Chapter 96

I know we’re in desperate need of money, but this money belongs to Michael! We can’t use it! I frowned in helplessness at the thought of that.

“Don’t worry, Mom, I will work hard and provide for our family. This money doesn’t belong to us, so we really shouldn’t be using it.”

I tugged at my mom’s arm and tried my best to explain it in hopes that she would understand.

However, she pulled her arm back and shot me a fierce glare as she replied, “I don’t care! This money is in my hands now, so you’re not getting it back! Besides, that man is your boyfriend, isn’t he? What’s wrong with me accepting money that he offered?”

“It’s not what you think, Mom! He’s just my boss, not my boyfriend!”

I didn’t know how else I could explain it to Mom. I don’t know who Michael could be dating, but it definitely isn’t me!

“Why would he give us a hundred thousand out of the blue, then? Let me guess… You found yourself a rich boyfriend but are afraid of us becoming a burden, right?”

Her eyes were filled with suspicion and anger when she said that. I knew I had pissed her off, but her words hurt me more than I had expected them to.

After everything I’ve given this family all these years, this is how my mom thinks of me… If what she said is true, then I would’ve thought of them as a burden a long time ago!

“How could you say that, Mom? I’ve provided for this family for so many years without a single word of complaint! Haven’t you realized that by now?”

Tears formed in my eyes as I stared at my mom in disappointment.

As if her defending Steven wasn’t bad enough, she even went as far as denying my contributions to the family.

I noticed a hint of heartache flash past her eyes when she saw how hurt I was.

“That’s not what I meant… I know you’ve had it rough over the years, and it hurts me to see you working so hard every day out there. Now that someone has given us a hundred thousand, you should be happy that your burden has been relieved!”

“Mom! I told you, there is nothing going on between us, so we can’t accept his money!”

I grew increasingly anxious when I saw my mom still refusing to hand it over.

Not that it came as any surprise, though, as money had always been as good as gone the moment she got her hands on it.

“I don’t care! I’m not giving you the money!”

My mom made it very clear that she would never hand over Michael’s money, which added to my exasperation.

“You can’t do that, Mom! This money doesn’t belong to us! Why must you insist on keeping it?”

I was starting to lose my temper at how unreasonable she was being.

“Why can’t I? He’s your boyfriend, so I’ll just take it as a wedding gift in advance and ask for less when you two get married!”

It didn’t matter what I said, because she was adamant about not giving up the money.

“You’ve gone too far, Mom! I told you, he’s not my boyfriend! He’s just my boss!”

“I don’t care what you say! I’m not giving up the money! Look, your brother got himself into a huge gambling debt a few days ago. I’ve just paid it off for him, so I don’t have the money anyway!”

What the… It’s only been a few days, and they’ve already used up the money to pay off his gambling debt? I was so close to exploding with rage when I heard that.

“How could you do that, Mom? How am I going to pay him back now?”

A hundred thousand was an incredibly huge sum for me, so it would take me forever to pay Michael back.

“He’s your boyfriend, so he won’t be forcing you to pay him back anyway! Anna, can’t you be more considerate towards your parents?”

As if I haven’t been considerate enough… Apart from the amount that I set aside for my daily expenses, I have given every penny from my monthly paychecks to the family! I’ve been paying for everything in this family for so many years, and this is what I get in return…

Mom’s words left me so disappointed and upset that I had to muster every ounce of willpower in me just to keep my anger under control.

“How much did Steven owe?” I asked.

“Sixty thousand,” Mom replied.

Sixty thousand? She used sixty thousand out of the hundred thousand on paying off Steven’s gambling debt?

I held my hand out and said, “What about the remaining forty thousand, then? Hand it over.”

Obviously, Mom was too obsessed with money to part with it.

“You’d better not take that forty thousand from me if you still think of me as your mom!”

She was basically forcing me to choose between her and the money, and the fact that she was willing to cut ties with me over forty thousand upset me even more.

“Mom… Does the money really matter more to you than I do?” I asked with an upset frown on my face.

Mom averted her gaze out of guilt when she heard that and avoided my question.

“Whatever, I’m not handing over the money.”

I knew it was pointless to say anything further as she chose the forty thousand over me.

“Fine… Keep the money, then. But know this, you won’t be getting any money out of me for a while.”

I turned around angrily after saying that and began walking away.

Damn it, I wouldn’t have come home if I knew this was what awaited me! Instead of the money, all I got from Mom was anger, sadness, and disappointment…

“How dare you talk to your mom like that? She’s only doing this for the sake of the family! It would take you forever to earn a hundred thousand!”

Dad’s voice came from behind when I got to the door.

Although he hardly ever said much, I knew full well that he was on my brother’s side as well.