While waiting, Alice stood on the curb, watching the endless stream of yellow taxis and hurried passersby, a strong sense of absurdity surging in her heart.
The front-page headline of the newsstand on the side of the road featured a huge black-and-white photo of her parents, with the title written in bold black text.
"Mason Group Ponzi Scheme Collapses! Tens of Billions of Dollars Evaporated, Mastermind Couple Vanishes During Escape, Encountering Shipwreck? Is it divine retribution or a cunning escape?"
"Tsk, is this what you call fast-forwarding directly from the newbie village to hell mode?"
Alice gave a bitter smile.
"Beep—" A harsh car horn interrupted her self-mockery.
A beat-up old Toyota Corolla with mottled paint and taillights taped up parked in front of her.
The window rolled down, revealing the face of a middle-aged woman with a weary expression and deep nasolabial folds.
She had blonde hair similar to Alice's mother, but it wasn't carefully styled, just tied into a messy ponytail.
The crow's feet at the corners of her eyes were filled with the hardships of life, and those eyes looking at Alice held no joy of reunion, only undisguised impatience.
Sarah Mason.
Alice's mother's older sister, and also Alice's only legal guardian in this World.
"Get in."
Aunt Sarah spat out two words coldly, not even intending to get out to help open the door.
"I can't stop here for long, the traffic police will ticket me, and one ticket is enough for half a tank of gas."
Alice greeted her, obediently pulled open the car door, and climbed into the passenger seat.
The car was filled with the smell of cheap air freshener mixed with disinfectant.
The unique scent of a hospital.
Aunt Sarah was an emergency department Nurse at a community hospital in Queens, and years of night shifts and high-intensity work had long since worn away her patience.
"Seatbelt."
Sarah stepped on the gas, and the old clunker let out a roar like an old ox panting as it merged into traffic.
"I thought you would come back wearing that custom-made princess dress, or at least with some decent luggage."
Sarah glanced at the bedraggled Alice out of the corner of her eye while driving.
"What, didn't the relevant departments give you a severance package, or did your shrewd parents sew all the money into their corpses and take it to the bottom of the sea?"
"They didn't leave me anything."
Alice hung her head, her voice as soft as a mosquito.
At this moment, appearing weak was the best survival strategy.
"Hmph, retribution."
Sarah snorted coldly and slapped the steering wheel hard.
"When they were driving yachts and drinking champagne all over the World, did they ever think about their sister who was still worrying about rent? Now it's great, the mess is all dumped on me. Do you know how much attendance bonus I'll lose just for taking half a day off to get you out?"
"I'm sorry, Aunt Sarah."
"Don't call me Aunt, it sounds like you're mocking me." Sarah ruffled her hair irritably. "Listen, Alice. I don't care what kind of life you lived before, but once you're in my house, the rules have to change."
"My house has no servants, no filet mignon, and certainly no driver to take you to school. You have to do your own laundry and clean your own room. If you want snacks, you have to work for them. My salary is only enough to support myself; one extra mouth is already the limit."
"I will be obedient." Alice looked up, her eyes clear. "I will help with the housework and I won't spend money recklessly."
Looking at the girl's slightly red and swollen eyes, Sarah swallowed the vicious words she had originally intended to say.
"It better be that way."
She muttered, casually turning on the car radio to try and cover the awkward silence in the car.
The radio was playing the latest gossip about Tony Stark, which made Sarah even more irritated, so she turned off the broadcast.
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