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Chapter 1740
Emily clutched her phone, a lump forming in her throat.
She knew her family was different. She knew her mom worked hard as a single parent, so Emily started working
during the summer to pay for her high school books. When she got to college, she didn’t ask her mom for a dime.
After studying abroad for two years, Emily, longing for her family, thought that coming home would help mend their
strained relationship. Her mom fell ill, and Emily took care of her as best she could, trying to make up for the time
she was away.
What else could she do?
What did it mean to be dutiful?
When her mom and Noreen conned her, she was heartbroken after learning the truth, but not as hopeless as she
felt now.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtThe distance between them grew little by little, and she became despaired bit by bit.
Kya gently shook Emily’s hand, her big eyes filled with worry, “Mommy, what’s wrong?”
Emily crouched down and hugged Kya. There were no tears in her eyes, only sadness.
Her phone vibrated again. Emily glanced at it, her face paling. She answered the call, “Hello?”
“It’s me!” Noreen’s voice was cold, “Emily, you are back? Don’t think I can’t find you. You still owe me 20 grand.
When will you pay?”
Emily closed her eyes, her voice hoarse, “I only have 10 grand right now. I’ll give it to you.”
“Fine, send me the money now. The rest, in a week. I need it badly!” Noreen demanded.
Emily frowned, “I can’t pay you back within a week!”
Noreen snapped, “Emily, you promised to pay back 50 grand within three years. Now you want to back out?”
“There are still two months left. I’m not backing out. I’ll pay you all, but you have to give me time. Where am I
going to get 10 grand in a week?”
“I don’t care. Even if you have to do prostitution, you must give me 10 grand within a week, or don’t blame me for
being rude!”
Noreen hung up fiercely, leaving Emily gripping her phone, her fingers turning pale. Sure enough, her mom and
Noreen were two peas in a pod, hitting her when she was down.
“Mommy!” Kya clung to Emily with a troubled look, “Don’t be scared. I’ll protect you!”
Those words nearly brought Emily to tears. She hugged Kya tight, “I’m okay, sweetie. Let’s go grab some food, and
then we can have some fun.”
Kya shook her head, whispering, “I don’t want to go to the amusement park anymore.”
“Why not?” Emily asked.
Disquieted, Kya remained silent, leaning against Emily in a way that tugged at her heartstrings.
“Let’s go grab a bite first. If you don’t want to go to the amusement park, mommy can stay home with you and we
can play with your Lego sets. How does that sound?” Emily didn’t want to appear weak in front of Kya, so she tried
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmto sound casual.
“Okay.” Kya nodded obediently.
After lunch, Emily transferred 10 grand to Noreen. She also had to pay Ms. Simmons her salary soon. Emily checked
her bank balance on her phone, wondering if it would last the month.
What about the remaining 10 grand Noreen wanted?
On Monday, as soon as Emily stepped into the office, she felt something was off. Colleagues she knew greeted her
with forced smiles, while unfamiliar faces kept sneaking glances at her. People would stop talking upon she walked
by, pretending nothing happened.
It wasn’t until the afternoon, when she and Edwina went to the break room, that she overheard her colleagues
discussing her.
“No wonder she landed big clients as soon as she joined the firm. So that’s how she did it!”
“Playing Mr. Beck while hooking up with someone from the James family.”
“I’m starting to wonder if her being a mid-level designer from the get-go was fishy. Our two directors sure do seem
to favor her!”
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