Karen, being Karen, couldn’t swallow such a bitter loss. That very day, she stormed into the real estate agency demanding that Jackie come out and face her.

However, the manager informed her that Jackie had resigned three days earlier. Unable to find the culprit, Karen decided to tear the entire place down instead. She showed up at the agency every day, causing a scene, and even brought along friends and relatives to hold protest banners outside. The whole situation escalated quite a bit.

Left with no other choice, the manager ultimately gave Karen Jackie’s home address. Karen tracked him down and managed to catch Jackie at home.

Instead of being ashamed or apologetic, Jackie stood his ground boldly, saying, “You sold your house to me, the deal’s done. The property title is in my name now. All this fuss won’t change anything.”

Not one to give up easily, Karen plopped herself right down at Jackie’s front door and unleashed her most practiced “shrew” routine, shouting and wailing at the top of her lungs.

But Jackie was no pushover either. Seeing Karen making such a scene, he followed suit, lying down on the ground and crying out in protest as well.

The situation quickly spiraled out of control, prompting the neighbors, who were fed up with the noise, to call the police. They reported them for disturbing the peace, and both of them ended up being taken to the police station.

After mediation, it became clear that Karen’s house had indeed been legally sold. The contract was signed, the money had been paid, and the title had been transferred. No matter how much Karen protested, the house now belonged to Jackie.

Jackie smugly added, “That’s right! I saw she was eager to buy her new place, so I used my own money to buy her old house. What did I do that was so wrong?

“And how was I supposed to know the place would be part of a demolition project? I’m no fortune-teller. It’s just bad luck on your part. Now go home and sleep it off because kicking up a fuss won’t get you your house back.

“If you really want to keep going, that’s fine by me. I’ve got all the time in the world. I’m jobless now, but I don’t really need to work anymore, thanks to that demolition payout.

“But you, Mrs. Larden – don’t you have a husband and a son to look after? Don’t you need to do housework?”

Karen was completely stunned.

She had been acting like a tyrant in the Earnest High Staff Quarters for over a decade. Considering that her husband was a colleague of theirs, most people often chose to let things slide rather than confront her.

Yet, outside that bubble, no one was willing to tolerate her behavior.

Now, Karen deeply regretted her decision. If she had known the area would be up for demolition, why would she have sold the house? If she had just waited another month or two, the demolition compensation could have given her a payout of one or two million!

The more she thought about it, the more upset she became, her heart aching with every thought. This wasn’t a matter of losing 100 dollars; it was one million! And just like that, someone had swooped in and taken it from her.

“Then I heard she got so mad she ended up in the hospital,” Lionel said.

Miranda was speechless.

“Oh, by the way, she called your mom a few days ago.”

“Who?” Miranda asked, confused.

“Karen,” Lionel replied.

“What did she want with Mom?”

“She asked if we were planning to sell our old house, and said she’d be willing to buy it for 400 grand, considering we used to be neighbors.”

Miranda’s lips twitched. “What on earth is she thinking?

The demolition policy was already in place. In just a few months, the house would be worth over a million. And she thought they would sell it to her for 400 grand now?

Lionel shrugged, “Maybe she thought we didn’t know about the demolition plans yet?”

Miranda couldn’t believe it. “Just don’t bother with her.”

“Exactly. Your mom didn’t. She just hung up the phone on her.”

Karen tried calling a few more times, but when Mindy didn’t pick up, she finally gave up.

Miranda then recalled an invitation from Warren. Her mother’s contract had expired three days ago, so she asked, “Dad, you guys are on summer break, right?”

“Yeah, break started a week ago. Why?”

“Why don’t you and Mom come to Elgerson for a visit? You could do some sightseeing while you’re here.”

Lionel was intrigued by the idea.

On the one hand, he missed his daughter. On the other hand, he was a graduate of Queenstone College and had lived in Elgerson City for a few years. He indeed had fond memories of the place.