Chapter 3

Dad immediately called me, but I didn't pick up.

I continued ignoring him when he tried to call me again.

Finally, Mom sent me a voice message.

"Your father's in a foul mood on the train, Michelle. Answer his call. Don't humiliate us in front of your aunt."

I glanced at the time. Their train would arrive at the station in about 90 minutes.

I switched my phone to silent mode and continued putting my things away in the dormitory.

My company didn't give me a big unit. There was a bed, a desk, and a small closet. The garden beyond the window was decorated with strings of red lights.

The closet was still half-empty after I hung up my clothes.

When I lived in my old apartment, Mom's, Dad's, and Tiffany's clothes had taken up three different closets. As a result, I had no choice but to squeeze my clothes into a plastic container on the balcony.

Tiffany had still complained about the arrangement, saying, "Your clothes look so shabby, Michelle. Don't put them with mine. I don't want their stench to rub off on my clothes."

I had just made the last payment for her livestreaming equipment that day.

As Tiffany hugged her new light stand to her chest, she grinned at me as if it was perfectly reasonable for me to fund her livestreaming career.

My phone lit up. The bank had sent me another notification about a recent transaction. Someone had used my card to pay for a bouquet of flowers that cost 68 dollars at the high-speed rail station's flower shop.

A few seconds later, Tiffany sent a photo to the group chat.

"Dad said that we have to celebrate Aunt Elise's first time in the big city."

A small card was tucked among the flowers.

"Welcoming the Roths to New Grandia for their summer break."

I stared at the message on the card.

They were in for a rude awakening when they realized that I had actually moved out of my apartment.

I received another transaction notification not even ten minutes later. Someone had used my card again to pay 200 dollars for a cab ride.

I called my bank's customer service line.

"I lost my card. Please freeze all of its supplementary cards and suspend all online payments."

"Are you sure?" the customer service assistant asked.

"Yes," I replied.

My phone was silent for a few seconds after I hung up. However, it didn't take long before it was bombarded by a barrage of messages.

"Why can't we use the card anymore?" Dad demanded. "Did you do something, Michelle? We're already in New Grandia. How dare you freeze the card now?"

"Stop causing a fuss, Michelle," Mom chimed in. "Aunt Elise and her family are right next to us."

"Throw your tantrum somewhere else, Michelle," Tiffany wrote. "Don't ruin my livestream."

I also received a message from Aunt Elise.

"Your parents told me that you're covering our accommodations and expenses, Michelle. We can't pay the cab fee. Can you do something?"

"I never agreed to cover the accommodations and expenses, Aunt Elise," I replied.

A long time passed before she replied. "Your mother is telling me a different story."

I placed my phone on the desk.

…

Dad used Aunt Elise's phone to call me at around 7:00 pm.

I answered the call.

It was obvious that he was doing his best to keep his anger in check when the call connected. "Fix the card right now. The driver is waiting outside. Elise and her family are still in the cab. How do you expect us to deal with this fiasco?"

"Whoever ordered the cab should pay the fee, Dad," I said.

"Stop messing around!" he roared before falling silent.

He probably remembered that Aunt Elise and her family were still around, so his voice was lowered when he spoke again. "Transfer 500 dollars to me for now. We'll talk about this later."

"Are you going to pay me back?" I asked.

Dad reached the end of his patience. "We're a family. Why are you being so petty?"

"Then, you should figure out a solution as a family," I said.

Dad was breathing heavily from how furious he was.

Mom grabbed the phone from him and asked, "Are you really going to humiliate me in front of your aunt, Michelle?"

"Did you tell Aunt Elise that I was going to cover your accommodations and expenses, Mom?" I retorted.

When she didn't answer, I continued, "Did you tell her that I've already terminated the lease?"

She still didn't answer.

"Michelle terminated the lease? What's the meaning of this, Isabelle?" Aunt Elise asked from the side.

Mom panicked. "She didn't. You misheard her."

I hung up.

…

Tiffany started livestreaming ten minutes later with an eye-catching title. "Moving into my sister's apartment. First time experience in a house in the heart of the city."

She was livestreaming from the cab. Her makeup was exquisite, and she was smiling sweetly at the camera.

"I'll take you on a tour of my sister's house later. She usually stays by herself. It's such a waste, so we're staying with her to liven up the atmosphere!"

A few comments scrolled by.

"Your sister spoils you so much."

"She doesn't mind?"

Tiffany smiled at the camera and said, "Of course not. She has always let me get my way since we were kids."

I exited the livestream and sent the link to Aunt Elise.