Chapter 2012

As Sam drove toward Thompson First, a quiet villa area, a furious outburst of cursing erupted early that morning. Lady Wilson was the source of the commotion. She had awakened to discover her two hundred dollars missing and immediately suspected theft.

Initially, she believed Gena and Hannah were involved, but finding a note from Hannah indicating her departure, she realized her eldest daughter-in-law, Hannah, was the culprit. Lady Wilson’s rage exploded. The two hundred dollars represented hard-earned money, saved and never spent, and its theft enraged her.

From the second-floor terrace, she shouted, “Hannah! You stole my hard-earned money! You shall die a horrible death!”

Wendy rushed to her grandmother’s side, asking, “Grandma, what’s going on?”

Lady Wilson sobbed, “Your mother, that wicked woman, stole all my money! My hard-earned money! The money for our family’s New Year’s Eve dumplings—she stole it all!”

“Huh?!” Wendy exclaimed. “Grandma, what’s going on? Did Mom steal your money?”

Lady Wilson handed Wendy the note, crying, “Read it yourself! It’s from your wretched mother!”

Recognizing her mother’s handwriting, Wendy became distraught. “Mom’s gone?! Where did she go? Why didn’t she say anything to me…?”

Lady Wilson wailed, “That bitch must have left without saying goodbye to avoid facing your father and brother’s problems!”

Sitting on the terrace, Lady Wilson slapped the ground, crying, “That despicable woman! She can leave, go anywhere she wants, but why steal from me? Doesn’t her conscience bother her, stealing from someone like me?”

Christopher and Harold, having overheard their mother, reacted. Christopher yelled from inside the house, “Mom, what did you say? That awful Hannah stole your money and ran away?!”

“Yes!” Lady Wilson cried, “That wicked woman stole all my money…”

Christopher gritted his teeth, cursing, “That damned Hannah! I never saw what a viper she was!”

Harold was equally furious. “She’s gone and doesn’t care if our family lives or dies?!”

Lady Wilson cried, “No! I can’t let her go! Call the police! Hurry and call the police!”

Wendy’s eyes were red with tears. “But we don’t have a mobile phone; Donald’s people took it away…”

Lady Wilson immediately instructed Wendy, “Wendy, go find a public phone. Calls to 110 are free. Go quickly! The sooner we call the police, the better chance we have of getting that bitch back!”