Chapter 353: Chapter 353: Breaking the Lease

Seeing this, Forrest Archer patted her back and soothed her in a low voice, "Alright, honey, don’t be angry. It’s not worth it..."

His words only made Zella Kane even angrier.

With no other outlet for her fury, she grabbed Forrest Archer’s clothes and shouted, "How can I not be angry?! Did you not see how those people from 1806 and 1601 were cursing me out? Why are you just standing there acting like a coward? Why don’t you go out there and teach them a lesson? Are you even a man?!"

As she spoke, she pounded on Forrest Archer, her fists raining down on his body.

Forrest Archer kept his neck pulled in and remained silent, letting Zella Kane hit and kick him.

Seeing him like this, for some reason, only made Zella Kane even more furious.

She raised her hand and slapped Forrest Archer hard across the face, screaming, "Say something! All you know how to do is hide in your shell, isn’t it?!"

Mrs. Kane, who had been quietly coaxing the child off to the side, saw this and quickly grabbed Zella Kane, trying to reason with her. "Alright, alright, stop bullying Forrest Archer all the time!"

Mrs. Kane stopped Zella Kane’s hand as she went to slap Forrest Archer again. "By the way," she said, "your sister called me just now. She said Caleb Summers has already called his third brother and asked him to come over and back us up!"

Zella Kane froze, confused. "His third brother is going to back us up?"

Mrs. Kane nodded. "That’s right! Your brother-in-law is on good terms with his third brother. He’s a son of the Summers family too. As long as he’s willing to help, we won’t have to worry about the Summers family not looking out for us!"

******

What Zella Kane and Mrs. Kane didn’t expect was that the next morning, instead of Caleb Summers’s third brother, it was Tate from property management who showed up.

Zella Kane’s eyes widened as she stared at Tate in disbelief. "You’re telling us to move out right now? ...Are you kidding me?!"

Tate shook his head. "I’m not kidding, Ms. Kane. I’m very sorry, but the landlord has suddenly decided to break the lease and will no longer be renting out the apartment..."

"But you don’t need to worry. The landlord will provide a full refund of your rent and also pay the corresponding compensation as stipulated in the contract. That way, you won’t suffer any financial loss and can find a new place to live without worry."

As Tate spoke, he took out the rental contract and showed it to Zella Kane. "The landlord is willing to compensate you with two months’ rent, as per the contract. You can take a look. If there are no issues, please pack your things and move out as soon as possible."

Zella Kane swatted the contract away. She grabbed Tate’s sleeve, her face frantic as she demanded, "What good is this little bit of compensation money? On what grounds is the landlord suddenly refusing to rent to us? We signed a three-month contract in black and white. How can he just break it whenever he wants?"

"Just look outside! The snow is coming down so hard. Where are we, a family of helpless women and children, supposed to find a new place to live?! Aren’t you just forcing us to our deaths?"

Zella Kane had a point. The blizzard had raged nonstop all night, and the snow was now piled nearly two feet deep.

When Tate came over, property management was hastily organizing staff to shovel the snow, clearing a path from the entrance of each building.

The roads were even worse. The snow on the streets hadn’t been cleared, paralyzing traffic in some sections. Many commuters had no choice but to take time off work and stay home.

Zella Kane and her mother truly had no way of going out to find a new apartment right now.

Seeing Zella Kane’s anxious expression, Tate quickly tried to reassure her. "Ms. Kane, please don’t panic. Although the owner of 1604 is no longer renting, there are other apartments for rent in our complex. If you need, I can help you arrange for another unit."

Zella Kane shook her head, grinding her teeth. "It’s too cold outside, I don’t want to move! I don’t want another unit, I want to live right here. You can’t just break the contract like this. It’s illegal!"

"And where’s the landlord? Where is he right now? You tell him to get over here. I want to talk to him in person! I want to ask him why he’s being so cruel. Isn’t he deliberately trying to harm us helpless women and children?! How can he be so cold-blooded?!"

Tate lowered his gaze slightly at her words. ’Who’s deliberately trying to harm who, I wonder?’ he thought.

Tate was also in the residents’ group chat. He had seen Zella Kane’s messages yesterday and had witnessed the entire process of her stirring up trouble.

At a time when supplies were scarce, Zella Kane’s words could have put the Summers family at great risk.

Zella Kane herself understood this, but she did it anyway. Her intentions were nothing short of malicious.

Thinking of this, Tate looked up at Zella Kane, a polite smile fixed on his face.

He pointed to a clause in the contract and said to Zella Kane, "Miss Kane, a rental contract during a natural disaster is different from one signed before. The owner has the right to reclaim the property. If you refuse to move out, we will consider getting the police involved."

"As for the landlord... he will not be coming to see you, Miss Kane. You should just cooperate. If you move out now, you can still get compensation. It would be much worse if things escalated to the point of police intervention..."

Hearing Tate’s words, the color drained from Zella Kane’s face.

She glared at the rental contract as if she could burn a hole through it with her eyes.

The sound of Zella Kane and Tate arguing attracted Titus Lowell from 1603.

Wrapped in a thick cotton jacket, Titus Lowell stood at his door watching the scene unfold. In a teasing tone, he said, "Hey, pretty lady, got nowhere to live? Why not come stay with your big bro here? I’ve got an empty bed, I can take you in, heheh."

With that, Titus Lowell flashed what he thought was a handsome smile and blew a kiss at Zella Kane.

Zella Kane rolled her eyes. Ordinarily, she would have cursed a guy like him out, but right now, her mind was completely occupied with the apartment. She had no energy to deal with him.

When Tate saw Titus Lowell, he turned to him directly. "Mr. Lowell, perfect timing. The owner of 1603 has asked me to inform you that your lease will not be renewed. Please move out after your month is up. If you need a new place, I can help you find one."

Titus Lowell’s expression stiffened for a moment, then he waved his hand dismissively. "I don’t need a new place. I have my own arrangements."

Titus Lowell wasn’t lying; he really did have his own plans.

There were three brothers in Titus Lowell’s family. Titus was the eldest; besides him, there was the middle brother, Leopold Lowell, and the youngest, Drake Lowell. Both of his brothers had already moved in yesterday.

Like Titus, Leopold and Drake were also trained fighters. All three brothers were tall, powerfully built, and incredibly strong.

As long as the three of them worked together, they could do whatever they wanted in these end times!

Titus Lowell was lying low for now because there were police in the complex. But in another month, when the snow piled up so high that the police couldn’t make house calls, this building would belong to him and his brothers!

That was why Titus Lowell had only rented the apartment for one month. Once the contract expired, they wouldn’t pay any more rent, and they wouldn’t move out. The landlord would be powerless to do anything about it!

Moreover, all the food, coal, and women in this building... would also belong to the three of them!

At that thought, Titus Lowell lost interest in the spectacle. The police could still come to their door, so he couldn’t reveal his hand too early.

He turned and went straight back into 1603, closing the door behind him.

After Titus Lowell left, Tate turned back to Zella Kane and urged her, "Miss Kane, you should start packing. The sooner you do, the sooner we can help you find a new place."

Seeing this, no matter how unwilling she was, Zella Kane knew she had no other choice.

She closed her eyes and said in a hoarse voice, "...I want an apartment in this building. Are there any other units available here? ...My in-laws live here, and if we live closer, we can look out for each other."