Chapter 6
After politely declining all offers of help and advice, I quietly returned home.
The moment I stepped inside, I saw Rosie moving her belongings into the house. My things, on the other hand, were being carelessly tossed out like trash by Stephen and Kian.
When Stephen noticed me, he lifted his chin arrogantly, looking at me with sheer disdain.
“Daphne, this house now belongs to Kian, and we‘ re divorced. Take your junk and get out of here! Stop interfering with our family reunion.”
His mask of tenderness and affection was completely gone. All that remained was unabashed loathing, as though he had been enduring my presence for far too long.
Kian stood beside him, equally
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condescending. “To live your life and end up like this–you really are a failure.”
As he spoke, he pulled two hundred dollars. from his wallet and tossed it on the ground. “This is your support for the month. Take the money and leave. Don‘ t dirty our floors on your way out!”
The respect my son once had for me was now replaced by contempt.
I didn’t say a word. I calmly picked up the money and my belongings and turned to leave.
I moved into a decrepit, abandoned apartment. It was small, dimly lit, and sparsely furnished, but I made it work. Alone, I led a simple and frugal life. My meals were modest: plain porridge with pickled vegetables or steamed buns with hot water.
At the end of the month, I had some of the two hundred dollars left over. I splurged a little, buying some meat and chili peppers
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to make a stir–fry. The aroma filled the room, warm and satisfying.
Just as I was about to dig in, Stephen and Rosie showed up at my door, bringing Kian along with them.
“This dump–can anyone actually live here? There’s not even a decent spot to hang yourself. A coffin would be bigger than this,” Rosie sneered the moment she stepped inside.
Stephen wrinkled his nose in disgust. “Daphne, you have arms and legs. Why not find a job that offers room and board? You used to be the richest woman in the city, and now you‘ re holed up in this rat nest. Isn’t this beneath you?”
“Even the bathroom in our house is bigger than this. How can you stand living here?”
he asked.
I ignored their ridicule and calmly continued eating my stir–fried meat and chili peppers.
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Kian, noticing the dish, narrowed his eyes and remarked, “Wow, you‘ re eating meat? Looks like giving you two hundred dollars a month is way too much.”
He turned to Rosie, his voice dripping with sarcasm. “We should cut her allowance. She needs to understand how hard it is to earn money these days.”
Rosie nodded in agreement. “My son is absolutely right.”
Stephen waved dismissively, visibly annoyed. “Forget it. Two hundred dollars doesn’t even cover the cost of my socks. Consider it charity–enough to keep her from starving. Otherwise, the online trolls. will start attacking us again!”
“Those idiots,” he muttered, seething. “It‘ s none of their business, yet they keep flooding my inbox with insults as if I desecrated their ancestors‘ graves.”
Kian, unfazed by the backlash, chuckled confidently. “Don’t worry, Dad. I‘ m
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about to marry Grace. Once I’ve secured her family’s fortune, we won’t need to care about those noisy insects online. From now on, you and mom can just wait to enjoy your life!”
Hearing this, Stephen’s mood brightened. “You‘ re right! Grace is the real deal–a self–made powerhouse. Her influence and wealth surpass even our Greenwood Corp!”
“Son, you‘ re incredible! Better than I ever was. To win over such an accomplished woman is no small feat.”
The day after I transferred all my assets to my son, they wasted no time renaming Stellar Sync Group to Greenwood Corp.
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