Chapter 1 · A Call from the Future

Chapter 1

My mom made 10 million dollars a month overseas.

But she only gave me 10 dollars a month for living expenses.

My dad tried to stand up for me.

They almost ended up getting divorced because of the whole mess.

My brother, Jason Gordon, with reddened eyes, secretly slipped me some cash.

But he got fifty hits with a cane for it.

So whenever my stomach cramped from hunger, I couldn't help but hate my mom.

I hated my mom for being so ruthless and heartless.

I hated her for bringing me into this world, but not wanting to take care of me.

Then, I got a video call from myself, ten years in the future.

As soon as I picked up, I couldn't hold back my excitement and blurted out, "How am I doing in ten years? Did I finally cut ties with that old witch?"

But the me from ten years later had eyes red with grief and rage.

She screamed, "Do you even realize? That 'old witch' you keep calling her. When your father and brother joined forces and left you with kidney failure, she gave you her kidney without a second thought!

"And to make sure you wouldn't be hurt by them again, she spent every last dollar she had to sever your ties with that family.

"After the surgery, she couldn't even afford three dollars for painkillers, and ended up dying in pain right there in the hospital bed."

She looked at me, my eyes wide with disbelief.

Future me gave a smile so twisted, it was worse than crying.

She said, "They took 290 thousand dollars out of your 300 thousand dollars monthly allowance and gave it all to their illegitimate daughter.

"If you don't believe me, go see the villas in Westridge for yourself."

*****

I made my way to the villas in Westridge.

Under the blazing sun, the security guard stopped me right at the gate.

He gave me a wary look. "You can't walk in here. Who are you looking for?"

With a flicker of hope in my heart, I spoke up softly. "I'm looking for Roger Gordon. I'm his daughter."

The guard laughed. "What are you talking about? Mr. Gordon only has one son and one daughter, and his daughter is Adele Gordon.

"He literally took Adele to a fashion show yesterday to buy her a new dress. So where did you come from, country bumpkin? And you think you can pretend to be her?"

With that, he tossed a photo at me.

I looked closely and recognized the three faces in the picture.

My heart sank, cold and heavy, as if I'd fallen into an ice pit.

In the photo, my dad and brother stood on either side of a girl, grinning at her like she was their whole world.

Adele wasn't a stranger to me. She was the class beauty.

Two months ago, she'd bragged in class about her family buying her a villa outright.

When someone asked about the price, Adele smiled smugly and said, "Oh, it wasn't much. Just around 10 million dollars."

My monthly allowance had been 10 dollars since I started high school.

Three years of high school, 300 thousand dollars a year, just like that.

My hands were shaking like crazy, but I held onto that photo for dear life.

When I got home, my dad and brother were both in the living room.

Neither of them noticed how sickly pale I looked.

My dad walked over and handed me some cash.

He said, "Sharon, here's your allowance for this month. Your mom just sent it over. Try not to spend it all at once."

I stared at the 10 dollars in my palm.

Then I looked up at him.

He wore that same old look of tenderness and pity.

My eyes went red, and I pulled off a sarcastic smile.

I asked, "10 dollars a month? Is that all you think I'm worth? You want me to starve to death?"

He picked up on the sarcasm in my voice.

His brows knitted together, and he said, "You know how your mom is. If I even bring up your allowance, she'll send over the divorce papers again."

I arched my eyebrow, my voice shooting up for a second. "Oh, really? Then next time she calls, I'll ask her myself."

My brother, Jason Gordon, immediately came over to me.

He gave my head a comforting pat and slipped 30 dollars into my hand.

He said, "This time, I'm calling the shots. Worst case, you don't use the AC in your room this month."

Then he winked at me and lowered his voice. "But hey, you can always sneak it on. Dad and I will pretend we don't notice."

Ever since my mom went overseas, the house had its own set of rules.

I could use all the electronics, even my phone, but I had to pay rent to the family for every single thing.

Of course, I couldn't afford it.

The only time I got to use them was on the first and last day of each month.

Countless times, I had to do my homework at night, struggling in the dark.

Sometimes, during those blazing summer days, when it was that time of the month, I'd feel like I was about to completely break down from the heat.

Crying, I'd drench myself with water to cool myself.

Looking at the 30 dollars Jason handed me, I should've felt happy if I were the old me.

But then, Adele's words suddenly popped into my head.

She once bragged that she was always sickly as a kid, so her family hired an expert to install a climate control system in their house.

The thing kept running year-round so she could always enjoy the perfect climate at home.

Chapter 1

My mom made 10 million dollars a month overseas.

But she only gave me 10 dollars a month for living expenses.

My dad tried to stand up for me.

They almost ended up getting divorced because of the whole mess.

My brother, Jason Gordon, with reddened eyes, secretly slipped me some cash.

But he got fifty hits with a cane for it.

So whenever my stomach cramped from hunger, I couldn't help but hate my mom.

I hated my mom for being so ruthless and heartless.

I hated her for bringing me into this world, but not wanting to take care of me.

Then, I got a video call from myself, ten years in the future.

As soon as I picked up, I couldn't hold back my excitement and blurted out, "How am I doing in ten years? Did I finally cut ties with that old witch?"

But the me from ten years later had eyes red with grief and rage.

"And to make sure you wouldn't be hurt by them again, she spent every last dollar she had to sever your ties with that family.

"After the surgery, she couldn't even afford three dollars for painkillers, and ended up dying in pain right there in the hospital bed."

She looked at me, my eyes wide with disbelief.

Future me gave a smile so twisted, it was worse than crying.

She said, "They took 290 thousand dollars out of your 300 thousand dollars monthly allowance and gave it all to their illegitimate daughter.

"If you don't believe me, go see the villas in Westridge for yourself."

*****

I made my way to the villas in Westridge.

Under the blazing sun, the security guard stopped me right at the gate.

He gave me a wary look. "You can't walk in here. Who are you looking for?"

With a flicker of hope in my heart, I spoke up softly. "I'm looking for Roger Gordon. I'm his daughter."

The guard laughed. "What are you talking about? Mr. Gordon only has one son and one daughter, and his daughter is Adele Gordon.

"He literally took Adele to a fashion show yesterday to buy her a new dress. So where did you come from, country bumpkin? And you think you can pretend to be her?"

With that, he tossed a photo at me.

I looked closely and recognized the three faces in the picture.

My heart sank, cold and heavy, as if I'd fallen into an ice pit.

In the photo, my dad and brother stood on either side of a girl, grinning at her like she was their whole world.

Adele wasn't a stranger to me. She was the class beauty.

Two months ago, she'd bragged in class about her family buying her a villa outright.

When someone asked about the price, Adele smiled smugly and said, "Oh, it wasn't much. Just around 10 million dollars."

My monthly allowance had been 10 dollars since I started high school.

Three years of high school, 300 thousand dollars a year, just like that.

My hands were shaking like crazy, but I held onto that photo for dear life.

When I got home, my dad and brother were both in the living room.

Neither of them noticed how sickly pale I looked.

My dad walked over and handed me some cash.

He said, "Sharon, here's your allowance for this month. Your mom just sent it over. Try not to spend it all at once."

I stared at the 10 dollars in my palm.

Then I looked up at him.

He wore that same old look of tenderness and pity.

My eyes went red, and I pulled off a sarcastic smile.

I asked, "10 dollars a month? Is that all you think I'm worth? You want me to starve to death?"

He picked up on the sarcasm in my voice.

His brows knitted together, and he said, "You know how your mom is. If I even bring up your allowance, she'll send over the divorce papers again."

I arched my eyebrow, my voice shooting up for a second. "Oh, really? Then next time she calls, I'll ask her myself."

My brother, Jason Gordon, immediately came over to me.

He gave my head a comforting pat and slipped 30 dollars into my hand.

He said, "This time, I'm calling the shots. Worst case, you don't use the AC in your room this month."

Then he winked at me and lowered his voice. "But hey, you can always sneak it on. Dad and I will pretend we don't notice."

Ever since my mom went overseas, the house had its own set of rules.

I could use all the electronics, even my phone, but I had to pay rent to the family for every single thing.

Of course, I couldn't afford it.

The only time I got to use them was on the first and last day of each month.

Countless times, I had to do my homework at night, struggling in the dark.

Sometimes, during those blazing summer days, when it was that time of the month, I'd feel like I was about to completely break down from the heat.

Crying, I'd drench myself with water to cool myself.

Looking at the 30 dollars Jason handed me, I should've felt happy if I were the old me.

But then, Adele's words suddenly popped into my head.

She once bragged that she was always sickly as a kid, so her family hired an expert to install a climate control system in their house.

The thing kept running year-round so she could always enjoy the perfect climate at home.