for us. She wouldn't even listen to our explanation before calling the police. You have to help clear things up for us!"

I stood silently in the hallway, expressionless.

However, I had already recognized who the woman was.

She was Felicia Zander, a distant aunt from my fiancé Leslie Zander's side of the family.

And that photo she had shown before? It had been cropped from a large group photo taken at my engagement banquet half a year ago.

But what right did she have?

Forget the fact that Leslie and I were not even married yet.

Even if we were, that still did not give some barely related relative the right to pretend to be my mother and take advantage of me.

Felicia frowned as she looked me over several times. Then she noticed the police officers standing nearby, and her entire expression changed immediately.

"Oh my, Yanne! Look at this mess. It's all just a misunderstanding!"

She forced a familiar smile onto her face while nervously sneaking glances at the officers.

"I'm her real aunt! What's wrong with an elder spending a little money from someone younger? Is that illegal now?"

I did not respond.

However, Felicia mistook my silence for agreement, and her tone became even more self-righteous.

"You child, why are you so immature?

"Calling the police over such a tiny matter?

"Yanne, tell these officers to go back already! Otherwise don't blame me if I tell Leslie's mother you don't respect your elders!

"Honestly. We're practically family already, yet you're making such a fuss over a little money!"

Every word out of her mouth came wrapped in moral superiority, trying to pressure and guilt-trip me.

The anger inside me finally boiled over.

"Who the hell is family with you?

"Do I even know who you are?

"And you dared to go around pretending to be my mother? My mother died from illness ten years ago. If you're so desperate, why don't you go ask her yourself?"

The moment I finished speaking, Felicia's face flushed red. When she spoke again, her voice had turned shrill.

"You little b*tch! You should be grateful I was willing to act like your mother!

"Who do you think you are? Someone like you even deserves those luxury goods?

"Let me tell you something. Not only am I going to keep using your card, you'd better keep paying tribute to me in the future too! Otherwise, don't even dream of entering the Zander family!"

The blatant threat was so ridiculous it almost made me laugh.

"What kind of prestigious family are you people supposed to be? Your house is so poor it's practically falling apart, yet you're still putting on airs."

Then I turned toward the police officers.

"Officer, she already admitted it herself. Can you arrest her now?

"And eighty thousand dollars isn't a small amount, right? That's enough for criminal charges, isn't it? I refuse mediation."

"How dare you!" Felicia was so furious her eyes had turned bloodshot, her finger trembling as she pointed at me.

"I already called Leslie! Today I'm going to let him see exactly what kind of woman his future wife really is!"

My expression remained calm, without the slightest hint of panic.

Instead, I continued speaking to the officers.

"Eighty thousand should qualify as a major amount, right? That's enough for up to two years in prison, isn't it?"

I glanced at Felicia with a faintly amused expression.

"Oh right. If I remember correctly, your daughter is preparing for the civil service exam?

"What a shame. With a mother who has a criminal theft record, she probably won't even pass the background check."

The moment I mentioned her daughter, Felicia's entire demeanor changed.

Her face turned purple with rage, and the way she looked at me became vicious.

Before anyone could react, her heavy body suddenly lunged toward me.

I did not even have time to respond before I felt her fist clench into my hair.

My face was slammed against the wall as she started beating me wildly.

"You b*tch! How dare you ruin my daughter's future! I'll beat you to death today!"

After only two slaps, the metallic taste of blood filled my mouth.

I struggled desperately, but I could not move her at all.

Everyone around us froze in shock. The officers realized things had gone wrong and rushed forward to stop her, but they were already too late.

Felicia's massive body pressed down on me like a millstone. No matter how people tried to pull her away, she wouldn't budge.

My vision went dark. Sparks exploded across my sight, making my head spin violently.

Just as I was about to lose consciousness, the elevator doors opened with a ding.

A furious male voice rang out.

"What the hell are you doing?! Stop right now!"