Chapter 131
Before Tommy could finish watching all the messages, the phone was snatched from his hands.
Margaret watched every single video, one after another. The greed in her eyes was impossible to hide.
So many supplies. So much abundance.
If she could just find Wendy and take everything for herself... Margaret swallowed, her desire almost taking physical form.
But to get to Wendy, she needed the Kale family.
"Jack. Put them together," she ordered.
Jack and Patrick dragged the three of them into a heap. Then Margaret placed the phone in front of them.
"Go on," she said with a mocking smile. "Take a good look. This is the final message your precious daughter left for you."
If Wendy wanted to provoke them, Margaret would gladly help. The deeper the hatred between family members, the sharper the blade. And Wendy had just handed her that blade.
The videos played one by one.
Before, George and Fiona had only heard the audio, and that alone had nearly driven them mad.
Now they saw everything.
Wendy’s smiling face. The warmth of her room. The overwhelming stockpile of supplies.
Rage exploded inside them.
That ungrateful girl, using their money to hoard everything for herself, hiding away to live comfortably while abandoning her own parents.
Beast. Worse than a beast.
George’s eyes turned bloodshot, veins bulging at his temples as if he might lose control at any second.
He had given her so much money before the apocalypse. Dozens of thousands, no, over a hundred thousand.
He had loved her, favored her.
And this was how she repaid him?
"You wretched girl!" he snarled through gritted teeth. "How did I end up raising such a monster?!"
Beside him, Fiona’s chest rose and fell violently.
The videos had struck her just as hard. Her precious daughter. Her beloved Wendy.
Had abandoned her to suffer while she lived in comfort.
Good. Good.
Fiona let out a strange, trembling laugh. Even if she died, she wouldn’t let Wendy live peacefully.
Why should they be here, bound and waiting for death, while Wendy lived so freely? Everything Wendy had was bought with their money.
Suddenly, Fiona lifted her head.
"I know where Wendy is," she said. "I’ll take you to her."
Margaret’s eyes lit up, satisfaction flickering within them.
The hook had set.
"Tomorrow," Fiona continued, almost eagerly. "We leave first thing tomorrow morning."
At this point, she didn’t care whether the Sanders family would kill her or not.
Before she died, she would drag Wendy down with her.
If they were family, then they should suffer together.
How could one side suffer while the other lived in comfort?
A twisted smile spread across Fiona’s bruised, swollen face.
Even Margaret felt a chill at the sight.
What a terrifying mother.
"Fine. Tomorrow it is," Margaret said, turning to leave.
After a few steps, she paused, then glanced at Jack and gave him a subtle signal.
"Untie them first."
Jack froze. "Untie them?"
On the floor, the three members of the Kale family lifted their heads in unison.
Margaret smiled. "That’s right—untie them. From now on, we’re partners, aren’t we... in-laws?"
George nodded quickly. "Yes, yes, you’re absolutely right."
Though reluctant, Jack still stepped forward and untied the three members of the Kale family.
Tommy immediately put on a flattering smile, looking at Margaret with obvious eagerness.
George’s expression remained dark. Despite the humiliation of being pinned to the ground and beaten earlier, he didn’t dare act recklessly again.
Only Fiona stayed seated on the floor, her expression shadowed and unreadable.
"Get some rest," Margaret said with a light chuckle. "We leave tomorrow morning. When the time comes, we’ll be counting on you to lead the way."
With that, she and Jack walked out first.
Watching the Sanders family and the Kales file out of the storage room, Suzy turned over lazily on her bed.
"Now that was something," she murmured.
Even she hadn’t expected things to unfold like this.
She had originally thought the Kale family would be finished off tonight.
Instead, the two sides had formed an alliance—and Wendy had become their shared target.
Well... partly because she had nudged things along.
Suzy didn’t feel much guilt about it.
Back in that other life, when Wendy had flaunted everything in front of her, deliberately provoking her and pushing her toward despair, she hadn’t felt any guilt either.
When Wendy tried to take her space from her, she hadn’t hesitated then, either.
Now? This was just the beginning of the real show.
What surprised Suzy most was that Wendy had actually recorded videos just to show off her life.
After seeing those, George and Fiona must hate her to the bone by now.
"Tsk... looks like they’ll be knocking on her door tomorrow."
Too bad. She probably wouldn’t get to see that part unfold.
The villa gradually fell silent.
Suzy turned off the monitors.
Before she knew it, she drifted into a deep sleep.
The next day, she was woken by a knock on her door.
"Suzy, get up—it’s time for lunch," Leonard’s voice called from outside.
Still brushing her teeth, Suzy opened the door, her gaze landing on him.
He was already dressed to go out, a raincoat draped over his arm.
"Uncle... you’re heading out?" she asked, her words slightly muffled.
Leonard nodded. "I’m going over to Thomas’s place."
Suzy blinked. "What happened?"
"He’s sick," Leonard explained. "I’m bringing him some medicine and checking on him."
"Sick?" Suzy looked surprised, then quickly said, "Uncle, I’ll come with you."
After all, he was someone tied to her—at the very least, she could gain a bit of goodwill by showing concern.
Leonard glanced at her, a faint, knowing smile tugging at his lips. "Alright. I’ll wait outside."
Suzy hurried back to rinse her mouth and wash her face.
Thomas’s place wasn’t far from her safehouse—just the building next door.
Once ready, the two of them geared up fully and headed downstairs.
They took the stairwell, of course. But just as they were about to reach the thirteenth floor, voices drifted up from below.
"I came to trade. Do you have any medicine? I can exchange food."
A woman’s voice––and it was strangely familiar.
The moment it clicked, Suzy’s eyes widened.
What the hell...?
That voice—
Why did it sound exactly like Wendy?