Forking out two hundred thousand was a piece of cake for someone like Michael, and it was incredibly tempting to accept his offer as I really needed the money.
However, my ego and pride forbade me from doing so. I knew very well that I should not use any more of his money.
“Thanks for the offer, Mr. Shaw, but you can keep your money. I’ll figure something out on my own,” I said coldly and quickly left his office before he could respond.
Why would Michael still want to give me money? Is he doing it to repay me for our previous sexual relationship? Or is there some other reason?
My mind was all over the place as I returned to my desk, and I shook my head to empty all those thoughts.
I was a little out of place at work the entire day as I had yet to gather enough money, nor did I know how things were going back at home.
I couldn’t tell if those men were only trying to intimidate my family like Yuval said, but wouldn’t actually have the guts to carry out their threats.
After spending a very stressful day at my desk, I was the first to leave the office after work.
I made my way back to Natalie’s and was pacing about frantically in the bedroom. I wanted to call home and check on things, but I couldn’t bring myself to tell Mom that I didn’t have the money ready.
At that moment, my phone began ringing, and I answered it when I saw my mom’s number on the caller ID.
“Hello, Mom.”
“Anna, when will you be transferring the money over? Those guys just called us and demanded that we pay up in an hour or Steven would be done for!”
Mom was so anxious that it sounded like she was crying.
“I’m sorry, Mom. I still don’t have the money.”
I felt guilty when I heard how anxious my mom sounded.
Mom got even more anxious after hearing my reply, and her tone was filled with reproach as she said, “What? What do you mean you don’t have the money? Didn’t you promise me you’d get it? What will Steven do now?”
I knew she was only acting that way out of fear and desperation, so I didn’t blame her even if it made me very uncomfortable.
“Mom, I really want to help, but there’s only so much I can do. I don’t have much on me, and I’ve already borrowed a lot from my friends, so none of them are willing to lend me any more money now.”
Most of them knew how my family was like, so they wouldn’t lend me any money even if they could afford to. I understood that very well and had given it my best effort, but this was really all I could manage.
“Excuses! I bet you want them to hurt Steven, don’t you? That’s why you never intended to help him to begin with! I can’t believe I raised such an ingrate! So, this is it, huh? You’re just going to abandon your family now that you’re all grown up and successful?”
What? Mom thinks that I’m deliberately choosing not to help them?
“It’s not what you think, Mom! I really am trying to help, but I just don’t have that much money! If there really is a way, I would definitely go for it!”
I was incredibly upset with what Mom said, but I tried my best to explain myself anyway because I didn’t want her to think I was unwilling to help Steven.
“This is unbelievable! You f*cking ingrate! I will never forgive you if anything happens to Steven!”
I felt my heart ache when I heard Mom’s heartless words, but she hung up on me before I could say anything further.
Mom has pushed all the blame on me… Why can’t she be a little more understanding? She has never considered how difficult things are for me! As much as I hate how frivolous Steven is, he is still my brother, and there is no way I wouldn’t help him if I could!
Tears rolled down my cheeks as I squatted down on the floor and hugged my knees with my face buried in my arms.
Mom probably sees me as an enemy now… Knowing her, it’s completely possible that she would never forgive me for the rest of her life should anything happen to Steven. Right now, all I can do is pray that he will be all right…
Natalie heard me crying and knocked on my bedroom door before coming in.
She quickly helped me to my feet when she saw me crying on the floor.
“What happened, Anna? Why are you crying?”
Not wanting her to see me like this, I wiped my tears dry as I said, “It’s nothing.”
Natalie too, has become rather depressed lately because of all my negativity. I shouldn’t let my problems affect her mood.
“You wouldn’t be crying like this for nothing! Come on, we’ve been besties since forever! You know how well I know you!”
I wasn’t the type who would show my negative emotions easily, so me insisting that I was fine with tears down my face wasn’t going to fool Natalie.
“I’m fine, really. I was just dealing with my family. My mom gave me a call just moments ago and said some really hurtful things. That’s all,” I explained with a forced smile.
What Mom said left me feeling like crap, but having Natalie by my side cheered me up quite a lot.
The look on Natalie’s face grew cold when she heard that my mom had called. “I knew it had something to do with your family! Your mom was pushing you for the money, wasn’t she?” she said sympathetically.
I kept quiet, so Natalie took my silence as a confirmation to her guess. Mom would never call me unless she wanted money from me, and Natalie knew that all too well.
“Hey, you tried your best to help, but this is simply beyond your capabilities. I’m sure your mom will come to understand that someday. Come on, let’s just forget about this and move on.”
Natalie chose to drop the topic when she saw how upset I was.
Will Mom really be able to understand? I bet she’ll just blame everything on me like she always does, but that’s okay because I’m used to it anyway. However, I am worried about what the debt collectors would do if they don’t get the money…
