CHAPTER 297: CHAPTER 297: MAY

Then, right on time, the front door opened.

Jean walked in, wearing a bright dress, acting like nothing had happened. She held her phone in one hand and her purse in the other.

Beside her were two guests, Ruby and Tan.

Ruby was tall and slim, her hair tied neatly. Tan was dressed in flashy clothes with sunglasses on his head even though it wasn’t sunny.

When Ruby and Tan stepped into the dining room and saw everyone sitting around the table with serious faces... they both froze.

Ruby glanced at Jean, then at Mary. She could feel something wasn’t right.

Tan scratched the back of his neck. "Uh... did we come at a bad time?"

Jean blinked, confused. "What’s with the long faces?"

Mary stood up slowly. Her voice was calm, but firm.

"Jean, we need to talk. All of us. And your children... they should sit and listen too. Since they’ve been part of this, whether they know it or not."

Jean looked at Mary with big, excited eyes. In her heart, she thought,

’Finally! Mary is going to kick Olivia out. I knew this day would come!’ She smiled and sat down quickly, thinking she was about to enjoy a good show.

But Ruby and Tan didn’t smile. They could feel something was wrong. Mary’s serious face didn’t look like she was here to fight with Olivia.

Before they could say anything or stop their mom, Jean already plopped down in the chair, acting like she was the guest of honor.

Ruby sighed and slapped her forehead. Tan looked away, shaking his head. ’She’s so embarrassing,’ he thought.

Still, the two had no choice. They also sat down beside their mom.

Mary looked at Ruby kindly and said,

"Ruby, I know your mom helped me when I was young. If it wasn’t for her food, maybe I wouldn’t have survived those days. That’s why I’m thankful. And because I’m thankful, I want to give your mom $10,000."

Jean’s eyes sparkled. But Mary wasn’t done.

"...And after that, I want her to leave my life completely. Don’t visit, don’t call. I want a peaceful life. Please accept this as a thank-you and go your way."

The whole room went silent.

Jean blinked, shocked. "Wait, wait... are you serious?"

Mary nodded calmly.

Jean slammed her hand on the table.

"Mary, are you even hearing yourself? Only $10,000?! That’s nothing! Do you think that’s enough for everything I did for you?!"

Mary stayed calm.

"Jean, $10,000 is a lot for someone who doesn’t have a job, has two kids still sitting at house after finishing their university, and is $10,000 in debt. With this, you can at least pay that off."

Ruby’s eyes narrowed. She looked at Mary and said sharply,

"So this is how you repay kindness? My mom gave you food when you had nothing. And now that you have everything, you want to throw her away like trash?"

Aurora, who had been quiet the whole time, gave a small laugh.

"If Jean helped so much, then she must have given tons and tons of food. Right, Ruby?"

Ruby froze. Her face turned pale.

Jean tried to defend herself. "Well... I did give her at least 10 kilograms of food!"

That’s when Olivia spoke, her voice clear and cold. "Ten kilos in ten years? So one kilo per year? And now you want over $10,000 for that?"

Jean’s face turned red. She turned to Olivia with anger. "Out of all Mary’s children, you’re the rudest one I’ve ever seen!"

Then she looked back at Mary. "Fine. If you truly want to end it for once and for all, then I want $1 million!"

The whole room went still.

Olivia raised an eyebrow. "Then you should leave. If your demand is that crazy, there’s no point in talking."

Jean stood up. "I won’t go anywhere! You have this big house, cars, and even a CEO husband. Don’t tell me you can’t give $1 million?"

Olivia smirked. "This house isn’t even ours."

Jean, Ruby, and Tan all turned to her at once.

Jean said, "Stop lying."

Olivia shook her head. "I’m not lying. This house belongs to Emily, Aurora’s godmother. She owns this entire penthouse. She helped father get his job too. We live here because she lets us, and we pay rent."

The three guests stared at Olivia. Their faces looked like someone had thrown ice water on them. They couldn’t believe it.

Ruby shook her head. "You’re just saying that so we stop asking for money!"

Olivia calmly replied, "You can go check the property papers if you don’t believe me."

The confidence in her voice made them shut their mouths.

Jean sat down again and mumbled, "Fine... Then just give me $100,000."

Adriana, who had been quiet until now, looked at Jean and said, "That’s still too much. $100,000 is a full year of hard work for some families."

Jean pointed at Adam. "Isn’t he a CEO? He must make that much every month!"

Adam smiled and said, "Even if I do, why should I give it to you?"

Jean blinked. "Because Mary is your wife! Of course, you should help her pay!"

Adam leaned back in his chair. "Mary and I are very clear about money. I earn it, and I don’t give her anything unless it’s for groceries or a small treat."

Jean’s mouth fell open. "You don’t even give her a few extra thousand dollars?"

Adam shook his head proudly. "Nope. I’m the head of the family. I keep control of all the money."

Ruby and Tan looked even more annoyed.

Mary, on the other hand, was holding back her laughter. ’Head of the family, huh?’ she thought.

What no one knew was that Adam had secretly put all his salary and savings in a bank account under Mary’s name.

The PayPal, the card, even the real estate, it all belonged to Mary.

Adam might say he was the head of the house, but Mary was the one with the keys to the kingdom.

Still, she didn’t say anything. She just smiled politely and said, "Sorry, Jean. I only have $10,000 to offer. Take it or leave it."

Jean gritted her teeth, then looked at Mary and said with a fake calm voice,

"Fine. You want to end this? Then give me at least $50,000. Not a penny less. If you try to give me even one penny less, I’ll stay right outside your apartment building. I’ll protest. I’ll embarrass you every day."

Mary didn’t flinch. Her voice was still calm. "That doesn’t scare me, Jean. I don’t owe you anything. If you want to protest, go ahead. But I’m not going to give you a cent more than I think is fair."

Jean narrowed her eyes, but then tried a different tone.

"Okay, okay... how about this? If you give me $50,000, I promise I’ll leave the Waters family alone. I’ll disappear forever. You’ll never see me again."

There was a long pause in the room. No one said anything.

Finally, Mary said, "Alright. I’ll talk to my husband. I’ll see if we can give you some kind of loan."

Jean’s face lit up like a lightbulb. In her head, she was cheering. ’Ha! She gave in! She’s not doing as well as she looks! That makes me so happy.’

Ruby and Tan, however, felt strange. Something about this situation didn’t sit right with them. But before they could speak, Mary looked at them and politely said,

"It’s getting late. Please leave now."

So, Jean, Ruby, and Tan got up and left the apartment.

As they walked down the hallway, Ruby mumbled, "Something’s not right."

Jean, on the other hand, was grinning like she won a prize.

"Just wait. We’ll have $50,000 soon. That’s more than enough to help us live comfortably."

Ruby and Tan rolled their eyes.

In truth, they weren’t even unemployed. Both Ruby and Tan worked online. They were freelancers. They made enough money every month to cover their own expenses and help out at home.

They knew $50,000 in New York City was not that much. It could be gone in less than a year with rent, bills, and food. They looked at their mom, wondering how she could be so clueless.

Finally, Tan couldn’t hold back anymore. He looked at Jean and asked,

"Mom, why did you even help Mary back then? Like... you talk like you gave her everything."

Jean gave a smug little laugh.

"Oh, silly boy. That food wasn’t even mine. It was your aunt May’s. She and Mary were really close back then. May used to ask me to take food to Mary sometimes. I didn’t want to, but I still did it."

Ruby’s eyes widened. "So... you’re basically taking May’s credit now?"

Jean rolled her eyes.

"It doesn’t matter. May is already dead. She’s not coming back to say anything. And Mary will never know the truth. So what’s the big deal?"

Ruby slowly nodded. "Hmm... I guess that makes sense."