A rough, raspy voice came through the phone. "As long as the money's good, I don't care who shows up. I'll smash that wall wide open for you!"

After hanging up, Tom looked completely satisfied. "Now, that's what I call professional!"

Barbara nodded approvingly and glanced at me sideways. "Gabrielle, you're finally making yourself useful."

Rex arrived quickly. He brought four burly guys in tank tops, carrying sledgehammers and jackhammers.

He had a cigarette dangling from his mouth as he squinted at the load-bearing wall. He reached out and knocked on it, producing a dull echo.

He said, "This wall? It's a shear wall, packed with rebar, a real tough one."

He blew a smoke ring and flicked his ash directly onto the floor. "That's going to cost extra."

Tom's mind was already filled with images of a panoramic floor-to-ceiling window, so he waved his hand grandly.

"Done! As long as you can tear it down, money's no problem! I want it open! I want it to be impressive!"

I seized the moment to hand Rex a pack of premium cigarettes and lit one for him.

Rex greedily accepted the cigarette and laughed. "Mrs. Williams sure knows how things work. Alright, boys! Get to work!"

The jackhammer's piercing roar instantly filled the entire room. Then came the heavy thuds of the 80-pound sledgehammer smashing into the wall.

It felt like the entire building was trembling. The crystal chandelier above our heads even swayed violently, as if it might fall at any moment.

Less than ten minutes later, urgent pounding came from the front door.

"Open up! Open the door right now! Are you trying to tear down the whole building? My kid is crying from the noise!"

The downstairs neighbors had come up.

Tom frowned and slammed his teacup down on the table. "Damn it! A bunch of broke losers with nothing better to do."

He grabbed a hammer and stormed toward the door aggressively. As soon as the door opened, he saw George Miller from downstairs standing there with a flushed face.

George screamed, "What the hell are you doing in there? Why is it so loud? My chandelier shook loose! Are you messing with a load-bearing wall?"

He was a retired engineer, and he immediately spotted the exposed rebar inside.

His face went ghostly pale. "You're insane! You've lost your mind! That's a load-bearing wall! Stop right now!"

Tom pointed the hammer at George's nose while cursing, "I'm renovating my own place, and it's none of your damn business! I dropped hundreds of thousands on this apartment, and I'll remodel it however I want! Keep running your mouth, and I'll bash your head in!"

Barbara rushed over to back him up, swinging a broom at George. "Get lost! Get out of here, you fool! You're just jealous that we're putting in big windows; you can't stand to see us doing well! Gabrielle, get some salt and sprinkle it around us to get rid of this bad energy!"

George's whole body shook with rage at this mother and son's shamelessness. "You're committing a crime! I'm calling the police! I'm getting the building manager!"

"Call whoever the hell you want!" Tom shoved George aside and slammed the security door shut.

The impact shook the doorframe so hard that dust fell from it.

When he turned back around, Tom's face was full of hostility. "Bunch of cowards trying to scare me? As if."

I saw my opportunity and pretended to hide behind Tom fearfully, saying quietly, "Honey, the building manager is pretty close with Mr. Miller. What if he brings people to shut down the renovation? Mom said this is our chance for a luxury upgrade. If we stop halfway, the whole investment will go down the drain."

Tom slapped me hard across the face. "Gabrielle, can't you say something positive for once? Are you hoping that I won't get my floor-to-ceiling windows?"

I lowered my head and covered my face, my eyes ice cold.

Barbara chimed in from the side, saying, "Gabrielle, if you can't say anything good, just keep your mouth shut. You're such a downer. Besides, who would dare shut us down? Tom, keep going! I'd like to see which idiot tries to stop us!"

Tom saw the workers hesitating and yelled at Rex. "What are you staring at? Keep smashing! If anything happens, I'll handle it! I've got connections at the Housing Authority!"

The jackhammer roared to life again, even more violently than before.

Barbara looked at me with disgust and pointed toward the study. "Gabrielle, what's all that junk piled up in there? Clear it out right now! I need to put my automatic poker table in there."

The study was full of my professional books and several paintings my late father had left me. They were my most precious possessions.

In my past life, Barbara had clawed my face bloody when I tried to protect those things.

This time, I swallowed my rage and nodded with a smile. "You're right. Those books don't put food on the table. We're turning this place into a luxurious river-view apartment anyway, so what's the point of keeping all that junk around?"

I walked into the study and carried my dad's paintings and my books with me. Then, I organized them in a pile.

Barbara did not even glance at them and just kicked the pile toward the door like trash. She grumbled, "Throw them out! They're an eyesore!"

Tom walked over and deliberately picked up one of the paintings I had already packed. It was my dad's final work before he died.

He mocked, "How much could this scrap of paper be worth anyway? My cigarette pack probably has more value than this."

He tore the painting in half and casually threw it into the trash pile covered in cement dust.

I watched the torn paper, my nails digging deep into my palms. Tom had just deliberately destroyed my dad's painting right in front of me.

I said, "It's right to toss it. Out with the old, in with the new."

I silently crouched down, picked up the torn pieces of the painting, and stuffed them into my bag.

I thought, 'Tom, oh, Tom! You've made me completely give up on you.'

The building manager eventually came with security guards. However, with Tom's aggressive threats and Barbara's hysterical tantrums, they could not even get through the door.

Tom stood in the doorway holding a kitchen knife, claiming he would kill anyone who tried to enter.

The property manager was afraid that someone might get hurt, so they could only shut off the building's electricity.

Even so, that did not stop Rex. He illegally tapped into the emergency electrical box in the hallway, and the jackhammer kept roaring.

Half of the wall had already been smashed away. Without its support, small cracks began forming along the ceiling.

Rex wiped his sweat and looked at the thick rebar nervously. "Mr. Williams, this rebar is too dense. It's all primary structural steel. You really want it all cut? The floor above might collapse."

He wanted the money, but he did not want to die there, either.

Barbara was sitting on the couch eating chips, and when she heard that, she spat the whole mouthful on the floor.

"Cut them! Cut them all! What's the point of leaving those metal rods there? I want it open! I want a clear river view! You're a grown man, so why are you hesitating? Are you trying to squeeze more money out of us?"

I walked forward at just the right moment and handed Rex a cold energy drink.

Then, I turned to Tom and said, "Honey, Mr. Dawson's just worried about safety. After all, this is under-the-table work. If something really does go wrong, he's afraid of being liable for it. Why don't we sign a waiver for him? To prove that you insisted on this demolition, and it has nothing to do with them. That way, they can work without worrying and really get the job done right."

Tom's face showed a hint of hesitation. However, when he thought about what I had said earlier about the river-view apartment, the prestige, and being the only one in the entire building with such a view, his hesitation faded.

"Cowards! You're all cowards! Fine, I'll sign it! If anything happens, I'll take the blame! It's got nothing to do with you!"

He scribbled his name boldly across the paper.

I carefully collected the paper, folded it, and put it in my inside pocket. After finishing all that, I checked my phone.

The timing was just about right.

"Honey, the company just messaged me. They need me to go on a business trip out of state for a week. They said if I can close this big client, there's a 50-thousand-dollar bonus in it."

The moment Tom heard there was money involved, his eyes lit up. "50,000 dollars? Then what are you standing around for? Go make that money! The renovation needs cash right now, so stop getting in the way."

Barbara rolled her eyes as well. "Just go already. Don't slow us down while we're supervising the work."

I nodded and went back to the bedroom to pack my luggage.

Barbara followed me in and stared at me like she was guarding against a thief.

The moment I was not paying attention, she suddenly grabbed my jewelry box.

She said, "Why would you wear gold and jewelry on a business trip? What if you lose it? I'll keep it safe for you, and I'll give it back when you return."

In reality, she had long set her sights on my gold necklace and wanted to claim it for herself.

I did not resist and obediently let go. "You're right. It's better to keep a low profile."

In truth, those pieces of jewelry were all cheap replicas I had bought online. The real ones had already been sold, and the cash was safely stored in a secret account.

I pulled out a bank card and handed it to Barbara. "This is my bank card. The PIN is Tom's birthday. You'll still need to buy materials for the renovation, so feel free to use it for whatever you want."

I had already reported the card as lost, but Barbara did not know that. She took the card with a beaming smile and tucked it into her bra, patting it securely.

"Now, you're being smart. Alright, get going already."

Right before I left, Tom was lounging with his legs crossed, directing the workers to cut through the rebar. When he saw me pulling my suitcase, he impatiently kicked me.

"Wash yesterday's laundry before you leave! You’ve got zero common sense. Are you trying to tire my mom out?"

I endured the pain, set down my suitcase, and walked into the bathroom. Then, I stuffed their mountain of dirty underwear and stinking socks into the washing machine.

As the drum began spinning, I stared at myself in the mirror. My eyes were ice cold, without a trace of warmth.

That would be the last time.

After finishing the laundry, I picked up my suitcase and walked to the door. I looked back one last time at the home that was about to be destroyed. The load-bearing wall had been cut through two-thirds of the way, and what little remained of the connection was trembling.

Tom and Barbara were huddled around Rex, pointing and gesturing.

"Honey, Mom, I'm leaving," I called out loudly, but no one acknowledged me.

I let out a cold laugh and walked out the door.

Once I left the building, I pulled out my phone and logged into several online loan platforms using Tom's account.

That had all been prepared in advance.

"Honey, the renovation loan needs a face verification. Blink your eyes."

Earlier, when he was drinking water, I had waved my phone at him. His mind was completely focused on those floor-to-ceiling windows, so he did not look carefully and impatiently cooperated with a few gestures.

I looked at the words 'Application Approved' on the screen, and the corner of my lips lifted slightly.

Hundreds of thousands in high-interest loans were deposited instantly, and I immediately transferred the funds to an overseas cryptocurrency account.

After finishing all that, I removed the SIM card from my phone, snapped it in half, and threw it down a storm drain.

Then, I flagged down a taxi. "Take me to the tallest hotel across the street."

I wanted to stand at a high point across them, to watch with my own eyes as they met their doom.

The presidential suite at the five-star hotel had an excellent view.

Through the floor-to-ceiling windows, I could see directly into the familiar apartment building across the way. On the 28th floor, the security bars had already been removed.

I poured myself a glass of red wine, sat by the window, and opened my tablet. The screen displayed surveillance footage from inside the apartment.

It was a hidden camera that I had specifically installed for 'security purposes.' Even Tom did not know about it.

In the footage, the apartment was already in complete chaos.

That load-bearing wall had completely disappeared. In its place was a massive, completely unobstructed gap.

Rex was leading his workers in installing the frame for the floor-to-ceiling windows. However, because too much of the wall had been removed, the beam above had lost its support and was showing obvious signs of sinking.