Chapter 1083: Victim

Patricia and Angel idled on the side of the bridge, watching all types of vehicles drive past them. One might wonder whether they were counting how many cars had already passed or if they were just too mentally distracted to care.

"Hmm?" Angel raised his brows when he tried to finish the can of beer, only to realize it was already empty. He tapped it a few times, but all he got was a few drops.

He had only brought two cans of beer, knowing he still had to drive. He would’ve finished it earlier, but halfway through the can, he got lost in a short trip down memory lane.

Oh, well.

Angel glanced at Patricia, about to tell her they should head back. But before he could say a word, Patricia started talking.

’Great.’He rolled his eyes, tilting his head back until it bumped gently against the bridge’s railing. ’Now it’s time for the long story.’

"They don’t need me," Patricia muttered under her breath. "I checked my phone, and they didn’t even try to reach out. That’s why I came home to see what was going on. But when I came home... they were all fine. In fact, they looked happier without me."

Patricia kept her eyes downcast. "It made me angry, but what made me the most furious was when they started acting concerned. They didn’t look concerned before I came, though. So, why act concern in my face?"

"Haha... it’s funny," she laughed bitterly. "How could they... how can they laugh so freely when I can’t? They’re even having a feast as if they didn’t have a daughter who hadn’t come home for days. It’s unfair."

Angel scrunched up his nose and coldly commented, "You’re unfair."

"What?"

"You treat people like shit," he said matter-of-factly. "If you want your family to suffer, why don’t you tell them what you went through? People aren’t fortune-tellers. How could you expect others to know your suffering when you don’t tell them? Besides, that’s a lot of nerve to get angry at people who have always shielded you the best they could."

"You don’t know me or my family."

"I don’t, but I’ve seen enough to make an assumption." Angel shrugged nonchalantly. "That butler you just threatened in the villa — do you know how much he’s grieving right now? He just lost his wife not long ago, and he’s barely keeping it together. Did you know that?"

He shook his head and leaned back. "The saleslady you yelled at before the incident for taking a bit more time — she was barely holding it together too. I think she lost her cat or her rat or something. And the manager you scolded because of poor service? She’s actually going through a divorce and might lose custody of her child."

"You are a very shitty person," he added knowingly, watching her face slowly turn red. "You vent on people who barely make a mistake, but when you do, no one scolds you for it."

"What do you know?" she scoffed. "My family scolds me every time, and they let me know about it every day. They hate me."

"They scold you as they should, but hate?" Angel laughed. "Do you even know the meaning of the word?"

"What?"

"You screw things up, but aside from scolding you, your family still lets you live like nothing happened. You do things, then blow it all up, leaving your father, especially your brother, to clean up after your mess."

"What are you talking about?"

"I’m talking about the things you’ve done before," he clicked his tongue. "When you posed as Zoren Pierson’s girlfriend, did you know your brother came to the Pierson Corporation? Obviously, CEO Pierson wouldn’t see him, so your brother did everything he could to see him. He surprisingly succeeded, ambushing us at the exit of the parking lot."

Angel sighed and ran his tongue across his inner cheek. "He begged him — your brother went down on his knees to ask for forgiveness, which you didn’t do. Mind you, Theo Miller doesn’t even know what you did before that."

"You deceived someone who didn’t do anything to you, all the while knowing he was struggling with health issues," he continued, reminding her of her actions. "Deceiving Zoren Pierson is one thing, but posing as someone he had desperately wanted to see for a long time is beyond cruel, Miss Miller. Not to mention, even after you were found out, you still used his name to get special treatment and spread rumors about your relationship with him."

"It’s not me who spread those rumors! It’s my mother!"

"And your mother did that because you weren’t clear to her; you led her on with whatever story she had in mind," he shot back without hesitation. "Moreover, you know it’s a lie, but you still went along with it. You didn’t clear up the misunderstanding. You dragged your entire family into a pit just because you didn’t have the guts to clear a simple misunderstanding."

Patricia opened and closed her mouth, but her voice wouldn’t come out.

"Yet all you got was a scolding. I don’t live in your house, but from what I’ve seen, they really spoiled you rotten. Instead of blaming you, they focus their energy on fixing the problem. Even though what happened isn’t entirely your fault, dragging Zoren Pierson into that fiasco was the last nail in the coffin," he continued, his tone not attacking her but simply stating the facts of what happened. "While your parents and brother scurried around the city trying to fix the problem you contributed to, you did nothing. Instead, you blamed them for everything."

"When Penny gave you an offer, you didn’t turn it down. You said you’d think about it, only to go to a suspicious place and almost get yourself killed. That’s no one’s fault but yours, Miss Miller. Whether you deny it or not, you came there with ill intentions—whether it was to earn quick bucks or something else, I know in my heart your reasons weren’t good." He paused, then slapped her with the reality she seemed to have either forgotten or denied. "Actions have consequences. So if your family is enjoying a meal, why blame them? They worked hard for it, and they’re grateful everything is over—even if they had to give up ownership of the company."

"If they didn’t look for you... have you ever asked yourself if you ever asked them about their well-being during all that crisis?" he tilted his head to the side. "Did you try to cheer them up? Or apologize, at least? You push people away and leave them with no choice but to walk away from your life. And then, you blame them for everything."

"Miss Miller, I strongly believe you’re not stupid. Perhaps oblivious by choice, but not stupid. I just think you prefer to act this way because... it’s easier. It’s easier to live a life only for yourself. But if you chose that path, why are you expecting people to be at your beck and call?"

Angel sighed, studying her face. "You need to start taking accountability for your actions, Miss Miller. You might be a victim of that incident, but you are also guilty of victimizing and terrorizing other people—especially yourself—for being that way."