Free Web NovelChapter 500: Chapter 500: Forced Contribution
Melody Summers was a little surprised to hear Joanne White say that.
The task of settling the disaster victims was the responsibility of the reconstruction department.
The reconstruction department had discussed and confirmed which areas on each floor of the residential complex would house victims, and how many, but the specific assignments for each spot were not predetermined.
For each victim, there was a huge difference between being assigned a fully-furnished apartment and a stairwell. It was impossible to satisfy everyone with these assignments, and unsatisfied victims were likely to cause trouble and protest.
With so many people gathered together, the consequences of someone starting a riot were no joke.
But to avoid complications, the reconstruction department decided that this thorny issue would be handled by The Metropolis Residences’ emergency office. But Joanne White wasn’t part of the emergency office, so why was she here helping settle the victims?
’She has no reason to get involved in this mess.’
While Melody Summers was puzzling over this, a young man in a security guard’s uniform walked over.
Melody Summers thought he looked a little familiar, and then she remembered. He seemed to be the new security guard at The Metropolis Residences, a relative of Manager Grant from the property management center.
The guard walked over and naturally put his arm around Joanne White’s shoulder, asking with concern, "Joanne, you’ve been busy all day. You must be tired, right? Want to take a break?"
Joanne White looked at him, smiled, and answered softly, "I’m not tired, Mr. Grant. I’m just happy I can help you."
Seeing this, it all clicked for Melody Summers.
’So that’s why. They’re dating, so that’s why Joanne White is here helping out.’
Watching the scene unfold, Melody Summers felt a wave of complicated emotions. Joanne White looked so soft and fragile, as if she would die the moment she was without a man, but over the years, while many men around her had died, she had survived.
It seemed that no matter the situation, she could always use her personal assets to attract men willing to share their resources with her, always striving to live a better life.
After the guard left, Joanne White looked at Melody Summers, a bit embarrassed, and took the initiative to explain, "After the Suttons died, their apartment was repossessed by the state... I had no other choice..."
Ethan Sutton and his parents had died in the cold disaster. After the police investigated, they ruled the family’s cause of death as them having killed one another. Joanne White had cleverly extricated herself from the situation, avoiding any responsibility.
By the same token, however, Joanne White had no legal relationship with the Suttons, so she couldn’t inherit the Sutton family’s apartment.
The government repossessed the Suttons’ apartment, leaving Joanne White with nowhere to go. She could only fall back on her usual skillset and hook up with the complex’s security guard, Gavin Grant.
She had already done her research. This Gavin Grant was a relative of Manager Grant at the property management center, and he also happened to be single. So, Joanne White made her move, and the two quickly became a couple. It was only natural for Joanne to move into Gavin Grant’s place after that.
Joanne White looked at Melody Summers, her smile a subtle attempt to curry favor. "I really had no choice. A person’s got to survive, right?"
Melody Summers gave a noncommittal response. She didn’t care about Joanne White’s private life.
She glanced at the placement records in Joanne White’s hand and asked casually, "Looks like you’ve settled a lot of people today. Did you come to help before dawn, around four or five?"
Joanne White shook her head. "I just got here. Gavin Grant handled most of these."
Joanne White was only there to put on a show for Gavin Grant, playing the part of the dutiful girlfriend; she had no intention of actually being free labor.
Seeing Melody Summers’s interest, Joanne White added, "But I’ve settled dozens of people myself... The victims from the underground shelters are easy enough to deal with. You know how bad the conditions are down there, so they’re not picky. They’re happy with any place that keeps them out of the elements."
"The ones from the city center are the real problem! They have the most luggage. One family of five brought dozens of suitcases. I have no idea how they even managed to transport them all!"
"And they insisted on having the master and secondary bedrooms of a fully-furnished apartment—my God, where are we supposed to find furnished apartments for them now? I just assigned them to a stairwell!"
Melody Summers was about to say something in response, but before the words could leave her mouth, she froze—
She had seen an entry that she never expected:
[4-1706, Settled and Occupied (Full)]
’4-1706?’
’Isn’t that one of the apartments I bought?!’
Melody Summers cut off Joanne White’s rambling, frowning as she asked, "What are your procedures? Are you also placing victims in apartments that were purchased outright?"
’I don’t remember it being like this in my past life!’
Joanne White shook her head. "No, apartments that were purchased outright or are currently being rented out aren’t supposed to have victims placed in them. Only foreclosed homes and rental units where tenants have stopped paying rent are being used."
Melody Summers’s brow furrowed—
’That’s strange!’
She had bought apartment 4-1706 in full before the snowstorm last year. Why would victims be placed there?
Melody Summers pointed to the entry for 4-1706 and demanded, "Then what’s this? I bought apartment 1706 outright, no mortgage. Why did you place victims there? And you even filled it to capacity!"
Joanne White was also surprised. She frowned, thought for a moment, and replied, "Gavin Grant arranged that, not me... Don’t worry, I’ll go ask him for you. He probably made a mistake!"
...
The two of them found Gavin Grant and explained the situation. Joanne White asked anxiously, "Mr. Grant, this apartment belongs to my friend, and she bought it in full. Why did you move victims in there?! Did you make a mistake?"
Gavin Grant glanced at the entry for 4-1706, then at Melody Summers. His expression was complicated, as if he didn’t know how to explain.
Seeing this, Joanne White grew even more anxious. She had witnessed Melody Summers’s methods firsthand and had been trying hard to stay on her good side. She didn’t want to offend her over this!
She took Gavin Grant’s hand and, softening her voice as much as possible, said gently, "Mr. Grant, you must have made a mistake, right? How about this? I’ll go explain to the victims who moved in, and I’ll find them another place."
While Joanne White was still trying to figure out how to fix the situation, Gavin Grant’s expression remained cryptic.
Not only did he reject Joanne White’s suggestion, but he also turned to Melody Summers with a serious look on his face and said, "Young lady, since you’re not living in the apartment anyway, why not just contribute it? Consider it supporting the government’s efforts."
Melody Summers almost laughed out of sheer anger at Gavin Grant’s words.
’Of course she could support the government’s efforts, but what was this about moving people in without her permission, acting first and asking for forgiveness later? She had paid for that apartment with her own hard-earned cash. If she hadn’t stumbled upon this by chance, she would have been completely in the dark!’
Melody Summers scoffed and said to Gavin Grant, "I don’t agree. The state mandates that properties purchased outright are not to be used for disaster victims. What you’ve done is a violation, not to mention trespassing. I expect you to resolve this matter immediately. Otherwise, I’ll be filing a complaint."
