Chapter 4

That night, I didn't sleep a wink.

My lungs felt like they were being pierced by a million needles, sending a sharp, agonizing stab of pain through every single breath I took.

My preion painkillers had run out ages ago, so I just curled up hugging Lucky and white-knuckled my way through the entire night.

The second dawn finally broke, my phone rang with another call from the crowdfunding platform.

"Miss Mitchell, our platform requires you to undergo a complete set of re-examinations and submit a brand-new inspection report with a current date."

I asked in a listless, exhausted voice, "And what if I don't?"

"For disputed fundraising cases like this, if you refuse to cooperate, all raised funds will be automatically refunded to the donors."

"Then refund them. Thanks for your time."

I flatly murmured those words and hung up the phone right then and there.

I didn't have a single cent left to pay for medical checks anyway, so if those ten thousand dollars were out of reach, I was done fighting for it.

Lucky nudged its head against my chest, and I forced a weak, fragile smile.

"Are you hungry? Let me go out and collect some bottles so I can earn enough for your cat food, okay?"

It had no clue what I was talking about, but it just purred softly and tilted its head.

I quickly washed up, grabbed a large burlap sack, and headed out the door.

To save on rent, I lived pretty far out in a working-class neighborhood where a bunch of elderly folks constantly competed with me for cardboard boxes and plastic bottles.

So, I had no choice but to head toward the massive upscale shopping malls downtown.

Rich people were everywhere over there, meaning the beverage bottles they tossed out were worth a lot more, and they were usually easier to talk to.

As long as I asked politely with a nice attitude if I could help them throw away their trash, they would happily hand over their empty bottles.

Two hours later, my sack was halfway full.

Just as I was about to head over to another mall, a shocked voice rang out from directly behind me.

"Eleanor? What on earth are you doing here?!"

I spun around to see Dylan staring at me with a look of sheer disbelief.

Right beside him, Summer was carrying five or six luxury shopping bags, making it painfully obvious the two of them had just finished a shopping spree.

I scowled, turning on my heel to walk away.

Before I could take a step, Dylan crossed the distance in three long strides and clamped a heavy hand around my wrist.

"Why are you out here collecting trash?!"

His expression darkened with fury as he raked his eyes over me.

His gaze finally locked onto my faded, washed-out jeans, a flash of complicated emotion flickering across his eyes.

Summer stepped in close, her tone dripping with sweet mockery.

"Eleanor, you're really working overtime to play the victim, aren't you? How did you even end up picking up garbage?

"Did you somehow find out we were coming here to shop today, and plan this whole pathetic stunt on purpose?"

Dylan's expression grew darker by the second as he yanked me along behind him.

"You're coming back with me right now!"

I fought back with everything I had, thrashing against his grip. "Let go of me!"

He dragged me off into a quiet corner, shoved my arm away, and launched straight into a furious tirade.

"Look at yourself right now! Have you lost your damn mind? All I asked you to do was apologize, and you just had to—"

"Then what the hell do you want me to do?"

I raised my eyes, my face completely deadpan.

"Every single job I managed to land got sabotaged because of you. If I don't pick up trash, how am I supposed to survive?"

Dylan crossed his arms and barked coldly, "Why couldn't you just come home? You knew damn well that the second you apologized, I’d have forgiven you. Is it really that hard?"

I let out a bitter, cutting laugh right in his face. "You're just embarrassed of me, aren't you?"

He opened his mouth to snap back, but Summer jumped right in.

"Eleanor... Um, you kind of reek right now. Can't you smell yourself?

"You really need to pay attention to basic hygiene. You're still part of the family, after all. You have to care about Dylan’s reputation a little."

I shot her a sharp look, locking eyes with her triumphant, gloating stare, and a fresh wave of needle-like stabs tore through my lungs.

"She's the one who's part of the family now. I'm not."

Dropping those words, I turned around and walked away.

Dylan's voice rumbled with suppressed fury behind me.

"Eleanor, you're really refusing to admit you're wrong? Don't come crying to me when you regret this!"

I pretended I hadn't heard a thing and picked up my pace.

That whole day, every single bottle and cardboard box I had scavenged couldn't be sold anywhere.

The scrap yard owner gave me a heavy, apologetic sigh.

"Some big shot named Dylan gave strict orders. Nobody across the entire city is allowed to buy your recyclables.

"Don't blame me, kid. We've got to make a living in this city too, and that big shot has too much power and money. We can't afford to cross him."