My mom couldn’t be bothered to listen. At that moment, she simply thought that I was being stingy.
“Mom, will you please be reasonable? I will definitely give you the money if I have it, but I am completely broke!”
I was getting angry as well. No matter how hard my mom pushed, it wouldn’t change the fact that I am broke. What will it take for her to believe that I don’t have any money?
“I don’t care. The bottom line is that you must find a place for your brother to recuperate. I don’t believe that you can’t even afford to rent a place!” growled my mom as she glared over. Her words sent a shiver into my heart.
She was blatantly forcing my hand, and she remained persistent despite seeing how troubled I was. Does her heart not ache at all? I am her daughter. Even if she puts all the blame on me, shouldn’t she still feel something when she sees how troubled I am?
“Let’s go, mom. I’ll take you to the bank now and show you my account balance. You can see for yourself if I have the money or not.”
My mom’s attitude had completely infuriated me. I walked to her and grabbed her hand to lead her to the bank.
I will show her just how much I have since she doesn’t believe me. That will prove whether I am wrong for being heartless or if she is unreasonable for pushing like that.
My mom flung my hand away and glared at me angrily. She insisted, “I will not go. If you want to go to the bank, then you can do so yourself! I don’t care if you don’t have the money right now. Everything must be perfect for your brother’s recovery. Deal with everything yourself. If you can’t even find a place to rent, then I will disown you!”
Seeing how agitated I got made my mom feel guilty. Maybe she knew that I didn’t have any money. She only came all the way over to make me ask Michael for the money. That makes sense. Michael has always been too generous when spending money.
Maybe they think that going after Michael is the fastest and easiest way to get rich. That could be why my mom is making such unreasonable demands.
“Mom, do you realize how heartbroken I am when I hear you say that? I honestly want to know. Does your heart ever ache a little when you push me like this?”
I would be even more disappointed if it turned out that she really was only using me for the money.
“Who would care for your brother if I sided with you? You’re standing all well and healthy here, but what about your brother? He can’t even stand now. Yet, you think I should be heartbroken for you?”
My mom’s emotion was running wild, so her voice was getting louder. That got the spectators to turn to us. My mom was tearing up a little. I know that she was only crying for Steven’s sake, but from the perspective of the spectators, it looked like I had made her cry.
I had always known that my mom cared more about Steven, but hearing her words still stung my heart. Sometimes, I truly hated the fact that I was not a boy. If I were their son, my parents wouldn’t treat me the way they did.
My tears were swirling in my eyes as well. I was truly disappointed in my mom, and I wanted to vent, but I didn’t dare to say anything in front of her. I was worried that our relationship would become worse if I did.
My mom glared at me. Fury burned in her eyes, but she suddenly shifted her gaze elsewhere.
I hadn’t even registered what was going on before I saw her walking around me to going after someone else.
I turned around curiously and saw Michael’s figure in my line of sight. Panic ran wild within me. I instantly guessed that my mom was running toward Michael. My mom might ask Michael for money, and that worried me, so I chased after her.
“Mr. Shaw, I am Anna’s mom. Do you still remember me?” greeted my mom with a bright smile on her face when she was right in front of Michael.
Michael paused. He shifted his gaze downward, and his brows were frowning a little when he looked at my mom. It was obvious that he wasn’t happy about my mom’s sudden appearance because he didn’t respond to her right away.
I hurried over to my mom and pulled at her a little. Anger was burning in my heart when I requested, “Mom, will you please just head back for now? I will figure something out and deal with the housing issue.”
“Figure it out? What could you figure out? If we were to depend on you, we will be homeless.”
My mom flung my hand away. She didn’t even bother to look at me.
I snuck a peek at Michael. All I saw was him being grouchy without saying a word, and that got me worried. Anyone would get upset if someone were to show up suddenly and block the path.
“Mom, can we talk about this after we get home? We’re at the entrance of my workplace, so please don’t make a scene. You’re really making things difficult for me.”
I would be too embarrassed to face Michael if my mom kept causing a fuss like that in front of him. Additionally, my colleagues would see her and would gossip.
“Fine, I won’t make things difficult for you. I will solve the matter on my own.”
My mom spat those angry words at me as she glared over. After that, she turned to Michael.
“Mr. Shaw, will you do me a favor? I need some money. Will you loan me? You can deduct the money from Anna’s salary next month.”
My mom was smiling at Michael and was trying to butter him up. At that point, she could only think about the money. She never even considered how I’d make ends meet if my salary for the following month was deducted entirely.
Michael frowned deeply. He shot a calm look at me. He didn’t say anything when he saw how troubled I was. Instead, he circled around my mom and left.
We were in a public spot, and I’m guessing he didn’t want to have anything to do with me. Being badgered by someone like my mom probably made him even angrier.
My mom didn’t give up, even though Michael had walked away. She chased after him and whispered something into his ear. I didn’t need to be a genius to know that she was asking for money.
Michael was rich, and my mom knew that well. She also understood that she could get a lot more from him than she could from me.
I was furious. She was badgering Michael right in front of me! Even if I somehow ignore how much Michael had already given us, this is a public space. She never even considered how Michael and I feel!
I followed closely behind my mom and kept tugging at her arm. I asked her to stop chasing after Michael and told her that he wouldn’t loan her any money, but she refused to listen to me. In the end, she followed him all the way to the underground parking.
“Mom, will you please stop behaving this way? Can you spare me some dignity? Causing a scene at my workplace like this—how the hell am I going to continue working here now?”
I was forceful when I pulled at my mom. My voice was already filled with anger because I had run out of patience, and I simply couldn’t hold it in anymore.
“Go away. Don’t get in my way!”
My mom wouldn’t listen to me and was forceful when she pushed me aside. I wasn’t prepared for that, so that got me to fall hard on my butt.
