Chapter 2

I lifted my head, wanting another kiss, but Vincent pushed me away.

"I have court tomorrow. I can't get too tired," he said.

Oh, that was fine.

I had been dying for this for over twenty years. No wonder I lost control.

I wasn't mad that he refused. I got dressed and got out of bed.

Vincent rolled over, looking at me in shock. "Where are you going?"

"To the guest room. This bed's a disaster," I said.

It was all wet and uncomfortable. I could end up sick if I stayed there.

I used to put up with it to be all lovey-dovey, but now I was taking care of myself. If someone wanted to deal with this mess, be my guest.

I slammed the door shut, blocking out Vincent's complicated expression.

The next morning, I slept until ten. Sure enough, he was gone, leaving a note: [Off to Hamston for a week.]

Under the note was a stack of cash for living expenses.

Vincent always insisted on handing me cash. I could never figure out if he was trying to embarrass me or what.

I counted it. He left 30 thousand, generous as usual.

I changed clothes, grabbed the cash, and headed straight to the bank.

As soon as I walked in, I almost got lost.

I was a typical spoiled girl who never had to lift a finger, and I didn't know the first thing about practical stuff.

Anything even a little complicated, and I was lost.

Finally, I managed to flag down a staff member who led me to the counter.

I turned Vincent's cash into gold bars, and for good measure, moved my own savings into a new account.

After all that, I hopped in a cab and headed home.

If I remembered right, my parents' business was already in trouble, but they were still keeping it from me.

As soon as I walked in, I could feel the heavy, gloomy atmosphere hanging in the air.

My dad was sitting on the couch, smoking, while my mom was scratching her head, staring at the computer screen.

When they saw me, they exchanged a glance and forced a fake smile.

As they were about to say something, I waved my hand to stop them.

"Save the act. I already know about the mess with the business," I said.

My parents ran an old-school business, and the internet had hit them hard. They'd put all their money into one project, but it backfired.

Their funds were about to run out, and they were facing a tough choice.

One option was to double down and take another risky shot.

The other option was to sell everything, plug the hole, and shut down for good.

Last time, my parents couldn't let it go and decided to take one last gamble.

They lost it all. My dad was so pissed that he chain-smoked every day until he ended up with lung cancer.

My mom tried to get back on her feet, but every dollar she earned got sucked up by debts. We could barely keep our heads above water.

So this time, I didn't beat around the bush. I told them the truth.

"Dad, Mom, stop fighting it. You're way behind the times, and the factory's never going to bounce back," I said.

AI was moving so fast that it was crushing old-school businesses.

If my parents couldn't keep up, it was no surprise they ended up losing out.

When they heard I wanted to shut down the business, they both got anxious. "What do you know? You've never cared about the family business.

"Yeah, I asked Simon and Ronald. They said if we wanted to take another risk, they'd help us out."

Yeah, Simon and Ronald did lend a hand back then.

But soon enough, they turned into debt collectors, showing up at our place all the time.

I gave a bitter smile. "Mom, Dad, let me tell you why I know what I'm talking about."

Hugging my knees and curling up on the couch, I told them everything about what happened before I got a second chance at life.

There was no need to keep secrets from the ones I loved most.

My parents were hit hard by my story.

My dad had tears streaming down his face. "Sweetheart, you spent all those years scrubbing dishes to pay off our debts?

"And you ended up dying alone in a hospital because we couldn't afford the bills?"

He grabbed my hand, his whole body trembling. My mom stayed quiet, her head down for a long moment.

Finally, she looked up, her face caught between a smile and tears.

"Alright, this time we'll listen to you, sweetheart. No more struggling," she said.

My parents started winding down the family business.

After all those years of experience, after paying off debts and covering losses, we still had over 100 thousand and a villa left.

After signing the sales contract, my parents stood in the factory lobby, looking around with complicated emotions.

"We worked our whole lives, and in the end, we didn't leave anything behind. The factory, the land, and all the equipment are someone else's," my dad said.

I linked arms with them. "Dad, Mom, don't worry. As long as we're alive, that's what matters most."

Quitting the traditional business meant losing millions of dollars.

If we kept stubbornly pushing through, we'd never get back on our feet.

Now that my parents didn't have to work anymore, they became idle with nothing to do.

For a while, they didn't know what to do with themselves. They drifted, feeling aimless.

I pulled out the millions of dollars I'd saved over the years and handed the money to them.

I said, "Dad, Mom, this is everything I've saved up my whole life. It's all yours now.

"Even though my life before was miserable, I still saw how quickly things changed.

"The factory went under because you were always grinding away at work, never had time to pick up anything new.

"If you rush into something new without knowing what you're doing, it's bound to be risky.

"So here's what I think. Take this money, study for an MBA, and learn some new stuff. Maybe one day, we can make a comeback, okay?"

My parents looked at me in surprise and then broke into smiles.

"Jessie, you've grown up. You know what you're talking about," my dad said.

"Alright, we'll listen to you. We'll go learn something new," my mom added.

Striking while the iron was hot, I stayed up all night hunting down the top business courses in the country for them.

Two days later, they flew off to Ostaville to start their classes.

Meanwhile, I let go of a few extra staff and made sure the security was all set before heading back to the place where Vincent and I lived.

When I got home, Vincent was already there, lounging on the couch and looking over some files.

As soon as he saw me, he gathered up the documents and stuffed them into his laptop bag.

He got up and headed for the study.

I ignored him, took a shower, and started watching video editing tutorials in the bedroom.

One of my besties was a social media star, and she kept saying the internet was super hot now.

I didn't have any real skills. I was good at faking it and looking fancy on the outside, fooling people into thinking I was something special.

So, I figured I should try my hand at vlogging. Maybe I would go viral.

As I was watching the video, Vincent pushed the door open and stood quietly behind me.

"Wanna do it?" he asked.