Recalling this, I couldn't help but tighten my grip on the phone and said, "Deon, of course, I'd welcome Taryn and your family to stay. After all, we'll be one family when we get married. It's just that…"

"What is it?"

I pretended to be hesitant and continued, "It's just that I haven't bought the villa yet. Although I've agreed with the landlord, I'm still 150 thousand dollars short.

"Do you have any way to help me gather this amount of money? I even plan to add your name to the deed. But the landlord won't budge until I have the full amount…"

Deon's voice was filled with uncontrollable joy. "That's easy! I can sell the apartment in the city! After all, we'll be living together after marriage, so we don't need so many houses."

I said worriedly, "But didn't you say that your parents worked so hard to save up for the down payment for that apartment? It wouldn't be right to sell it, would it?"

"It's fine. I'll discuss it with them. Don't worry. I'll transfer the money to your card in a couple of days."

After hanging up the phone, I couldn't help but smile coldly.

In my previous life, with the continuous rainfall, Deon's apartment, located closer to the city center, was found by the rescue team a week earlier than my villa. Moreover, the villa was at a lower level, making it more susceptible to flooding.

Since they liked the villa so much, let them stay there. However, I wondered if they could last as long without me this time around.

As expected, Deon posted the apartment for sale online the same day.

I asked an agent to buy that apartment, and Deon immediately transferred the money to my card.

I made grand promises to Deon, saying that once his parents moved in, I would go through procedures to add his name to the deed.

I also told him to ask his parents and Taryn to bring more belongings since they could stay for a long time.

Deon was ecstatic, thinking I was so gullible just like I used to be in my past life. At that time, I couldn't even notice even after being deceived.

With the 50 thousand dollars I had left in my account and the 150 thousand dollars Deon transferred, I had exactly 200 thousand dollars.

The money was enough for me to prepare ample supplies.

Deon and Taryn's family were coming in three days, so I had to use this time to procure supplies and store them in the city apartment.

With global rainfall, the most crucial and scarce resource was water. Buying a water purifier was impractical, so I decided to buy mineral water and bottled water directly.

I told a wholesaler that I was opening a delivery service that included bottled water, so I purchased a large quantity of mineral water, which was enough for my daily use.

Additionally, I contacted a bottled water supplier, expressing interest in becoming a distributor, and bought several water dispensers and bottled water.

I explained that I didn't have a warehouse and needed to store the water temporarily in an unused apartment, assuring them I would move it once my warehouse was ready. The delivery workers helped carry the water upstairs.

With the water secured, I needed to prepare food and clothing next.

I bought a large quantity of seeds and nutrient solutions in advance on a certain online platform. These seeds had short cycles and were easy to survive.

After the rain subsided, crops would be destroyed, so the seeds could be used for future farming needs.

I also bought plenty of loungewear since we wouldn't be able to go out for a while, so I wanted to stay comfortable at home.

While thinking about how to transport food without being noticed, I learned that a supermarket in the neighboring community was closing down. I immediately offered to take over their stock, secretly transporting a lot of non-perishable food upstairs.

Instant noodles, cookies, various beverages, chocolates, sandwich cookies, and compressed biscuits were all stored, along with sanitary napkins, tissues, and other daily necessities.

I had to admit that Deon's apartment was indeed in a great location.

The property was newly handed over, with few residents, so I didn't have to worry about being noticed. And it was close to the rescue center.

When everything was ready, Deon brought his "family" over.

At that time, most parts of the world had just started to experience rainfall, and people were not yet aware of the impending crisis.

Of course, Deon and his so-called family had no idea about it.

When they arrived at my villa, they were already soaked from the rain.

Deon's "sister" complained, "What kind of weather is this? It was clear and sunny when we set off, and now it's suddenly raining."

Deon's "parents" didn't look happy either. "Why didn't Carina come to pick us up in advance?"

After speaking, they walked in without waiting for a response. "Where are we staying?"

In my previous life, I had never lived with my parents, so I felt very awkward in such situations. I originally wanted them to stay in the guest room, but they insisted on staying in my master bedroom, claiming the guest room was too small and uncomfortable.

I signaled Deon with my eyes, but he acted as if he didn't see it, putting his arm around my shoulder and agreeing, "My parents are old and they feel uncomfortable in small rooms. Besides, the guest room doesn't have a bathroom. It would be inconvenient if they had to use the bathroom at night, and it would disturb you."

I was left speechless and ended up having to let Deon's "parents" stay in the master bedroom, while I was forced to sleep in the guest room on the second floor.

Deon and Taryn stayed in the rooms on either side of mine.

In this life, I gave up the master bedroom proactively, letting Deon's "parents" stay on the first floor.

I knew that tomorrow night, the continuous rainfall would flood the bed on the first floor.

Deon and Taryn stayed on the second floor with me, just like in my previous life. When Taryn first arrived at my house in the previous life, I caught her secretly flaunting my luxurious handbags on social media.

She even posted: [Boyfriend bought me a villa and a handbag. So happy.]

She was such an idiot. Didn't she know that social media apps push content to people nearby?

That very night, I happened to see her account and immediately recognized my handbag in the photo.

I told my boyfriend Deon about it, but he didn't care and comforted me, saying, "My sister is just like that. It's normal for young girls to be a bit vain. She just took a picture but didn't damage anything. Carina, don't be so petty."

In this life, I moved all the valuable bags and clothes in advance, and only left a set of bed sheets and duvet covers in the room.

I didn't fill the refrigerator to welcome them like last time, only buying some perishable vegetables and food to prepare dinner.

Taryn searched the villa and found nothing, so she could only sit on the sofa and take selfies. She also took many photos of the chandelier and the spiral staircase.

She was probably planning to flaunt the villa her "boyfriend" bought her on social media again.

I felt angry about my past self for not seeing through the odd dynamics among these four people. Taryn acted like the hostess of the house, and Deon's parents seemed more concerned about their "daughter" Taryn than about Deon.

For dinner, I excused myself by saying I was too tired and prepared a few dishes hastily. Deon's parents were not pleased and stopped me, saying, "We came from far away, and is this how you treat us?"

Deon, looking slightly embarrassed, was probably afraid of exposing the truth, so he said quickly, "Mom, Dad, Carina said she wasn't feeling well. Whatever you want to eat, I'll make it."

His "mother" grumbled, "That's good. At least make four more dishes for us."

Taryn added, "Deon, I saw some crabs there. Steam them for me so I can post them on my social media."

Deon's father's eyes lit up. "Deon, why don't you open that high-end wine?"

I sneered inwardly.

With their wasteful habits, they would run out of supplies even faster when the heavy rains arrived.

I couldn't be bothered with them and used the excuse of feeling unwell to retreat to my room.