Uncle Adrian's face darkened, thunder rolling across his expression.

"You…"

Hazel was taken aback by the sudden wickedness in my expression. Her voice shook as she said, "Dad, you can't go to jail. I'll never be able to hold my head up in front of my classmates again after that."

I said, "It's fine if you don't want to move out. You can purchase this villa instead. Based on the current market value, this villa should be worth about ten million dollars."

Aunt Katie immediately flew into a rage. "Ten million dollars? Why don't you just go rob a bank instead?" she exclaimed.

I grinned and said, "Don't be hasty, Aunt Katie. Since we're family, I'll give you a 50% discount and sell it to you for just five million dollars.

"You can transfer the amount to this bank card. If I don't see five million dollars before 8:00 pm tomorrow, I'll go to the police station to make a report then."

It was just five million dollars. Given Uncle Adrian's current financial situation, he could definitely afford it.

As soon as I stepped out of the cool and comfortable air-conditioned villa, I immediately felt the heat engulf me like a thermal blanket I could never get rid of.

The sweat that had just dried quickly returned, drenching my skin, clinging to my clothes, and leaving me feeling sticky and uncomfortable.

I decisively walked into a hair salon and asked the hairdresser, Tony Green, to shave all of my hair off.

Tony immediately had a look of understanding on his face as he tried to gently talk me out of it. "Miss, there are plenty of fish in the sea. You don't have to do this to yourself just because of a man. It's not worth it."

I chuckled and told him the truth. "I can’t help feeling that my long hair is adding to the heat. It's going to be very inconvenient during the apocalypse."

Tony just assumed that I was talking nonsense. Ultimately, he sighed in exasperation before shaving my hair off and giving me a buzz cut.

When I got home, Scarlet was nearly shocked to see that all my hair was gone.

"Vi! What did you do to your hair? Why is it now a buzz cut?"

"It's more convenient that way," I said.

The comments suddenly popped up on the screen.

"As expected of the main character's sister. She's a step ahead of everyone else."

"Exactly! Who would want to waste precious water to wash hair instead of drinking it?"

"Everyone's going to get a buzz cut next time, regardless of their gender!"

After a few days of observation, I realized that I could only see these comments if I was near Scarlet. I guess she really was the movie's main protagonist after all.

Scarlet recovered from her shock and began speaking like a saint once more.

"It's so hot today, and Mrs. Thompson will be staying with us tonight since her house doesn't have air conditioning. Vi, you're cooking for her tonight."

I turned my gaze and saw a dirty old woman suddenly appearing before me, smiling at me with her gaping, unkempt teeth.

Scarlet had a habit of bringing any Tom, Dick, or Harry home with her—including those who couldn't afford food or had no place to stay for the night.

However, this old woman, Betty Gray, or Mrs. Thompson as we all called her, had food and lodging at home and loved freeloading off other people whenever she could.

I had already told Scarlet about it many times, but she refused to listen and instead chided me for being disrespectful to the elderly.

"I don't know how to cook," I replied simply.

Scarlet frowned again. "You've always been the one doing the cooking. How can you say you don't know how? Don't be stubborn, Vi."

I almost couldn't stop myself from rolling my eyes at her.

It was one thing for her to be a saint, but another to expect me to be the one doing the brunt of the work.

In the past, I used to feel sorry for her because she worked hard to support my education, and I would automatically assume the household chores as a way to show my gratitude. But after what happened that day, I couldn't find it in myself to pity her anymore.

"You brought her back, so you can cook for her by yourself," I said. "Aren't you the kindest person on earth? Why can't you even cook for Mrs. Thompson then?"

I sneered lightly at Scarlet, and Betty immediately pursed her lips together in a pitiful manner.

"It's fine, Lettie. I know that I'm an old woman, and there aren't many people who like me anymore. Since I can't even get a meal here, I think I'll just leave now."

Despite saying that, she didn't look like she was trying to leave at all.

Still, Scarlet never noticed it and quickly went over to comfort her.

"How could that possibly be, Mrs. Thompson? It's just dinner. I'll cook for you instead.

Scarlet then glared at me before turning to walk toward the kitchen.

I grinned when I heard the pots banging.

Could Scarlet even cook without me?

The comments appeared just then.

"Are my eyes deceiving me? Why do I feel as though Violet's changed as a person?"

"Good job, Violet! That's how you cure someone with a savior complex like your sister!"

An hour later, Scarlet emerged from the kitchen with the charred remains of what should have been dinner, just as I had expected.

Betty held her breath and took a small bite of the food. Then, she immediately spat it out and demanded that Scarlet order DoorDash for her instead.

After taking care of Betty's dinner, Scarlet then told me to give up my room for her.

Betty was a very dirty and filthy person. I didn't know how long she'd gone without showering. Anyone could smell her from a mile away. There was no way I would ever let her sleep in my bed!

"I sleepwalk at night. What if I end up accidentally kicking Mrs. Thompson in my sleep? She might die when she falls off the bed," I said with a look of feigned worry on my face.

Hearing that, Betty's expression immediately changed. She turned and looped her arm around Scarlet's instead, saying, "I want to sleep with you tonight, Lettie."

I was sure that Scarlet could also smell the stench coming from Betty, but since she was a saint, she couldn't possibly reject her now, could she? Ultimately, Scarlet just nodded, holding her breath as she gritted through her teeth, "Okay."

The comments appeared once again.

"See that? Even the female lead's face turned green when the old lady said that! Hahaha!"

"She brought this on herself. She deserved it."

"Good job, Violet!"

"I love Violet. I swear that I'm rooting for her now onward!"

The next morning, Scarlet looked completely green in the face, and the dark circles under her eyes were so bad that I thought she looked more like a panda instead.

Scarlet quickly ushered Betty out of the house, not even offering her breakfast.

When she returned, she quickly ran into her bedroom, tore off the bedsheets, and threw them all into the trash. Then, she rushed into the shower and scrubbed herself from head to toe until her skin went bright red from being rubbed raw.

I chuckled to myself.

So, even saints like Scarlet weren't immune to Betty's horrible scent attack!

…

After breakfast, I walked out of the house, planning to check out the nearby supermarkets first. But the moment I stepped outside, a warm blast of dry air hit me. The scorching heat intensified by the second, making the entire city feel like one enormous sauna.

Yesterday's heat was nothing compared to that day's.

I turned on my phone and saw that the heatwave was even trending on social media, with popular searches like "extreme high heat" making it to the top.

Many middle and high schools had already closed due to the extreme weather, and some outdoor workers had also stopped working in the sun.

The comments popped up once again.

"Why is the extreme heatwave happening so quickly?"

"I think the plot changed. Did the director film a sequel?"

I felt my heart sink into my stomach as I read the comments flashing across the screen.

"At this rate, I bet that the temperature is going to reach levels of hell within a week."

"That's what you call 'Hell on Earth'!"

"I kind of want to throw an egg on the ground to see if it'll cook immediately."

The comments erupted with jokes and banter, but I couldn't laugh with them. I frowned in frustration and repeatedly tapped the banking app on my phone.

I only had a few thousand dollars to my name. These were all my savings from the few part-time and odd jobs I had taken up over the years.

The five million dollars I had demanded from Uncle Adrian hadn't arrived yet either.

After staying just under a minute in a place without air-conditioning like this, I was already drenched in sweat. The hot weather was also making my temper flare.

The streets were deserted, with only the roar of overworked air-conditioning units breaking the silence.

Judging from that sound, I guessed that every single household in the city had turned on its air-conditioning at home.

There wasn't even the slightest breeze, and the air couldn't circulate, so it kept accumulating and feeding the fire of scorching, sweltering heat.

Things were getting critical now. The heatwave had struck too quickly, and I couldn't afford to waste another second anymore.

Yet, I didn't have enough money in my bank account!

I inhaled deeply and turned around to go back home.

I had to think of another way, and fast. I couldn't afford to put all my eggs in one basket and wait for Uncle Adrian anymore.

…

I got home and heard Scarlet's boyfriend, Marcus Crosby, talking to her on the phone.

"Lettie, my mom injured her leg, and I can't leave work at this moment. Could you please help me check on her?"

Scarlet had only gotten together with Marcus two months ago, but he had already repeatedly used his busy work schedule as an excuse to make Scarlet take care of his mother, Anne Jenkins, and pick up his sister, Mabel Crosby, from school.

I had tried countless times to talk sense into Scarlet, telling her that Marcus wasn't right for her. Each time, though, she accused me of being rude, insisting that Marcus only asked her to do these things because he loved her.

"Alright, then. I'll go now," Scarlet said at once without hesitation, despite the heat being unbearable that day. After hanging up, she began packing up her things and prepared to head out.

I walked right past her, no longer wanting to get involved in her business.

I scrolled through a few housing listings on my phone, searching for a place to escape the first wave of extreme heat.

Knowing Scarlet's savior complex, I didn't know what the resources in our home would look like by the end of the apocalypse. I had to be prepared ahead of time, just in case.

While browsing, a villa in the suburbs immediately caught my eye.

"This villa is a good choice! It has an underground bunker, and that will help insulate the interior from the heat outside."

"The owners are all living overseas. They don't care about this villa being reclaimed or repossessed after the apocalypse."

"This is the villa that the female lead moves into, saving her life from the scorching heat!"

The comments that appeared on the screen were flooded with praise for this villa. I immediately rented the place using Scarlet's credit card.

I had already secretly turned off the credit card notification on her phone earlier, so she'd never find out about it.

After all, Scarlet had saved up quite a bit of money after working for years.

Then I placed an online order for ten electricity generators, arranging for them to be delivered to the suburban villa the next morning.

By the time the temperatures hit 120 degrees, the city's power system would be under immense pressure, and the power supply would be limited. And as temperatures continued to rise after that, it was only a matter of time before the entire system collapsed.

Life on Earth would definitely feel like hell without air conditioning then.

I placed another order for 50 sets of thermal protective clothing and a large quantity of thermal insulation materials online, completely emptying the store's inventory altogether.

When temperatures hit 140 degrees, human skin would blister as soon as it was exposed to the sun for a while. When that time came, these thermal protective clothing items would come in handy and become highly sought after, thereby inflating prices tremendously.

Scarlet's credit card was close to maxing out by the time I was done purchasing everything. So, I used the balance to rent a warehouse in the suburbs.

I knew that I had enough space to store everything in the suburban villa, but I still needed to set up a transition point to avoid suspicion.

By the time I was done with everything, it was already late evening, and Scarlet was finally home.

Three disheveled men had followed her back.

"Vi, these three gentlemen had been cheated out of their money, and they haven't eaten anything in days. So, I invited them for dinner."

The three men seemed honest and straightforward, though they also appeared uneasy and hungry.

However, I got such a fright that I couldn't stop the chill going down my spine.

I dug my nails into my palm to hide my fear and panic, and it was all because of the comments that appeared on the screen just then.

"Ah, the female lead was so busy being a saint again that she even dared to bring home three fugitives wanted for murder."

"Yeah. She and Violet will be paying for it tonight."

"Poor Violet. I feel so sorry for her."

"My poor Violet! I had just started liking her, but now, I have to watch her suffer like this."

"I know, right? Scarlet invited them back for dinner out of the kindness of her heart, but they went ahead and forced themselves on poor Violet instead! What jerks! Get the hell out of that place!"