Chapter 858: The Millers

[Do you want your problems to go away? Then, I have a task for you.]

Patricia stared at the note that came with the reunion ticket. Seated on the sofa in her room, one leg rested over the other, and her arms were folded across her chest. Her eyes were fixed on the ticket and then on the note beside it.

"What does it say again?" she wondered aloud, reaching for the note to read it once more. "Do you want your problems to go away?"

Patricia’s face twisted as she flipped the card, where the contact number was written. "Ugh... as if." She rolled her eyes and clicked her tongue.

The last time she fell for this kind of trick, she ended up deceiving the most powerful man in Anteca. And what did that get her? This kind of life. The people who had ordered her to do that despicable thing didn’t even help her.

They all simply vanished into thin air.

Patricia tried contacting the person she had been in touch with ever since Zoren found her out. Back then, they had still been answering her. Though she hadn’t mentioned that Zoren had caught on, they were giving her instructions. But they stopped contacting her right after the charity event. Patricia spent that night calling, but the calls never went through. That was when she realized even those people had abandoned her, leaving her high and dry.

"They didn’t even give me my last pay," she spat in dismay. "No way I’d forgive them."

With that thought in mind, Patricia irritably shoved the reunion ticket and note back into the envelope. She walked toward the small trash bin in the bathroom, smirking spitefully. She didn’t dwell on it; she just went on with her life.

Patricia went through the rest of her day like usual: rolling around in bed, scrolling through her web feed. While everyone else her age was hustling, making a name for themselves, or figuring out what to do with their lives, Patricia had no intention of doing anything at all.

Her life was over as far as she was concerned, and she blamed it all on her incompetent brother.

So, she killed time by blaming her foolish brother — who had been doing everything he could day in and day out to keep the family afloat — just because she couldn’t buy the bag she wanted at the moment.

"It’s just ten thousand... but I can’t buy it," she hissed, sitting up and ruffling her hair. "Why did he freeze my account — that good-for-nothing brother!"

In a fit of irritation, Patricia grabbed a pillow and buried her face in it, screaming into it as loud as she could. It was the only thing she could do since even her father and mother couldn’t do anything about it. Her father had to work in the company again because of Theo’s incompetence, while her mother — Patricia had no idea what was going on with her mother.

If only she knew that her mother had been slaving away, currying favor with her "friends" just so they wouldn’t pull out of the company.

Patricia was the only one not contributing anything to the family.

She spent her day like that, moping, until the rest of the family came home, and it was time for dinner. Patricia looked at the food ungratefully, sighing for the umpteenth time as she tried to force it down her throat.

"This is the fourth time we’re having this same dish for dinner this week!" she complained when she couldn’t take it anymore, dropping her fork and glaring at everyone’s exhausted faces. "This feels like we don’t even have a business anymore! How could we live so frugally like peasants?!"

Her father opened his mouth, but in the end, he said nothing. He was already too tired to deal with her.

"Patricia, why don’t you just be grateful for what we have?" Mrs. Miller huffed, equally worn out and not in the mood to scold. "Just eat your food."

"Didn’t you hear what I just said?" Patricia yelled at her mother. "Mom, why are you always out with your friends?! Look! Because of you, we have to eat food like this — aren’t you sorry for Dad and Big Brother Theo? They’ve been working hard, but you’re just out with your friends until it’s time for dinner!"

Mrs. Miller’s face twisted irritably, but before she could say anything, Theo’s cutlery dropped onto his plate with a loud clink.

"If you really feel sorry for us, why don’t you make dinner, Patricia?" Theo huffed, staring at his little sister in disbelief. "Just do it yourself instead of complaining."

"Are you out of your mind?!" she barked. "How can I make dinner when I don’t even know what to do in the kitchen?!"

"Then learn it!!" This time, Theo roared. His mother tried to stop him, but he couldn’t hold it in anymore. "Patricia, you’re criticizing Mom for not being here. Do you have any idea what she’s been doing?! She’s letting those old women boss her around just so they can convince their husbands to stay with us."

He then stood up, facing her in a confrontational way. "But after making her look like their maid and making our mother sit through their tea time, insulting her, do you know what Dad and I had to go through today? Our remaining clients pulled out, and one of them even made us a pathetic offer to buy out the company."

"So, instead of complaining here, why don’t you do something, huh?" he continued. "You’re the one who put us in this spot and yes, we’re living frugally because we’re almost out of money.."

"How is this my fault now?" Patricia shot to her feet, angry. "This is your fault for taking Ito Motors—"

"You lied about Zoren Pierson!" Theo emphasized, his voice rising. "If this was about Ito Motors and the Bennets, it wouldn’t be this bad, Pat. But you... you dragged not just any Pierson Family, but Zoren Pierson himself into it. Hadn’t you heard? The man already said that anyone who does business with us will never be able to do business with him — and that means the entire damn Anteca, you dimwit."

Theo panted for air after letting off the heaviness of his chest. "So, if you have the time to complain about dinner, do something to help this family’s problems go away. At least help us think about how to start over, or show us you can survive on your own."

Patricia balled her hands into tight fists, her eyes misting with tears. She glanced at her parents, who would normally have stepped in. However, her father just kept eating, and her mother looked away.

"Fine!" she roared. "I’ll make our problems go away — just you wait!"

With that, Patricia stormed off to her room, locking herself in it. She cried on her bed for a while before a sudden "ding" caressed her ears. With teary eyes, she checked what it was, only to see a whopping half a million sent to her account right after a message.

[Have you decided on my offer?]