My eyes couldn’t help but widen at the figure on the bill.

“You’re eating seven hundred bucks' worth of barbecue all by yourself?

“Can you even finish all that?”

The voice notes were barely sent when Hansen’s call came through.

“What is it to you whether I can finish them?

“Hurry up and pay! Can’t you see the clock counting down on the screen? Quick! Otherwise, I’ll have to start the order all over again!”

I had him on the speaker, so when I looked up, I was met with Quinn’s smug face.

She was reapplying her makeup. “I’m heading out later. Don’t lock the door.”

I nodded, then said into the phone, “What did you just say?

“We’re breaking up if I don’t pay?”

There was a slight hesitation before Hansen raised his voice to reply, “Yes!

“Damn it! If you’re not paying for me, then we break up! Right now!”

Despite his yelling, I replied calmly, “Then, let’s break up. Remember to pay me back the thirty thousand dollars you owe me.

“You have one day. Otherwise, I’ll see you in court.”

I hung up right after and muted his messages.

Having witnessed what had just transpired, Quinn was dumbfounded. After a long silence, she finally spoke.

“Did I hear it right? You actually broke up with Hansen?

“Are you out of your mind?

“With your qualifications, shouldn’t you be thanking the heavens that someone like Hansen is willing to be with you? Yet you dare to break up with him?”

Quinn grew more agitated as she talked, repeatedly jabbing my shoulder.

I resolutely pushed her arm away and said, “If you think he’s so great, then you date him!”

I then asked her as I held out my hand to her, “Or, perhaps, you’d like to help and pay off his debt?”

With gritted teeth, Quinn glanced at her phone.

A few minutes later, she came back, storming right in after shoving my bedroom door open.

“Give me your payment code!

“It’s just thirty grand, isn’t it?

“I’ll pay for him!”

Upon hearing this, I was overjoyed and scrambled to the foot of the bed and quickly pulled up my payment code.

The notification sound of a successful transfer chimed and echoed in the room.

Quinn looked genuinely pained at giving that money away.

“There’s your money. From now on, you and Hansen have nothing to do with each other anymore!

“You are forbidden from ever pestering him!”

I nodded frantically and said, “Sure, no problem.”

Pestering him? Just thinking about what those two did to me in my previous life made my teeth grind in rage. I wished for nothing more than for them to stay far, far away from me!

Frankly, I hadn’t held out much hope for the thirty thousand dollars. After all, I knew exactly what kind of person Hansen was.

He was all about keeping up appearances, so living beyond his means had become second nature to him.

After we got together, everything he ate or drank was all paid for by me.

Recently, I had been hesitating about breaking up with him, but at the same time, I was worried I wouldn’t get my money back if we did.

Hence, I had been putting it off.

Little did I expect such a perfect opportunity would present itself and fall right into my lap today.

Of course, I couldn’t be happier!

Just before leaving, Quinn suddenly turned around. While arrogantly waving her phone at me, she said, “Oh, right, I haven’t told you this.

“I just got together with Hansen.

“We’ve gone public on Instagram. Don’t forget to drop a like.”

I nodded sweetly. “Then, let me wish you two a lifetime of happiness!”

Not getting the reaction she wanted, Quinn’s face twisted in anger. She slammed my bedroom door shut, muttering curses throughout.

Once she left, I immediately downloaded a house-searching application.

The whole incident with the elderly man in my past life had shaken me to the core. This place had traumatized me, and I didn’t want to stay here for a second longer.

I searched for a new place until three in the morning before finally falling asleep.

At seven o’clock the next morning, a commotion suddenly erupted outside.

“Baby, we can now finally be together openly!”

That voice was one that I knew all too well.

Hansen and Quinn were kissing with abandon. The noise was getting louder by the minute.

Helpless and sleep-deprived, I could only stuff my ears with earplugs.

Half an hour later, a phone call silenced the pair instantly.

“Mr. Hess, you’re awake?

“Sure, I’ll be right up. Yup, I’ve bought everything you wanted to eat!

“I even picked up a new massage technique. Can’t wait to help you relax today!

“Just you wait!”

Quinn hung up the phone and immediately got up to leave. Puzzled, Hansen grabbed her arm.

“I haven’t had my fill. Where are you going?

“Taking care of the old man upstairs? Are you mad?”

“Shh… Keep your voice down! I’m doing this for the sake of our future!”

Quinn lowered her voice as she added, “That old man is our money tree!

“You’ll find out soon enough!”

For the rest of the week, I stayed in my office to avoid any more awkwardness.

During those days, I found a place I fancied and took my father for a full physical examination.

Only after the full report came back normal was I completely relieved.

On Monday morning, I took time off work to prepare for the move.

When I returned home to pack, I discovered that my bedroom had been completely taken over by Quinn.

She had piled all her stuff on my bed.

Furious, I kicked her bedroom door open, and I was greeted with the sight of the two of them going at it.

Upon seeing me, the two of them slowly put their clothes back on.

Minutes later, Quinn appeared right before me, sending me a step back in shock.

In merely a few days, she had aged more than a decade.

The wrinkles at the corners of her eyes were pronounced, and even worse was a sour, rancid odor coming from her person.

It smelled like… the old man upstairs.

“What are you here for?”

Ignoring my horror, Quinn shoved me and said, “I just asked you a question. Playing dead now?”

“You have the nerve to ask me why I’m here?” I said as I clenched my fists.

“I’m a tenant for this place, too! I paid rent!

“Why can’t I come here?”

Right then, Hansen smugly flung a document at my face.

“Open your damn eyes and see whose place this really is!”

I quickly lowered my head and realized it was a property transfer agreement.

No wonder!

That was why Quinn aged so drastically!

It was because she had gotten the old man’s property.

With a cigarette hanging lazily between his lips, Hansen said, “Can you even read?”

Quinn slid onto his lap, and for a fleeting moment, I noticed the flicker of disgust in Hansen’s eyes when he looked at Quinn.

“I demand you get out of my house immediately, Heather Hepburn! Right now!

“Otherwise, I’ll call the cops and report you for trespassing.

“I won’t have a problem with them keeping you locked up for a couple of days.”

I shook my head as I said, “Regardless of who’s the owner, I’ve rented it for a year. And I’ve only lived here for three months.

“According to the contract, as the landlord, you should compensate me.”

Hansen snorted. “No money for that. Well, if you want to stay, then go ahead!”

Quinn, however, looked tense as she watched me and Hansen.

Finally, through gritted teeth, she said, “Fine, I’ll pay you.

“Once you get the money, you’re out of here!”

Seeing the fifty thousand dollars successfully transferred to my account, I immediately got up and started packing my things.

Just as I shut the door, I heard Quinn grumble between sobs, “You’re still pining for that little vixen, aren’t you?

“Why can’t you stop glancing at her the moment she comes back?”

Hansen suddenly burst into rage. “Why don’t you take some time to clean yourself up!

“You reek! You make me sick just by looking at you!”

I gripped my suitcase tightly.

Unfortunately, this was only the beginning.

Everything had been going smoothly for me lately, perhaps because I moved away from that place.

Within a month, I landed a major contract for my company.

My boss was thrilled and dragged me out shopping.

“You’re the company’s top star, how could we not get you some new, good outfits?”

Her enthusiasm was irresistible, so I went along.

Fate, however, had other plans. I ran into Hansen at the boutique.

Next to him was a woman, hunched over, gasping for air after every few steps.

I was sighing over how Hansen had landed yet another wealthy, older woman. However, when the woman turned her face toward me, it was Quinn.

Her face was covered in age spots. She saw me and forced herself to straighten up.

As if staking her territory, Quinn grabbed Hansen’s arm with her arrogance impossible to conceal.

I, on the other hand, had no interest in engaging with her right now.

“Heddy, what do you like?

“Go on, pick something! Don’t be shy!”

Since my boss insisted, I couldn’t keep refusing.

“Then, I’ll take this one!”

Just as I pointed at a dress in front of me, Quinn roughly shoved me aside.

“I’m taking this dress. Wrap it up!”

The store attendant looked at me with a troubled expression.

I shrugged and said, “Then, I’ll take this one.”

“That too! Wrap it up for me!” Quinn once again demanded.

My boss looked a little displeased. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

Quinn sneered as she grandly waved her hand and said, “Everything in this shop, whatever she likes, I want it all.

“Understand?”

With her current appearance and the way she was speaking, I was certain that she had already taken the old man’s money.

Therefore, for this once, I quietly pulled my boss away and said, “Let’s go somewhere else to shop.”

There was such a heavy, ominous energy rolling off Quinn that just standing near her gave me chills.

Seeing me turning to leave, Hansen panicked and suddenly grabbed my arm.

“Heather, it’s been a while!”

Quinn snapped in fury and immediately rushed over to tear us apart.

Her gaze was murderous as she said, “Stay away from my boyfriend.”

Afraid that these two lunatics would cause trouble, my boss hurriedly dragged me away.

After the commotion, neither of us felt like shopping anymore, so we decided to drive off.

As soon as we emerged from the basement parking lot, we saw people cordoning off an area not far ahead.

“Looks like there’s been an accident.”

I nodded in response. Just as I rolled down the window, I heard Quinn’s desperate cries.

“Please save my boyfriend!

“Where’s the ambulance? Where the hell is it?!

“Any later and my boyfriend will lose both legs!”

My heart was caught in my throat. I hurriedly opened the car door to see what was going on.

Suddenly, someone rammed straight into me.

The man bowed his head in apology, but I stood frozen in shock.

The face right before me was all too familiar.

It belonged to the disabled old man who lived upstairs!