The sharp pain from my butt made me frown in agony. My mom was harsh when she pushed me earlier, and it was obvious that she never worried about whether I’d get hurt.
Michael had a blank expression the entire time, but his gaze turned grim instantly when he saw my mom pushing me like that.
“That’s enough!” growled Michael. His eyes burned with anger when he turned to my mom.
My mom was a senior who had seen more than what a typical youngster like us would’ve seen. However, Michael’s cruel tone still managed to get her to tremble. Her eyes shone with anxiety when she turned around to face Michael.
“I’m so sorry about this, Mr. Shaw. This is so embarrassing.”
My mom was great at reading expressions, and seeing how angry Michael was prompted her to ignore me. She turned around and smiled at Michael.
“Please settle your family drama at home, and stop making a scene in my company!”
Michael glared over at my mom and spat those words evilly before he turned around. Once more, he left.
My butt was still stinging a little when I got up. I was devastated about how my mom pushed me earlier, but I was also angry.
“Mr. Shaw, wait. Do you think you can do as I asked earlier?”
My mom wasn’t going to let Michael go because he hadn’t given her the money.
Michael stopped short. He turned to my mom once more, and his eyes shone with distaste when he pointed out, “Anna must be the one to consent to the deduction of her future salary. Your words mean nothing!”
After saying his piece, Michael got into the car and closed the door. He never gave my mom a chance to say anything else. He simply fired up the car and left right away.
I felt ashamed when I saw Michael driving away like that. He already knew all about how my family was, but I still felt embarrassed when he saw how my mom treated me.
“Hear that? He said that you must be the one to make the decision. You are to ask for a loan off of your salary tomorrow. Your brother’s accommodation issue must be settled!”
My mom had walked up to me when I was still out of it. She pointed her finger at me, and her tone was commanding when she spoke. There was no room for negotiating at all.
“I will not agree to this, mom. I am busy and will be leaving now.”
I wasn’t heartbroken about spending the money, but I was angry at my mom. Is that all I am to her? Did she raise me just so she would get money out of me?
I circled around my mom and staggered out of there. I didn’t want to discuss the matter with her at that moment.
“Anna Garcia, do you even still see me as your mom? Are you going to abandon me here just like that?” she howled at me, not expecting me to leave her there.
I felt bad about it, but I steeled myself and didn’t look back.
I, too, was an emotional creature. My mom was pushing me to a corner, and I had no way out. I honestly didn’t know how to deal with her anymore.
I staggered into the living room when I returned to Birchwood. Michael was sitting on the couch, and I didn’t know what to say when I saw him there.
I thought about how my mom kept pestering him earlier, and that got me so embarrassed that I couldn’t even bring myself to look at him.
“You’re home,” commented Michael.
He could tell that I was at a loss for words, so he broke the silence. When he turned to me, his tone was calm.
“Yeah.”
I had my head down and didn’t dare to look him in the eye.
“Come here.”
He saw how I was acting like a child who had been caught making a mistake, and that got him to frown a little. Still, he wasn’t actually angry.
I walked to his side and sat with him. I didn’t even know how to begin apologizing. He must hate what my mom did earlier.
“How do you plan on dealing with your mom’s issue?”
At first, I didn’t want to talk about the issue at all, but Michael spoke up. His voice carried no emotions when he asked that question.
“I don’t know.”
I shook my head. It’s true. I hadn’t thought about how to deal with the matter because my mom would not be satisfied, anyway. Moreover, even if I settled the accommodation issue, there would still be other issues in the future. I couldn’t even imagine how far my mom would push me.
I frowned in frustration. It felt like my family was actually trying to get me to commit suicide.
“I said that I can help with the housing—”
“No, there’s no need for that. I don’t want to get you involved in the matter.”
I knew what Michael wanted to say. Truth was, renting a place, or even buying the property, meant nothing to him. However, I knew that I couldn’t ask more from him. I couldn’t depend on him for everything.
“Do you think you have what it takes to solve the issue?”
Michael was frowning in frustration as well.
He was born with a silver spoon in his mouth, so he couldn’t possibly understand how I felt at that moment. I understood that he was trying to help me, but him helping out repeatedly would just make my family greedier.
What’s next after the accommodation issue is solved? Was he supposed to pay for their groceries too?
There was nothing between Michael and me. Our deal was that he only needed to borrow me some money. He had no obligations to deal with a bottomless pit like my family.
“I want to get to the root of the problem. First, I will rent a small place for them with the money I have on me. All it needs is to be clean. When Steven recovers, I will have him get a proper job and work hard.”
I knew that solving the problem of the family must begin with dealing with Steven. My parents wouldn’t keep asking me for money as long as he worked hard and could make ends meet on his own.
Most of the money I gave my mom would end up with Steve because he never worked. All he ever did was gamble everything away, and that was why their expenses were that high.
“You have overestimated your brother.”
Michael scoffed in distaste after hearing my words.
I was already frustrated, and Michael’s words truly hit me hard.
I knew that it would be difficult for Steven to change his ways, but I had no other choice. The only way to solve the issue was for him to change.
He would keep asking the family for money so long as he didn’t have a job, and my parents would surely ask me for it if they didn’t have any money. I can’t afford to support them that way.
“I must try even if my chances of success are low. The pressure will truly crush me if I don’t.”
I tilted my head down. I was exhausted, but that was my only way out.
“If you want things in your family to change, you must stay strong and ignore them. Anna Garcia, you are too kind for your own good.”
Michael shot a look at me and tossed me those words before he got up and retired to the bedroom.
I sat on the sofa on my own. Frustration filled me. At that moment, I truly wanted to just ignore them and let them deal with their own problems, but I couldn’t. I knew that my parents never loved me, but they raised me, and it would be unfilial of me to ignore them completely.
