CHAPTER 108: NOT ENDING UP LIKE ME.

"I should have known your intentions were never pure. It felt too good to be true," Angela said, shaking her head. She had foolishly hoped that her mother cared, even just a little. Her heart twisted painfully when Grace revealed the real reason she came.

She tried to hold back the heat burning in her eyes. They stung so badly, and she knew the tears would spill soon if she let them. She had to keep them in, no matter what.

"Are you trying to make me look bad now? Stop it," Grace said, sounding surprised. She could not believe her daughter expected her to forget about the money and never come for it. "What did I tell you the day you left the house? Don’t mess with my balance. You know how much I value my money, Angela. You of all people should know."

"I know, Mother. But don’t forget I am here as a student, not the principal," Angela reminded her. "I don’t earn money. Do you even know how I’m surviving here? We haven’t seen each other for weeks, and now that we have, did you even ask me if I’m okay?"

"You look fine, Angela. What could possibly happen to you within these walls?" Grace said, avoiding her gaze. She crossed her left leg over her right and adjusted her seat. But the heated glare from her daughter made her sigh. She wished Angela would stop with what she called the pity act. "Stop painting me as the villain. What kind of questions did you expect me to ask?"

"At least you could have asked, how are you, Angela? Is the Academy treating you well? Do you have any problems?"

Grace stayed quiet, watching her daughter pour her heart out. Angela seemed far more outspoken than she used to be.

"Is that what’s bothering you?" Grace asked, noticing how close Angela was to tears. That was never good for business. "Fine. How are you doing? Do you have any problems here?"

Angela rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. It was too late for those questions, and she knew they weren’t from Grace’s heart. She had been forced to say them.

"See," Grace pointed at her daughter’s eyes as they rolled. She quickly lowered her hand when she noticed people at the table behind Angela glancing their way.

"How much was my balance, Mother?" Angela asked, changing the subject. If her mother wanted her to leave, she might as well deal with the reason she came in the first place.

"You were supposed to give me one thousand dollars but only gave two hundred and fifty," Grace said, her eyes lighting up the moment she spoke about her money.

Angela nodded slowly. Where on earth would she get the rest of that money? There was no way she could earn it inside the Academy. But she knew she would have to try—or face the painful truth of being betrayed by her own mother.

"Fine, I will. You just have to give me a little time to raise that amount."

Grace’s brows lifted in annoyance. "Do I have to wait again? Do you even know the havoc your uncle has caused back at home?"

She brought her hands forward. Slowly, she rolled up her sleeves, revealing the scars left by Toga’s torture. Then she pulled the sleeves back down and took her hands away.

"W-what?" Angela was shocked and at a loss for words. She could not believe her uncle would go to such an extreme. She had seen him slap her mother before, but to hurt her like this... she had never imagined it.

"Yes. He is turning everywhere upside down to find you. Your uncle has even gotten help from werewolves," Grace said. She noticed the pity in her daughter’s eyes but quickly crushed it. "I didn’t endure this for you. I did it for my money."

Angela tried not to panic. She knew what could happen if she lost control. But when she looked closely, she thought she saw tears in Grace’s eyes. Was she pretending when she said it wasn’t for her?

"I will get you your money before the month ends," Angela said quietly. "It’s a promise... just keep my uncle from finding me, okay?"

"I came here for my money and you are pushing it to later," Grace started, then stopped. Maybe her daughter truly didn’t have it now. "Don’t fail me when the time comes, or you will see your uncle before next month begins."

"I won’t, Ma," Angela assured her, even though she had no idea where the money would come from. That was something to worry about later. Right now, she needed to end this talk with Grace and get to Hiro.

Before coming here, she had sent him a message about the new development, and he had promised to wait for her. Just then, something important crossed her mind—something she should have asked her mother long ago.

"Can you tell me... what was my father’s name?" she asked, hoping the answer would not disappoint her.

Grace was caught off guard by the question. She had shut Angela down years ago whenever she tried to ask about her father, and now the girl had dared to bring it up again. "I don’t really remember him. His name... we were not married. I can’t really remember."

"You are lying, Mother. Come on, just tell me so I can add it to my official name."

Grace hesitated for a moment but finally gave in. "Maverick. I don’t know his surname or where he came from, so don’t you dare ask."

Angela felt a smile stretch across her face. Maverick. That was his name. For years her mother had refused to tell her anything about him, and now she finally had something. It felt unreal, almost like she was dreaming.

"Why is that red-haired fine-looking guy staring at us?" Grace’s eyes shifted toward the family seated behind Angela. "He’s been looking over here since God knows when."

Angela turned to see who she meant, and her heart skipped a beat when her gaze met Renn’s. How long had he been sitting there without her noticing?

He moved his hands, using sign language to ask if she wanted him to come over or if she would come to his table instead.

Angela pretended she didn’t understand and turned back around, but her mother’s smile was now aimed directly at Renn. "Mother... what are you doing?"

"The boy is clearly interested in you. If you don’t do something about it, you will end up like me," Grace said, picking up her bag and grabbing her daughter’s hand. "Well, you’re not ending up like me, because we are moving to their table right now."