Chapter 3

Seeing my stunned expression, Hanson explained, "If you want to sleep in a bedroom, you have to pay a 30,000-dollar deposit. But I knew you couldn't possibly afford that, so this room is mine. Your stuff is over there."

I looked beside the folding cot and saw the few pieces of my old clothes scattered carelessly across the floor.

Hailey had just finished showering. As she walked past, she casually stepped on one of my white T-shirts and used it like a rag to wipe up the water on the floor.

The shirt was just like me. In this family, I had always been worth nothing more than a rag.

I silently picked up my clothes from the floor and carefully folded them. Then, I placed them on the rough folding cot.

Mom came out of the kitchen carrying dishes. "Dinner's ready, kids! To celebrate us landing that big deal, I spared no expense today. The lobsters with caviar are 300 dollars each. The abalones are 50 dollars each. Half a roasted Deathlayer chicken is 150 dollars."

Hailey's and Hanson's eyes immediately lit up, and they started splurging with their newly received bonuses.

There wasn't even a single plate of vegetables on the entire table. Any one of those dishes cost way more than what I could afford.

Seeing how embarrassed I was, Mom tossed a plate of plain risotto in front of me as though she were throwing food to a beggar.

She said, "I'm charging three dollars per plate of risotto, and you can get unlimited refills. You're 25 years old and still ended up like this. Aren't you ashamed?"

Hanson stuffed lobster into his mouth and teased me, "She has skin as thick as an elephant's. How could she possibly feel ashamed? If she had any shame, she'd have worked harder a long time ago. Then she wouldn't be making only 3,000 dollars a month."

Hailey picked up a piece of abalone and held it right under my nose. She made some demeaning tutting sounds as if she were feeding a dog.

When I ignored her, she became annoyed and sneered sarcastically. "Hmph. Helena has such high standards. She thinks this job is beneath her. Apparently, the only job worthy of her has to pay well, involve little work, require no degree or ability, and come with full benefits.

"I think I know the perfect job for you. You should become a rich man's mistress!"

Everyone at the dining table burst into uproarious laughter.

My cheeks burned. To hide the tears that were about to spill over, I could only look down and lower my head over my risotto. I let my tears soak into it.

I could smell the delicious aroma of abalone and lobster as I mechanically shoveled rice into my mouth. The risotto was salty and hard to swallow, but it was nowhere near as bitter as what I felt inside.

Mom wiped away the tears of laughter from her eyes and looked at me with renewed disgust.

She mocked, "Her? A rich man's mistress? Why would anyone want her? She's not smart or pretty, and she doesn't even know how to sweet-talk people. I'd be thanking my lucky stars if she could even find a husband.

"But there's nothing we can do. Someone like her is destined to amount to nothing in this lifetime."

I suddenly slammed my spoon onto the table, startling everyone.

"Can't you even take a little criticism? Am I wrong about anything I just said?" Mom growled.

I took a deep breath. Then, I swallowed every bit of the grievance, resentment, and anger I'd accumulated over all these years.

"I quit."

Everyone froze for a moment. Then, they burst into even louder laughter.

"Quit and go where? Deliver food? The delivery industry’s strict rules will crush you in no time!" Hailey laughed so hard that she fell off her chair.

I said seriously, "As long as it's not a heartless company that withholds my wages, I'll be fine."

The moment I said that, everyone stared at me in shock.

Dad, who had remained silent the entire time, suddenly slapped me hard across the face. The force of the blow sent both me and my chair crashing to the floor.