Chapter 2

My dad always knew Mom would never change, so even after he opened his own factory, he kept acting poor. I only found out the truth when I caught him coming out of a five-star hotel by accident. He'd been hiding his money all along, just so Mom wouldn't bleed the family dry.

To make sure I kept quiet, he promised he'd bail me out whenever I was in trouble.

But in my last life, when I was on my knees begging him to lend me 200 thousand dollars to pay off my boss, he didn't give me a single penny.

He sold me off to that twisted old man and let me suffer, while he saved a mountain of gold for Jodie.

Mom tore the house apart, and not only did she find Dad's car keys hidden in the toilet tank, but she also dug up a stash of his secret cash.

She handed the keys to Colby, and his eyes lit up, but he made a face, pretending not to care.

"This so-called Mercedes? Eh, it'll do. I guess I can make do with it," he said.

Mom didn't know much about cars, but seeing Colby's reaction, she could tell the car was worth a lot.

"Go ahead and drive it. Whatever your brother-in-law owns, you can use," she said.

They wandered around the underground garage for a while before finally spotting the car tucked away in a corner.

Colby drove off, grinning from ear to ear, and as soon as he was gone, Mom started cursing up a storm at home.

"That damn old man! He's been hiding all this money behind my back!" Mom yelled.

"I've been slaving away at home, and he goes and buys himself a fancy car to show off. And he even had the nerve to lie and say it was his boss's," she said.

I reminded her, "Mom, even if they're family, you can't just take stuff without thinking.

"And you didn't even check with Dad first. We don't even know whose car that is."

Mom shot me a glare and snapped, "What do you know? Colby's one of us. Why make a fuss over something like this?

"This is just how things work in a family. I'm doing it all for you."

Mom was always talking about family favors and politics. Ever since Grandpa passed away and her side of the family got pushed around, she got obsessed with earning respect.

Even if it meant living rough herself, she was always hustling to scrape up cash for every cousin and aunt, just so she could finally get some respect at family gatherings.

Over the years, she kept raiding our house for things to send back to her side of the family, and finally earned herself a bit of credit with them.

But everyone knew the score. If there was something up for grabs, only an idiot would walk away empty-handed.

This time around, I managed to hand the car over to my boss without a hitch, and my job was safe for now.

Of course, Mom wasn't done yet. She managed to get me into another mess.

I walked in from work and saw my cousin, Isaac Madden, sprawled out on the couch, picking his nose.

When he saw me, he wiped his booger on the couch cushion and greeted me with a huge grin. "Caroline, it's been a long while! I missed you to death!"

I wrinkled my nose in disgust and forced a smile.

Mom came over with a plate of freshly washed fruit and, for once, actually handed me a banana. "Isaac just got out of jail. You need to get him a job at my office," she said.

Isaac was always slacking off and had a habit of petty theft. He'd just finished a stint in jail, and as soon as he got out, Colby dumped him on us.

I shot Isaac a look. He looked like a total thug, and I shook my head. "No way. I can't get him a job."

Mom's face turned stormy. She slammed the fruit plate down on the table and snapped at me, "What good are you if you won't even help your cousin out?

"He's a young man, ready to work. What's stopping you?"

I stayed quiet. Mom knew Isaac had a record, and I had a government job. Getting someone like him in would be career suicide. Not to mention, I could end up in legal trouble myself.

When I didn't respond, Mom snatched up an apple and hurled it at me. "I'm talking to you. Quit playing dumb.

"What's so special about that crappy job of yours? I'm giving you a chance to help out; you should be grateful. Who do you think you are, putting on airs?"

She kept griping at me, "I already promised Colby. Now, how am I supposed to explain this to him?"

I rubbed my forehead and bit the bullet, saying, "I can't help you. If you need something, go ask someone else.

"I don't have that kind of pull to get someone into a government job."

Isaac swaggered over, smirking. "Aunt, looks like you're not as reliable as you claim."

Mom couldn't stand losing face, so she rolled up her sleeves, looking like she was about to smack me.

Just then, Dad walked in, with Jodie trailing behind him, arms full of shopping bags.

I quickly ducked behind Dad.

Dad spotted Isaac and called out, "What's the drama now? Why is everyone running around like their hair's on fire?"

Jodie shot me a look, eyebrow raised, and smirked, "Uh-oh, what did you do this time to get Mom all riled up?"

Growing up, I was always the odd one out in this family. Whenever Mom lost her temper at me, Dad and Jodie would just keep their heads down, acting like it was none of their business. They were scared they'd get dragged into the mess too.

Deep down, I couldn't help but feel left out.