Chapter 539: Parade of Shame
Evelyn grabbed the roll of paper from the table, wadded some up in her hand, and walked over to the dry-wailing woman. She seized the woman’s chin and shoved the paper wad directly into her mouth.
"Mmph, mmph, mmph..."
She struggled, trying to push the paper out with her tongue, but the wad was too big and stuffed in too tightly. There was no way to get it out.
Evelyn twisted the woman’s arms behind her back, spun her around, and with a THUD, kicked the backs of her knees. The woman fell to the ground, tears of pain streaming down her face.
"Looking for trouble?"
The woman’s eyes widened in terror. She was afraid now. A moment ago, she had seen the undisguised killing intent in Evelyn’s eyes, as if she might snap her neck at any second.
This wasn’t the first time she had come over to scope out a new neighbor and take some petty advantage, but it was the first time someone had put her in her place. She wanted to shake her head, but Evelyn had a fistful of her hair. The slightest movement sent a sharp pain through her scalp.
"Mmph, mmph, mmph..."
The brat was still bawling. The girl next to him was terrified too, staring blankly at Evelyn, completely frozen.
"Shut up." Wendy reacted instantly. She rushed over to close the door, then shot a vicious glare at the brat.
"Cry again and I’ll beat you."
The brat was too scared to cry anymore. He sat on the floor, trembling all over, so frightened by Wendy that he wet his pants.
"Evelyn, should we tie them up?"
"Yes, tie them up."
The moment Evelyn said this, the woman began to struggle in terror. The brat opened his mouth to start wailing again, but one look from Wendy scared him into clamping his mouth shut.
The others came over to help, and they quickly tied up the brat and the woman.
As for the girl beside them, she seemed to be autistic. While everyone was tying up the others, Evelyn had been observing her. She showed no reaction at all.
The paper wad was soaked with the woman’s saliva. She was trembling with fear. Evelyn pulled a roll of black tape from her pocket and pinched the woman’s cheek. The woman spat out the paper wad, but before she could even gag or cough, Evelyn sealed her mouth again with the black tape.
"Mmph, mmph, mmph..."
"We may be new here, but that doesn’t mean just anyone can come take advantage of us and cause trouble."
Evelyn hauled the woman to her feet.
"Ethan Dawson, Peter Owens, Miles Vaughn, take the three of them home. Go to Sector B and let the neighbors have a look."
Kestrel Villa had a streetlamp every five meters, making the road as bright as day. The woman’s earlier screams had already attracted the attention of the surrounding neighbors. For Evelyn to have them sent back like this was no different from a public shaming.
The little girl’s jacket had a hood. Evelyn walked up behind her and casually pulled the hood over her head.
Ethan Dawson stepped forward and yanked the woman, who was on the ground kicking her legs, to her feet.
"Let’s go."
Miles Vaughn picked up the brat as well. The boy was too scared to move. His pants were soaked, and the foul smell of urine filled the air.
"Let’s go," Peter Owens said, gently patting the little girl’s shoulder. She followed behind them, walking out of the villa’s main gate with her head down. At a corner, out of sight from the others, she suddenly turned back to look at Evelyn, who was standing in the doorway.
The neighbors were all in their yards and on their balconies, watching the show. No one had expected the biggest freeloader in Sector B to finally meet her match, tied up and thrown out by the new neighbors. They were all gloating. If not for this shrew constantly bragging about her husband working in the office building, there were more people in Kestrel Villa who couldn’t stand her than you could count on two hands. If they hadn’t been afraid of her husband’s retaliation, they would have dealt with her long ago.
Now, seeing her humiliation, the neighbors felt like applauding.
"That brat is so disgusting. He wet his pants and got the floor dirty. I’ll go get a mop." Wendy was flushed with the joy of her first victory, a delighted smile on her face.
"You don’t think that shrew will come back to cause more trouble, do you?"
Wendy put her hands on her hips. "What’s there to be afraid of? If she dares to come back, I’ll beat her out of here with a broom."
"Wendy, you’re amazing! That was so cool just now."
"Wendy can even protect us now."
Wendy puffed out her chest. "It’s what I ought to do."
"Hello? Hello..." A voice came from outside the gate. Evelyn took Wendy to the door to check, while the others returned to the guest rooms to continue grinding medicinal herbs.
"Can I help you?"
A young woman, looking to be in her early twenties, was standing at the gate.
"I live next door. I just came to give you a heads-up. May Warren’s family is not to be trifled with."
Evelyn raised an eyebrow. "’Not to be trifled with?’ How so?"
"Although May Warren’s husband works in the office building, he doesn’t actually have any real power. The one who really calls the shots in their family is her husband’s older brother. Her brother-in-law is a pharmacist at the base’s pharmaceutical factory. From what I know, he used to work at a drug research institute. Anyway, he’s a big deal. You should be careful."
"If her brother-in-law is the big shot, what does that have to do with her?"
The girl glanced around, then leaned closer to Evelyn and whispered, "Her brother-in-law has a son who was injured during the earthquake, and May Warren is usually the one taking care of him. To thank her, the brother-in-law often brings back all sorts of good things from the base. If it weren’t for him, there’s no way May Warren could live in Kestrel Villa. Her husband’s job was also secured by the brother-in-law pulling strings."
The girl paused, then continued, "May Warren is very vengeful. She’ll definitely go complain to her brother-in-law. Everyone says her youngest son is actually the brother-in-law’s kid. Otherwise, why would he put up with her like this?"
’If May Warren’s brother-in-law is so powerful, why would she still need to take advantage of her neighbors? Throwing a tantrum over a bunch of bananas?’
’Besides, all she ever talks about is her husband working in the office building. If her brother-in-law is the truly powerful one, why doesn’t she just use his name to intimidate everyone?’
Evelyn wasn’t so gullible as to believe everything someone told her. She smiled, thanked the girl, and prepared to head back inside with Wendy.
But the girl suddenly grabbed Evelyn’s arm, looking at her shyly.
Evelyn... ’What is this about?’
"Can I get to know you? My name is Winnie Miller."
"I’m Evelyn Ford, and this is my sister, Wendy."
Winnie Miller nodded. "You guys can come hang out with me sometime. We should be around the same age."
Evelyn smiled. ’Let’s see what Winnie Miller is really up to.’
"Um, Evelyn, can I ask you something?"
"Of course."
Winnie Miller’s cheeks were bright red. She fidgeted with the hem of her clothes, seemingly finding it difficult to speak.
"What’s the name of that guy who left your house at noon? The one wearing a black trench coat, a black hoodie, and a black baseball cap."
Evelyn... ’Did I hear that right?’
Wendy’s eyes went wide. She looked at Winnie Miller, then back at Evelyn, her expression as if the sky were falling.
"Why are you asking?"
Winnie Miller blinked her big, sparkling eyes, looking even shyer.
"Is he your brother? I’d like to get to know him. Could you introduce us?"