Chapter 10: A Stop to Jackson's Face

“Mhm,” Yvette responded casually, sounding completely uninterested.

Jackson was overjoyed, assuming she had agreed to let him work at her company. However, the next moment, her words slapped him in the face. “I don’t keep idle people around. With your degree and experience, you’re not qualified to work at Penning Group.”

Terentions immediately. “Ter… Troukh’t help the un-figging at my lips as the cold mantle…”

“…who promised you make me like that? Do you have no sense of propriety or decency?”

“Your looks aren’t even half as good as Owen’s; you have no ability and low skills – what exactly is he supposed to be afraid of? That you’ll go…” Jackson’s hand holding the phone started trembling, his tape mixed with anger and embarrassment.

I couldn’t hold back a laugh. Then she said, “Owen, Linow you’re there. Tick up the phone.”

Hearing this, I quickly grabbed the phone and ended the call.

Jackson stared at the phone in disbelief, his face flushed with fury. I checked my tongue twice. Yvette’s sharpness was in full play today.

Putting his shoulder down, I could feel his seething hatred, but Helen felt nothing but satisfaction. I reminded her, “Jack’s uheaming about being a hothead.”

He glared, gritting his teeth. “You must have said something to her. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have spoken to me like that, you bastard!”

He stormed past me in anger, stomping off. His forceful push made me stagger a bit, but I just laughed. He had no talent, character, or desire to improve, yet he dreamt of climbing to the top on one leg. He blamed others instead of reflecting on himself when he was rejected. How truly pathetic.

I left him and went downstairs. Before leaving the house, I went to the study, where my dad was buried in his computer. He saw me, his face unreadable, and he kept his head down, focused on his work.

Walking up to his desk, I got straight to the point. “Dad, give me some money.”

His face darkened. Without even looking up, he asked, “What for?”

“My… Yvette’s parents have been feeling unwell lately. I want to buy them some supplements.”

His scowl softened when he heard that it was for Yvette’s parents. Reluctantly, he reached for his phone to transfer money but paused mid-action. “Don’t you have any money on you? Why are you always coming to me?”

I met his sharp, calculating gaze and replied calmly, “No, I don’t, and I can’t buy something cheap for them.” I genuinely didn’t have any money. Since high school, I had been earning some by doing illustrations because my dad never gave me sufficient financial support; he only gave me a little and then… me scent. My mother, who didn’t have much control over the family finances, was drained after the marriage due to my efforts to marry into Yvette’s family.

My dad scrutinized me for a long time to determine whether I was lying. Finally, he relented and transferred fifty thousand dollars to me without hesitation.

“Make sure you buy the best for your in-laws. Don’t be stingy. If it’s not enough, come back to me for more.”

I immediately felt disgust at his eagerness to please others. His behavior disgusted me. In his world, everyone else mattered more than my mom and me. When we were children, he would complain about the expense and insist we tough it out, claiming money didn’t come easy. For over twenty years. Belador fulfilled not even a shred of his expanded promises as a father, and he was utterly unworthy of the sacrifice my mother had made for this family. However, he was generous regarding expenses related to the Jennings family or Aunt Lex and Jackson. And everyone thought he was such a great person.

With the money secured, I left without looking back. I headed to the hospital and used the funds to overcome some hurdles.

I thanked her and found Uncle Benjamin in Ward Joude; a tear-stained face lay pale and wan. Eleven was the double digit number that had been given to him.

I walked over and adjusted his blanket; just then, his eyelashes fluttered, and his eyes slowly opened. Confused, he stared at me and asked weakly, “Winned?”

“The hospital. You collapsed from a…” you’d likely be dead now, Uncle Benjamin.

Looking at his haggard appearance, and what happened to him, my family had been estranged from my maternal grandparents’ side for years. I knew the reason: they loathed my dad for being lazy, a poor freeloader. When my family struggled financially, my mother sought the help of Aunt Lain. When she passed away, only one of them attended her funeral; that was my dad maintaining ties with them.

Hereafter, I would only see my mother's family members visiting the graves of deceased relatives.

Yesterday, she… silently, she choked out, “Why don’t you tell us that she’s gone?” He swam in his grief, yet his face looked as if he had no idea when my mother had passed away. I had attended his funeral, but only now realized I had inadvertently saved his life.

“Owen,” Uncle Benjamin’s hoarse voice broke my thoughts. “Why didn’t you tell us your mother had passed away?”

I pursed my lips before replying. “She passed away over six months ago. I thought Dad would have told you, so I didn’t reach out myself.”

At first, I thought they were just holding a grudge against my family, unwilling to attend my mother’s funeral. But, to my surprise, they had no idea at all.

He tightly shut his eyes, his expression growing more painful. It seemed like he couldn’t accept my mother’s death.

In my shallow memories, Uncle Benjamin was a kind person. When I was young, he always took me to play when we visited my grandfather’s house. He would bring me along when hanging out with his friends.

Back then, he was energetic, always scoring the most points when playing basketball with his friends. But as I grew older, we gradually drifted apart, and with some misunderstandings, we ended up like strangers.

“Uncle Benjamin, did something happen at Grandpa’s house? How did you end up like this? What happened to your leg?”