Chapter 2

Vivian rummaged through the bag, going through everything, complaining one moment that I had bought too much, the next that everything was too expensive.

In the end, she went straight into lecturing me. "You only have 300 dollars a month. You spent 100 dollars on snacks. How is the remainder supposed to cover groceries and meals? You need to plan your spending!

"This month, buy a bag of chips—then next month, maybe a drink. That way, you don't overspend, and you'll still get to try everything… I'll let this slide, but don't let it happen again."

At first, I honestly thought I had misheard her. Yet when I saw the look on her face, I knew I hadn't. I was just about to lose my temper when my younger brother, Brian Ford, called.

He asked to borrow 50 thousand dollars to buy a car and said he would pay me back by the end of the year once his bonus came in. The amount he asked for was almost exactly what we had saved.

After I hung up, Vivian piped up before I could. "No—don't even think about it! He says he'll pay it back by the end of the year, but can he really? Will his bonus even reach 50 thousand?"

Brian worked at a company with solid benefits. Even as someone only a year into his job, his year-end bonus could easily reach that amount. His monthly salary was around ten thousand dollars, and his wife also earned well.

Still, they had just gotten married and hadn't had the chance to build up savings yet, which was why he'd turned to me for help.

Vivian fell silent. Seeing that, I tried again. "He'll definitely pay it back by the end of the year. Listen to me and transfer the money to him, okay?"

The firmness in my tone prompted her to speak up. "Our money is locked in a fixed deposit. If we take it out now, we'll lose six thousand dollars in interest."

"But Brian's in a pickle right now. Interest can be earned at any other time. Family matters more."

"I'm not lending it, no matter what you say."

Looking at her cold face, I felt something inside me sink. The disappointment hit hard.

"Fine. If you won't lend it, give me back the money I've been handing you every month."

At that point, anyone else might have softened, but Vivian only doubled down.

"We're a family. Why are you labeling things as 'yours' and 'mine'? It's not that we can't lend it. It's that we can't take it out. Fixed deposits can't just be withdrawn."

Did she really think I was that ignorant?

When Brian called again, I glanced at Vivian, who then grabbed her things and slammed the door on her way out. I picked up, steadying my voice, and lied, saying that I hadn't spoken to Vivian yet and that we would discuss it tonight.

Cautiously, he asked, "She doesn't want to, does she?"

I quickly covered for her. "No, it's nothing like that. She's been busy at work today. I just haven't had the chance to talk to her. Give me a day. I'll get back to you tomorrow."

Brian sounded relieved and hung up happily.

That night, Vivian and I had a full-blown fight. It escalated to the point that it nearly turned physical.

I lost control and smashed whatever I could get my hands on. In the middle of the shouting, she finally transferred 25 thousand dollars to me. "Half—that's all we're lending!"

At that moment, I didn't feel any relief at all. It was my money to begin with, so why did it feel like I had to beg for her approval?

Later, I borrowed another 25 thousand dollars from a colleague and scraped together the full amount for Brian. He was over the moon, thanking me profusely, and even said that he wanted to call Vivian personally to express his gratitude.

I didn't know how to explain it to him, so I told him a text message would suffice.