Chapter 552: Black-hearted Tangyuan
"Hey, that old hag is actually threatening to kill herself on our doorstep. Evelyn, I’m going out to teach her a lesson." Wendy stood with her hands on her hips, itching to rush out and give May Warren a brutal beating.
"She was very pointed with her words just now. She accused us of kidnapping her son for revenge. The nosy neighbors are out watching again. I’m guessing in a few hours, the fake news about us kidnapping May Warren’s son will have spread to every single household."
"The patrol searched the house inside and out yesterday. Unless we have a secret cellar, how could we possibly be hiding someone?"
Of course, the pocket dimension *could* hide a person now, but Evelyn wanted nothing to do with a brat like that. ’Just looking at him is irritating,’ she thought, ’so there’s no way I’d kidnap him and bring him into my space.’
Evelyn rested her chin on her hand as she gazed outside. "Invite her in. Since the last lesson wasn’t enough, I’ll teach her another one today."
Joelle Finch and Wyatt Vaughn went out and opened the gate. Before May Warren could react, they dragged her into the villa. Her pig-like squeals echoed outside, and the neighbors, with nothing more to watch, all returned home in disappointment.
Evelyn grabbed the black tape from the table, walked over to May Warren, and swiftly sealed her mouth shut. She was too loud. Her voice was so shrill it could make you puke, more grating than the shriek of a demon crawling out of hell.
"Evelyn, we have to teach her a real lesson this time. Last time, we just tied her up and sent her back. That was too light a punishment. Her son going missing is no excuse for her to go crazy."
Wendy looked at May Warren with utter disgust. "Besides, she’s a misogynist who favors her son. She’s a woman herself, yet she looks down on her own daughter—abusing her, beating her, withholding her food, and emotionally tormenting her. She doesn’t deserve to be a mother."
May Warren glared at Wendy furiously. She tried to struggle, but Wendy smacked her hard with a broom.
"Your son is a fat pig! We wouldn’t take him even if you gave him to us for free, let alone kidnap him."
May Warren struggled wildly, stung by Wendy’s look of disgust. ’Her son is one in a million, a genius destined for greatness! As for that dull, stupid daughter, she’s nothing but a drain on their resources. If she didn’t eat so little and was still able to work, I would have abandoned that dead weight long ago when we were on the run.’
’Now that her son is gone, her husband will surely abandon her. Miles Young certainly wouldn’t care if she lived or died.’
’This is the apocalypse; she wouldn’t survive if she was abandoned. She had to find her son. He is her crutch, her claim to status, her ticket to survival.’
May Warren’s crazed look startled Wendy. The veins in her neck bulged as she let out a choked, wheezing sound from her throat.
Evelyn ripped the black tape off her mouth, forced a laxative pill down her throat, and had Ethan Dawson throw her out.
"Aren’t you going to beat her up?"
Evelyn shook her head. "Beating her is a waste of time. The laxative will kick in soon, and she’ll be stuck on the toilet for the next three days."
Wendy was still fuming. "But I haven’t gotten revenge for that little girl yet!"
"If her son isn’t found, we’ll soon see May Warren’s fate. It’s far more satisfying to watch her lose what she values most than to just give her a beating."
And what was most important to May Warren? It was the status she was so proud of: a husband who worked in the administration building, a villa to live in, and the power to take advantage of her neighbors. Even though everyone despised her, no one dared to openly oppose her out of respect for her brother-in-law.
Once she lost all of that, she would undoubtedly be thrown out of the villa district. Outside was full of refugees who were starving and cold, and she refused to live like that.
Her brother-in-law’s warning rang in her mind: if she didn’t stay in line, he would throw her out.
A chill ran down May Warren’s spine. After Ethan Dawson tossed her out, she muttered a few curses and stumbled back toward Zone B.
When Ethan Dawson returned to the villa, he repeated what May Warren had been saying, word for word.
"The most important thing to her isn’t even her son, it’s the lifestyle she secures by using him as a bargaining chip."
"It’s the apocalypse, and we’re still dealing with this feudal trash about a mother’s worth depending on her son."
Evelyn smiled. "It’s precisely because this is the apocalypse. Women and children are becoming scarce, but most men still cling to the idea of carrying on their family line. The importance of children has only grown since the world ended. A large family is less likely to be bullied. To many, having a son is a guarantee of security—and that’s doubly true now."
Rhys Chase had been in the guest room; no one had noticed him come out. He stood by the fireplace with a teacup in hand, staring thoughtfully at Evelyn.
’This was the "kind and lovely" woman Ronan Kendrick described?’
’She was sweet on the outside, but pitch-black on the inside.’
——
The laxative Evelyn gave May Warren was extra-strength. It started to take effect before she even made it home.
The atmosphere in the Young family home was grim after the son’s sudden disappearance. May Warren’s husband, Mason Young, was already resentful of her. She was supposed to be looking after the children, but she had not only lost their son but also stirred up all kinds of trouble. Hearing that she had gone out to cause another scene, Mason’s face darkened. He shot a nervous glance at his older brother, Miles Young, who sat across from him. Just as he was about to speak, May Warren came running in, clutching her stomach. An unspeakable odor emanated from her. The sight of her brother-in-law on the living room sofa made her legs go weak. A series of RIPPING sounds erupted from her body. Her expression shifted, and she scrambled into the bathroom.
The sound of explosive diarrhea echoed from the bathroom. Miles Young looked coldly at his younger brother. "I’ll give you two hours. Take her and get out. Your daughter stays. If she keeps living with your wife, she’ll be abused to death sooner or later."
Mason Young’s face went pale. He never imagined his older brother would actually throw him out. ’It’s the apocalypse,’ he thought. ’How am I supposed to survive without my brother’s protection?’
’This was all May Warren’s fault. She caused all of this.’
After Miles Young left, Mason Young covered his nose and rushed to the bathroom, pounding on the door.
"May Warren, get out here right now! Grab your rags and get the hell out of this house!"
May Warren, weak and tormented by her explosive diarrhea, heard Mason’s words and flew into a panicked rage.
She pulled up her pants and charged out of the bathroom.
"I’m not leaving! This is my home, and no one can kick me out! Our son will come back, and he can’t be without his mother!"
In her current state, May Warren was practically a biohazard. Mason Young pinched his nose and backed away, glaring at her with revulsion. "If it wasn’t for you, my brother would never have kicked me out! Get out, get out, get out! Just get the hell out of here! I’m divorcing you! You’re not my wife anymore! And our son? Look at the brat you’ve turned him into! I can have another kid with someone else without you! Now get lost!"
Trembling with rage and ignoring the sharp pains in her gut, May Warren lunged at Mason Young, and the two began to brawl.
She was covered in unidentifiable filth, which she proceeded to smear all over Mason. Their eyes red with fury, they raised their fists and began to beat each other mercilessly.
At the top of the third-floor landing, the little girl stood listening to the horrid curses and screams from the floor below. A smile spread across her face as she ran back to her room.
"Big Brother, they’re fighting," she said.
Inside the room, a boy with only one hand smiled at her words. "Don’t be scared. Dad will be kicking them out soon. From now on, you’ll only have your uncle and me. No more annoying mom, dad, or little brother."
The girl nodded. "Okay."