Chapter 256
Who wasnât welcomed into this world with great expectations?
Maria remembered the time when she was first pregnant with Melinda. Melinda was her first child, and naturally she was overly happy. But it turned out to be a girl, which was a bummer.
In her in-lawsâ family, the idea that men were superior to women was deeply ingrained. Having a daughter was seen as a letdown, and Maria got quite a few cold shoulders because of it. She took the unfair treatment she got from her in-laws out on her daughter. Maria didnât really like this daughter of hers, and when she had a son later on, her heart was all in for him.
Melinda dropped out of school early, forced to go out and make money, to support the family and pay for her brotherâs schooling. As Melinda made more money outside, she also sent home more, and their living conditions improved. They got used to exploiting their daughter for a better life, without caring about how she was living or how she was making the money.
Maria couldnât bring herself to speak, while Jay said with all the nerve in the world, âSheâs a girl and an older sister. Sheâs supposed to look after her brother, itâs totally normal at where we come from. Weâre counting on our son to take care of us when weâre old, not her.â
âYeah, and what if she died, what would you be counting on then?â Anastasia was furious, âCan you really spend the money she worked so hard to earn without a guilty
conscience?â
The club manager also spoke up. âMelinda is your daughter. What youâre doing is really heartless. Oh, and Melinda had advanced thirty thousand from us previously. Youâre her parents, itâs time for you to pay it back.â
âWhy should we pay for her debts?â Maria felt cornered, âWhatâs it got to do with us? Anyway, we wonât claim her body today. If you donât compensate us, weâll stay in Riverdale and expose you to the media.â
After saying that, Melindaâs parents left. They knew they couldnât gain anything today, so they decided to leave.
The club manager scratched his head, saying with a troubled tone, âItâs quite an eye-opener to meet these kind of people still existing in our society today.â
Anastasia felt both angry and heartbroken for Melinda, but she was helpless. Melindaâs parents had decided not to claim the body until their son got married, they would also try to extort some benefits, otherwise they would have no source of income. How would they live? The wedding gift for their sonâs marriage was not settled yet, so they insisted on getting compensation from the club.
As Anastasia left the police station, she was feeling down. She walked with her head down, not noticing what was in front of her, until she heard the honk of a car. Hermanâs car was parked by the entrance of the police station. He heard Anastasia was at the police station and was worried something might have happened, so he rushed over. He didnât even have time to change cars; he was driving a Rolls-Royce.
Anastasia looked surprised at Herman sitting in the car, âWhat are you doing here? And this car?â She had seen it before at the entrance of Ãclipse Lounge.
âItâs the bossâ car. I just hitched a ride.â Herman opened the car door, âHop in, darling.â
Anastasia glanced at the driver in the driverâs seat and felt a bit awkward as she got into the car. She had heard that this car was worth millions. It was her first time riding in such a luxurious car, and the interior was simply top-notch, everything revealing its value.
The driver had been with Herman for many years, he was a man who knew his place, so he would never chatter unnecessarily. He started the car and focused on driving.
Anastasia asked in a low voice, âHow come youâre here?â
âI heard you went to the police station, so I rushed over.â Herman took her hand and asked, âWhat did the police want with you?â
âAn old friend of mine, she jumped off a building and killed herself. The police called me in to ask some questions.â Anastasia briefly explained what had happened, angrily adding, âMelindaâs parents are just infuriating, exploiting their daughter to satisfy their son.â