Revenge Forged in Prison
Chapter 235: You Cannot Hold Any Grudges
“Order your own takeout if you’re hungry. I’m broke, so you’ll have to cover the cost of the meal yourself,” Caleb said.
Caleb had been working as a stand-in gamer. Since he was new to the field, he didn’t have many clients. He couldn’t afford the delicacies desired by those from affluent families.
Reluctantly, Deborah said, “Takeout isn’t clean. I don’t want to eat that.”
Caleb furrowed his brows. “So, what do you feel like eating?”
“The restaurant in the city center is quite good. It’s affordable and worth every penny. It won’t break your bank.”
Caleb fell silent. For the wealthy, that restaurant was undeniably affordable, costing only around four to five thousand. But for him, even spending four or five required careful thought. The disparity between the lives of the rich and the poor was immense. The amount of money the wealthy spent on a single meal could sometimes cover the cost of several months’ worth of food for the less fortunate.
Deborah, a woman of elegance and high status, cherished every bite of her meals. Though she ordered an impressive array of dishes, she often ate only a few mouthfuls. Influenced by portrayals of aristocratic dining in period dramas, she embraced the habit of sampling just a bite or two from each dish, insisting it was necessary to maintain her figure. Caleb, however, could never bring himself to follow her example. Life in prison had taught him the true value of food. Even letting a single crumb go to waste or leaving a drop of soup untouched felt like a disgrace. He couldn’t possibly cater to the sophisticated tastes of a high-society lady like Deborah.
Seeing that Caleb remained silent, Deborah cautiously asked, “Then, this time I won’t order too much, just ten dishes. Is that alright?”
Caleb didn’t respond. Instead, he went back into the room and returned with a box of instant pasta. “Just make do with this for now. I can’t afford anything else. If you want something different, you’ll have to go out and buy it yourself.”
Deborah was stunned. She hadn’t expected Caleb to be so cold and heartless. “Caleb, are you trying to send me away?” Her tears flowed freely, pure and unrestrained. “I just wanted to go out for a meal. I didn’t do anything to you!”
Suddenly, the door swung open. Jesse and Yelena appeared.
The moment she saw him, Yelena’s anger flared. “Caleb, are you picking on Mom again?”
“Caleb, how could you take Mom without letting us know? We searched everywhere for her, only to realize she was with you all along,” Jesse said, his voice carrying deep disappointment.
Caleb let out a sigh. “First of all, I wasn’t picking on her. She’s likely just naturally sensitive, which is why she bursts into tears so easily. Secondly, I didn’t simply take her away. She was out in the street, crying so loudly that people started getting the wrong idea. I had no choice but to bring her back with me.”
Jesse had a look of disagreement all over his face. “Caleb, how could you talk about Mom that way? It’s natural for her to be more emotional as she gets older. Instead of making light of it, you should be supporting her more.”
Yelena nodded. “Exactly! Jesse has a point! After all, you’ve been under Mom’s care for twenty years. No matter how she treats you, you can’t hold any grudges!”
Caleb found himself speechless, a wave of regret washing over him. In hindsight, engaging with those two had been pointless. It had achieved nothing except leaving him frustrated.
Feeling drained, he said with growing impatience, “Fine, fine, you two are clearly the perfect children. So why don’t you hurry up and take her off my hands? Not only is she stirring up trouble here, but she’s also living off me for free. I can’t keep playing host to this queen!”
Yelena was taken aback. “Caleb, are you actually trying to send Mom away?”