All Chapters of My Brother's Leeching Cost Me My Marriage: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

A week later, while I was handling my job resignation handover, I received a call from my father, Roland Sullivan."Come home, Vivian," he said in a tone that left no room for refusal."I'm busy. If you've got something to say, say it over the phone.""Your mother has been hospitalized for high blood pressure." He paused, then added, "Come back and see her."My chest tightened sharply, but I quickly regained my composure. "Is it serious?""She needs to recuperate. As her daughter, shouldn't you come back and take care of her?" he replied reproachfully."I can't get away—I'm busy with work.""Is work more important than your own mother?""Yes," I replied calmly. "Because Mom has Harry to take care of her, while I only have my work."Heavy breathing came from the other end of the line."Vivian, are you abandoning your parents over just a bit of money?""Dad, that wasn't 'just a bit of money.' That was the family's entire fortune," I corrected him. "That money was the securit

To raise the startup capital for my studio as quickly as possible, I threw myself into an insane work mode.I also moved out of my luxury apartment and into an old tenement building, cutting my rent from 12 thousand dollars down to four thousand dollars a month.At the same time, I worked over 16 hours a day and turned down every unnecessary social activity.All designer bags, fine dining, and luxury skincare products disappeared from my life as well. Breakfast was a sandwich from a street cart, lunch was a cheap takeout, and dinner was often just a bowl of instant noodles.I started taking on every project I could find. Not only did I take on design work, but I also accepted brand marketing and event-planning gigs. As long as a job was legal and paid, I took it.Within three months, I had lost 15 pounds. The dark circles under my eyes were deep, but my gaze had never been sharper.The number in my bank account crept slowly from three million dollars to 3.7 million dollars. With

I arrived home in the afternoon.The villa was buzzing with noise, and the living room was packed with people.Mom, Dad, Aunt Dora, Harry, Tricia, and a few other relatives were deep in animated discussion about investing in a hotel."David, Marcy, don't you worry. Just leave the hotel matter to Roland and Gina," Aunt Dora said with a simpering smile to Harry's in-laws, David Woodruff and Marcy Sanford. "They've only got one daughter, so it's only a matter of time before everything they own goes to Harry."Mr. Woodruff was grinning from ear to ear. "Thank you so much! That's really wonderful."Dad sat in the head seat, looking quite pleased with himself. Mom, on the other hand, forced a smile beside him, her eyes darting nervously.I pushed open the door, and the living room went dead silent.Everyone stared at me in surprise.Mom was the first to react. She rose to her feet and asked, "Vivian, what are you doing back here?" Dad's expression darkened as he shot me a glare,

After returning to Summercaster, I threw myself completely into my business.With those 4.5 million dollars, I leased a nice studio in Elcester, bought equipment, and assembled a team. The remaining money barely covered the studio's initial operating costs.The pressure was immense, but so was my drive.I practically lived at the studio, working over 14 hours a day. Thanks to our unique designs and professional service, the studio made a name for itself in the industry within just six months.I even paid back my startup loans, and the studio began turning a profit.Small as the studio was, it was furnished with refined professionalism. And the team, though lean, was made up entirely of elite talent.Every week, I video-chatted with Grandma. She'd tell me news from back home, but never mentioned my parents.I knew they hadn't signed the declaration, but they also didn't reach out to me anymore. We were like two parallel lines, each extending into our own distance.Occasionally,

In the end, I went back, and Andre came with me.On the plane, he quietly made all the arrangements."No matter what decision you make, I support you," he said.I looked at him, my emotions tangled.At the hospital, outside the ICU, I saw Mom for the first time in two years.She was wearing old clothes and looked 20 years older. Her hair had turned completely white, her back was hunched, and her face was lined with wrinkles.When she saw me, her clouded eyes lit up."Vivian, you're back!" she said, stumbling toward me.I steadied her and caught the smell of disinfectant mixed with the unmistakable scent of age."How's Dad?""He's still in there. Dr. Curran says his condition is critical." She clutched my hand tightly. "D-Did you bring the money?"Instead of answering, I first went to meet with the attending physician, Patrick Curran.Dr. Curran told me Dad's condition was dire and he needed surgery immediately. Even if successful, the best-case scenario was that Dad would b