Chapter 52

Elsie sat on the couch, lost in thought. Spud, seemed to sense her unease. He nuzzled her hand and meowed twice, almost as if he was saying, "Don't worry."

Elsie couldn't help but wonder what Aline had been up to yesterday. She was a bit concerned about her Aline. 

They had spent the day setting up the rooftop together, and Aline had even helped her buy pet supplies for Spud. Despite Aline's flamboyant, Flapper-esque style, Elsie found her to be straightforward and approachable, which put Elsie at ease in her company.

When Elsie got back, she had checked Aline's room downstairs. The lights were off, and Aline was nowhere to be found. Elsie was genuinely worried.

With these thoughts swirling in her mind, Elsie took Spud to the bathroom for another bath. After washing and drying him, they both curled up on the couch. 

A soap opera played on the TV, but Elsie couldn't focus. She felt a vague sense of unease.

Meanwhile, Missy had discovered that not only had Elsie not returned to Novaria, but she had also comfortably rented a place. This news nearly made Missy explode with anger.

"This wretch, Ronald doesn't want her, yet she shamelessly clings on here?" Missy fumed.

Josie, sitting across from her and scrolling through entertainment news on her phone, responded nonchalantly, "Missy, don't get worked up. Remember our plan? Ronald's on your side now. Why worry about Elsie?"

"That's true," Missy said through gritted teeth, "but it still makes me mad! I need to show her that Ronald is mine! There's no place for her in this city!"

Josie's fingers glided swiftly across the phone screen, the light reflecting on her face, giving her a somewhat eerie appearance. "Missy, dealing with someone like her, why bother reasoning? Just cut her off at the source!"

Missy, frustrated, ran her hands through her hair, smudging her makeup. "How do I cut her off at the source? I can't just kidnap her and throw her into the ocean."

Josie rolled her eyes and waved her glittery nails in front of Missy's face. "Are you dumb? Find out who her landlord is! Slip the landlord some money to kick Elsie out! Let's see where she goes then! She ought to find an old, dilapidated house, teeming with cockroaches and rats, to taste some hardship."

Missy thought this was a great idea and immediately had Josie look into it. Josie worked quickly and found out that Aline was Elsie's landlord in less than half a day.

"What's Aline's background? She doesn't look like a decent person!" Missy said, looking at Aline's photo. Aline, with her heavy makeup and punk attire, looked like a delinquent.

Josie handed Missy Aline's information. "Whether she's decent or not, we don't know, but she's definitely a fraud. The house isn't even hers; it belongs to her dad. Her dad's a gambler, deep in debt, constantly chased by creditors. She doesn't own any assets."

Missy looked through the information, a smug smile spreading across her face. "So she's a broke nobody! I thought Elsie had some dignity, but she's just hiding in a dump!"

"Exactly, pretending to be all high and mighty!" Josie chimed in. "Missy, now you know what to do, right?"

Missy's eyes gleamed, and a sly smile curled her lips.

"Of course! I'll make sure she gets kicked out! We'll go tomorrow!" Missy felt elated, already picturing Elsie's miserable state, and couldn't help but laugh. "I'll show her the consequences of clinging to Ronald!"

The next morning, the sun barely peeked into the narrow alley. A few stray cats roamed, scavenging for scraps. The walls at the entrance of the building were plastered with flyers. 

Missy and Josie had their driver drop them off at the complex entrance. They linked arms and walked in. Their perfume clashed with the alley's stench.

"This place is disgusting. The smell makes me want to puke," Missy said, covering her nose in disgust.

Josie, used to such places from her previous jobs, was unfazed. "What do you expect from a poor neighborhood? Let's find Aline, get this over with, and leave this dump."

Inside Aline's room, dim light filtered through dirty curtains, and the room reeked of medicinal ointment. 

Aline lay curled up on the bed, her face bruised and battered. She had been beaten senseless by her father's creditors the day before. Now, her whole body ached as if it were falling apart. Hearing Elsie knock that morning, she didn't dare open the door, afraid of scaring her.

Aline struggled to sit up, feeling like every part of her body was in pain. 

She touched her swollen face, wincing in pain. "Those bastards hit hard!" she cursed through gritted teeth. 

Unable to bear the pain, Aline decided to go to the pharmacy for some medicine. She quickly tidied herself up, trying to cover her injuries with her clothes. Then she hobbled out the door.

As Aline stepped out of the building, she wore a large black hoodie, the hood covering most of her face. But passersby could still see the bruises on her face. 

Just as she reached the pharmacy, Josie grabbed her arm, her sharp voice like nails on a chalkboard. "Are you Aline Taylor?"

Aline winced in pain and tried to shake off Josie's grip, but found her surprisingly strong. She looked up and saw Missy standing behind Josie. Missy's smug expression made Aline realize what was happening.

"What's this about?" Aline asked coldly.

Missy stepped forward, eyeing Aline up and down. "I heard you rented your place to Elsie?"

Aline didn't respond, wondering why these two were asking about Elsie.

"You've got some nerve, renting to just anyone." Missy pulled out a wad of cash from her Hermès bag and waved it in front of Aline. "Kick Elsie out, and this money is yours."

Aline looked at the cash, a flicker of hesitation in her eyes, but she quickly regained her composure. "I don't know what you're talking about. Who's Elsie? I don't know her."

"Don't play dumb! We've already checked. You're her landlord!" Josie snapped, "If you keep playing dumb, don't blame us for being rude!"

Aline sneered. "You've checked? Who are you? Cops? Even if I am her landlord, why should I kick her out? She pays her rent on time and hasn't broken any rules. Why should I evict her?"

Missy, seeing Aline's defiance, grew stern. "Let me tell you, Elsie is a tramp who seduces other people's husbands! Kicking her out is doing everyone a favor!"