The landlady instantly changed her tune. Looking at Rian Sinclair with utter disgust, as if she were some kind of parasite, she sneered, "Rian Sinclair, you’re so young, yet you refuse to learn how to be a decent person. If you don’t have money, take your time and earn it honestly. But no, you just had to resort to these crooked ways. I pity the parents who raised you."
The landlord standing next to her immediately chimed in, "That’s right, Young Miss Sinclair. We know it hasn’t been easy raising your younger brother all by yourself, but you can’t go around doing such shameless things!"
The landlord couple stood at Rian’s door, running their mouths, which drew out the surrounding neighbors to watch the drama unfold. Some tenants who usually sucked up to the couple also joined in to criticize Rian.
With everyone now standing on the moral high ground to condemn her, Rian looked calmly at the landlord couple. "Sir, ma’am, I’m just moving out. How did this turn into a moral issue? Are you two just that bored with your lives? Do you have to overthink absolutely everything?"
The landlady did not appreciate that. She spat a sunflower seed shell onto the floor. Rian took a half-step back in visible disgust just as the older woman’s voice rang out again.
"You wretched girl, as if we would try to harm you! You haven’t even graduated yet. Instead of staying here like a good girl, you’re thinking about moving out. If that’s not picking up bad habits, then what is it?" Contempt practically spilled from the landlady’s face, while bystanders continued to help her berate Rian.
Rian was genuinely amused by the whole spectacle. She might not have parents to guide her, but it still wasn’t the place of this gossiping busybody to lecture her.
"Ma’am, I’m moving out. You can just find a new tenant when the time comes, can’t you? Why are you trying to hold me back? Don’t tell me Rocco has fallen behind on his studies again?"
Rocco was the couple’s youngest son. They spoiled him rotten, but his grades were abysmal, so they frequently brought the kid over to demand that Rian and her brother tutor him. Rian hadn’t minded and gladly agreed at first. But as it turned out, Rocco just wasn’t cut out for studying. When she brought this up to the couple, they ended up scolding her, claiming their precious son was destined for Kyoro University.
The moment her youngest son was mentioned, seeing her ulterior motives exposed, the landlady dropped the act. She pointed a finger right at Rian and started cursing at her, calling her a little tramp and a hussy, even going so far as to accuse Rian of trying to seduce her son.
Hearing this, Rian let out a scoff. "Ma’am, why don’t you look in a mirror before you say something like that? You think I’d try to seduce the kind of trash you two produced?"
Rian completely stopped holding back. Since the landlady was willing to spew such nonsense, Rian saw no reason to stifle herself. If you needed to say something nasty, it was best to just let it out—bottling up anger until it gave you an ulcer was simply bad for your health.
The landlady was momentarily rendered speechless by Rian’s sharp retort. After all, even though Rian’s looks hadn’t been as striking in the past as they were now, she had always been a beauty. If the landlady wanted to attack her appearance, she genuinely had no ammunition.
She opened her mouth to say something, but her husband pulled her back. The landlord then spoke up, "Rian Sinclair, if you want to move, we won’t stop you. But you have to be out of here by the end of the day. And you can forget about getting your deposit back."
At this, Rian shifted her gaze to the landlord. If she really tried to force this couple to refund her deposit, she would probably have to make several trips back here. Fortunately, she had money now and didn’t need it anyway. "Fine. Since you’re not willing to return it, I’ll just consider that deposit a contribution to your future coffin fund. There aren’t many people left these days who respect the elderly as much as I do."
She wasn’t getting the money back, but there was no way she was leaving without getting a few sarcastic jabs in. Rian had raised her younger brother since she was a child; if she didn’t have a fierce temper, outsiders would have eaten her alive a long time ago.
Ignoring the looks on the old couple’s faces, she simply shut the door on them. Returning to the dining table, she continued eating her breakfast, musing between bites that her younger brother’s cooking skills were steadily improving.
After finishing her meal, Rian packed up her things and got ready to go look at a new house. The landlords were no longer hovering outside her door. Stepping out of the residential complex, even the air felt a few degrees fresher.
She called a private car and headed straight for The Solstice. Along the way, she communicated with the manager of The Solstice. Her driver was a professional who kept his eyes on the road and focused purely on driving.
As they approached the destination, Rian received a call from the manager and answered immediately.
"Ms. Sinclair, have you arrived yet? We need to send someone out to receive you. Since your information hasn’t been registered in the main gate’s system yet, you won’t be able to enter the premises on your own."
Rian looked at the traffic ahead and replied, "I’m almost at the gate. Come out and get me."
"Understood, Ms. Sinclair. Please wait where you are for three minutes. We’ll be right there."
"Okay."
Shortly after she hung up, the car pulled to a stop. Rian got out and stood off to the side, wearing a face mask. Luxury cars occasionally drove past into the complex, but Rian kept her head down, paying them no mind—until her attention was drawn by a voice nearby.
"Just look at her. Standing around here in those cheap rags. You can tell at a glance she’s trying to snag a sugar daddy."
"I know, right? So gross. Does she really think any rich man would look twice at her?"
"Stay away from her. She’s reeking of poverty and country dirt. We don’t want it rubbing off on us."
Rian raised her head and calmly looked at the two women standing nearby. She had worked as a sales associate at a luxury boutique before choosing to resign to focus on her studies. She knew enough to tell that these two women’s entire outfits combined wouldn’t cost more than twenty grand, max.
Rian looked down at her own clothes. Even though her entire outfit cost two hundred at most, she was just minding her own business. She hadn’t blocked their path, nor had she offended them in any way. Was there a problem with her standing here? Did they own this road? Or was standing here a crime?
Listening to their mockery, Rian refused to be a pushover. Taking in their slightly exaggerated makeup, she retorted, "Your outfits are worth twenty grand at most, and the bags you’re carrying are cheap knockoffs. Where do you get the nerve to judge me?"
"Ooh, look at the poor little thing. She’s getting defensive." The woman in the skimpy skirt waved a hand in front of her face. She was here to hunt for a sugar daddy herself, and seeing someone with Rian’s naturally superior looks had filled her with sudden jealousy, prompting the vicious ridicule.
"Little girl, you’d better hurry on home. If your parents found out you were out here lurking around for men, they’d break your legs," the other woman sneered. Looking at Rian’s face only fueled her anger. She had braved the sweltering heat to come here and catch a rich man’s eye, only to run into a flawless, bare-faced beauty. Her sense of crisis was absolutely maxed out. "My bag is a knockoff? Little girl, my boyfriend gave me this bag. It’s an Hermès. The required accessory purchases alone cost tens of thousands! Stop pretending you know what you’re talking about just to inflate your own ego."
Rian glanced at her. Originally, she hadn’t wanted to tangle with these two. After all, when you meet idiots, the best course of action is to just let them be idiots. There was no point trying to reason with stupidity.
But looking at their repulsive expressions, Rian wasn’t about to act like a helpless little chick waiting for the slaughter. "Look, ladies, you’re standing out here in knockoffs, freely judging others. Compared to me, I’m afraid you two look much more like the ones trying to snare a sugar daddy."
Having hit the nail on the head, one of the women scowled. She glared contemptuously at Rian. "Little girl, hurry on home. This isn’t a place for the likes of you."
"That’s right! So young and already heading down the wrong path, trying to ambush men here. If your parents knew you..."