“But I feel that whatever there is between the two of you is not as simple as an employment relationship. I’m your mother, Anna. I’ve raised you since you were a baby. Don’t you think I know how you tick?”
Mom chose to ignore my explanations. Besides, I could see that she had more to say as she bored into my eyes.
Confronted by her incessant questioning, I averted her gaze guiltily. I did not have a good answer for her. After all, I could not very well say that Michael and I were friends with benefits, could I?
Mom and Dad had a more traditional mindset. Thus, if I really said that out loud, I would probably never see the light of day again.
“Mom, Michael’s really not my boyfriend…”
I might not know what else to say, but I most definitely could not let Mom and Dad assume that Michael was my boyfriend. Otherwise, they would just keep asking Michael for money, devoid of any shame or guilt.
“If Michael’s not your boyfriend, then… is it true? Is it true what they say, that you’re his mistress?”
The conversation suddenly took an ugly turn. I froze when she called me a mistress. I looked at Mom with a pained expression, and my heart ached.
Mom actually called me a mistress. I was well aware that my relationship with Michael was not something that could be discussed openly. If other people had called me that, I probably would not have minded. However, out of all people, it had to be my mother who used that word.
I’m your daughter, Mom. How can you call me that? It’s such a demeaning term! Have you ever considered my feelings?
“Mom, how can you say that?”
My eyes turned misty as I stared at her, feeling upset.
“Anna, we are decent people. How could you let yourself be someone else’s mistress? Do you have any idea the shame you’ve brought to your father and me? What are we supposed to do the next time we meet our relatives?”
Mom did not give me a straight answer. But instead, she had basically decided that I was Michael’s mistress.
“I’m not! I’m not anybody’s mistress!”
Mom always jumped to her own conclusions. She never listened to me, and even if I did elaborate, she would not believe me anyway.
It was then that Dad, who had been eating silently while Mom and I were bickering, announced his stance on the matter. “I don’t care what you are. From now on, I want you to cut ties with Michael. Don’t ever see him again.”
He spoke harshly. My dad was never much of a talker, but whenever he opened his mouth, his words were intimidating.
“Dad, he’s my boss. I work there. How can we not meet? What’s up with you guys today? Why are you telling me this all of a sudden?”
I was very confused. In the past, Mom and Dad had never asked me about my relationship with Michael. Today, out of the blue, they called me to come home and then proceeded to ask about whatever was between us. It was all too weird.
“Then quit your job! Go work at another company! There’s bound to be one that will take you!”
Dad’s stern voice sounded again, but he did not answer my question.
“Why? Why must I quit my job? For your information, Joyful Success offers the highest salary in the entire design industry, and it’s a company with the most promising future for me. How can I give that up so easily?”
Without having to think, I rejected Dad’s demand. Getting the opportunity to work in Joyful Success was not an easy feat, and I would not let it go to waste!
“High salary, you say? Then how long will it take for you to earn one million?”
It was Steven who spoke this time. He looked at me with contempt.
“What do you mean by one million?” I stared at him quizzically.
I had no idea what he meant, but I had a bad feeling that I was about to find out.
“To tell you the truth, a woman came to us a couple of days ago. She told us that as long as you stay away from Michael, she’ll give us one million.”
Steven could be quite a thoughtless person. With no effort at all, he had voluntarily spilled the beans.
Hearing that, I suddenly felt like I was struck by lightning. instantly, I understood why Mom and Dad wanted me to come home, and why they deliberately brought up Michael.
Their eyes are on a prize all along!
This was ridiculous. I thought my family had changed their attitude toward me. I thought Mom had forgiven me. However, I had just come to realize that she was putting up a pretense all this time. She was good to me because she wanted the reward money.
“Mom, you’re doing it for the money, aren’t you?”
I looked into my mother’s eyes, holding onto what little glimmer of hope I had left. I hoped she could give me a good explanation and tell me that it was not the money she was after.
All that, despite the fact that I already had an answer. I knew what kind of person Mom was. For a moment, I just did not want to believe it.
She glanced at me, and I could see the guilt in her eyes. Then, she avoided my gaze but remained silent. Her actions only verified what I feared to be true.
“I guess Steven’s right. You just want the money.” I sneered.
A chill spread throughout my veins. I thought I had finally felt what it meant to fit right at home, but it turned out that I had only been fooling myself.
Facing Mom, I snickered. As I laughed, tears began to flow down my cheeks. What kind of world is this? The people I consider dearest to me can’t seem to stop conspiring against me.
“Come off it! Michael’s not your boyfriend anyway! Just quit your job, and we can get one million! Think about it! One million is a very large sum! It’s just waiting to fall into our laps! It’s a blessing, I say!”
Mom was becoming desperate. She knew I would not do it, and she was getting flustered.
“A blessing? By sacrificing me and my future? What do you plan to do with that money? Can you really bring yourself to spend it, knowing what you did to get it? Which one is more important to you: Me, or one million offered by a stranger?”
Between the three of them, they would probably choose the money and get me away from here. They would rather get their “blessing” in exchange for my suffering.
Is money that important to them? So important that family means nothing?
“There’s nothing to compare! I don’t care what you are to Michael! I want you to leave that man! And this city as well!”
They paid no mind to the pain they had caused me. The only thing they cared about was to get me to leave so that one million would be theirs.
“I’m not leaving him, and I’m not resigning my post. You’d better give up that thought!” I shouted as I wiped away the tears with the back of my hand, all the while glaring at them.
However, I would never give in. I would not leave, and I would not let them have the money because they had the gall to put a price on my pain and suffering.
“You… How dare you speak to us like that? You’ve become rebellious, that’s what you are! We’re your parents. You must obey us!”
Dad slammed the table and rose to his feet. He was purple with rage.
“Oh, I’m surprised you’re aware that you’re my parents. But as parents, shouldn’t you be supportive of your child? Look at you! Time and time again, you’re the ones forcing me to do what you want. Have you ever seriously thought about what I want?”
All these years, just because they were my parents, I had compromised time and time again. There were many times I wanted to fight back, but I relented because I felt indebted to them for raising me. But not anymore!
