Chapter 4

Even though the heating in the neighborhood kicked in early, with prices out of control, candles that used to cost just a few cents were now selling for hundreds apiece.

Even basic groceries like fruits, vegetables, flour, and cooking oil were ridiculously overpriced.

By the sixth day, things got even worse.

The freezing temperatures had frozen and damaged pipes and power lines in some areas, leaving people without electricity.

The apartment complex announced that starting at 6 PM, the elevators would be shut down, and everyone would have to take the stairs from then on.

The Anderson family lived on the 34th floor, and having to climb all those stairs was a total nightmare.

Just then, someone knocked on the door.

It was Lisa, the gorgeous neighbor from next door.

Lisa and Julian grew up together. They were basically childhood buddies, almost like sweethearts.

Lisa had always wanted to land a rich guy, so she didn't go for Julian back then.

But after her wealthy boyfriend went broke, she turned her attention back to Julian and had been throwing herself at him for the past two years.

Julian always looked out for her. Whenever there was something good, Lisa was always his first pick.

When Lisa saw me, she greeted me with a big smile. "Hey, Iris."

I forced a smile, not really feeling it. "Lisa, what brings you here?"

Lisa got straight to the point. "Iris, my place is freezing, and I can't even pay the heating bill. My parents are old and broke. Could you spare some food?"

Julian was the kind of guy who'd throw all his principles out the window for a pretty face. The moment Lisa showed up, he was totally helpless.

Julian never even went into the kitchen, so he had no idea what was actually left in the fridge. He just thought it was still packed like the good old days.

Without hesitating, Julian pulled out some flour and two heads of cabbage to hand over to Lisa.

Vera was blinking anxiously on the side, trying to signal him to stop.

But Julian just ignored her.

When Vera and Nathan couldn't talk Julian out of it, they turned to glare at me, clearly expecting me to step in.

I put on my best fake concern. "Julian, prices are skyrocketing right now. We really need to be careful with what we have."

Then I turned to Lisa, making sure to sound extra sarcastic. "Lisa, if you don't have any food at home, just eat less. Think of it as a diet."

Lisa looked all hurt. "Julian, Iris, I'm sorry. I know you guys don't want me around."

Julian immediately felt bad for her.

He snapped at me, "Shut up, you crazy woman. This is my house, not yours to run."

Then he turned to Lisa. "Don't mind that hag. You're way too pretty to go hungry."

He even gave her half a bottle of cooking oil.

Lisa walked out, all smiles. "Thanks, guys. Once I get paid next month, I promise I'll pay you back."

After Lisa left, Julian started yelling at me again. "You stupid bitch, who told you to butt in? You made me look like a fool."

Nathan and Vera also changed their tune.

Nathan said, "Yeah, Lisa is so thoughtful. She only asks for stuff because she cares about her parents. But you? All you do is piss us off."

Vera chimed in, "Look at Lisa. She's got such a great figure. She'll definitely give birth to a son one day. But you? You've been married for two years, and you still can't even get pregnant."

After I heard all that, my heart turned completely cold.

I knew I couldn't stay here any longer.

Any last shred of affection I had for them was long gone.

I said, "So what now? Since you handed all our food over to Lisa, we're about to have nothing left to eat. The only way left for us to make money is to try our luck with the lottery."

Then I turned to Nathan and said, "Nathan, how about you jot down a few more lucky numbers for us? Maybe buying lottery tickets is all we've got left."

Nathan's eyes lit up. He was always super confident in the lottery numbers he picked.

He immediately clasped his hands together and prayed with intense focus.

Then he closed his eyes and, trusting his instincts, scribbled down a few sets of numbers.

I tried not to laugh and asked, "So, who's actually going to go buy the tickets?"

I deliberately said, "Julian, why don't you go out and get them? It's freezing out there. If we go, we'll turn into popsicles."

Julian instantly blew up. "You know it's cold enough to kill someone out there, and you still want me to go? Are you trying to piss me off on purpose?"

Nathan and Vera jumped in, acting all concerned. "It's freezing outside. What if Julian slips and gets hurt? You're young, and honestly, you're just dead weight around here. If you don't go, who else will?"

Without another word, Julian shoved me straight toward the door.

"Quit your whining, you stupid bitch. When I say go, you go," he snapped.

The moment the door swung open, a blast of cold air hit me, and I started shivering uncontrollably.

I faked a scared look and said, "No way, it's freezing out there. At least let me layer up with all my warmest clothes before I go."

Vera snorted, "A down jacket costs over 3 thousand bucks these days. You think you're worthy of one? As long as you don't freeze to death, who cares?"

With a bang, they shoved me out the door without a shred of mercy.

They slammed the door shut right in my face.

Finally, I let out a long, relieved sigh.

The show was over. I was done playing their game.