Chapter 2
Eddie was stunned.
Overdue? That couldn't be right.
His credit card was always on autopay.
The payment account was Rosie's payroll account, which Eddie managed.
Every month, as soon as Rosie got paid, all the bills would be automatically cleared.
Never once failed in ten years.
Eddie immediately opened the banking app.
He entered his password and logged in.
When he saw the balance on Rosie's payroll account, Eddie was dumbfounded.
The balance was thirteen cents.
Eddie thought he was seeing things.
He logged out of the app and signed back in.
The balance was still thirteen cents.
He tapped on the transaction history.
The latest transaction was from late last night.
A transfer of over 70 thousand dollars.
The recipient was an unfamiliar account.
Eddie felt a ringing in his ears. His mind was spinning.
Where did the money go?
Eddie wondered what had happened to the cash in the account.
That account didn't just have Rosie's paycheck for this month. It held every dollar she'd saved up over the years.
That was the down payment he'd been preparing for Devon's new house.
Eddie rushed out of the room.
Tessa was making breakfast.
Devon came out of his room, yawning.
"Dad, what's with all the noise? It's way too early for this," he grumbled.
Eddie held up his phone, his voice trembling. "The money! All the money in the account is gone."
Tessa dropped her spatula with a loud clang.
"What's gone?" She asked, her voice shaky. "Hasn't Rosie's card always been with you?"
Devon came over to check it out.
When he saw that thirteen cents, he was dumbfounded. "No way!
"Did Rosie take all the money?
"Didn't she leave home yesterday?"
That one line snapped Eddie back to reality.
He immediately pulled up the transfer record.
The recipient's name was partially masked, but the surname and the last letter were clearly visible.
It was Rosie.
Eddie was sure that Rosie really did it.
Eddie's blood pressure shot up, his face flushing bright red.
He shouted, "That ungrateful wretch!
"How dare she! How could she steal every last cent from the account?
"That was my money. It was supposed to be for Devon's house."
Tessa was so anxious that she was about to cry.
She asked, "What are we supposed to do now?
"Eddie, call Rosie right now and tell her to transfer the money back.
"She's probably throwing a tantrum. Talk to her nicely."
Eddie felt like he'd grabbed onto a lifeline.
He immediately pulled up Rosie's number and dialed.
The phone rang for what felt like forever.
When he thought she was going to hang up, it finally connected.
On the other end, Rosie's voice was cold and distant.
There was no emotion in it at all. "Hello."
Eddie tried to keep his tone fatherly, struggling to control his anger.
He asked, "Rosie, did you transfer the money from the account last night?
"Where did you transfer the money?
"Send it back now, and I won't hold it against you."
There were a few seconds of silence on the other end.
Then, Rosie let out a soft, cold laugh.
That laugh sent a chill down Eddie's spine.
"Dad," Rosie said. "That card was registered with my ID.
"Every dollar in there, I earned myself.
"I transferred my own money to another account I own.
"Is that a problem?"
Eddie snapped and roared into the phone. "You think that's your money?
"I raised you. Your money belongs to me.
"That was the money to buy Devon a house, his lifeline.
"I'm ordering you to transfer the money back right now.
"If you don't, don't ever call me your dad again."
The line went quiet again.
Eddie could hear his own heavy breathing.
He thought his threat had worked.
He thought Rosie would break down in tears, begging like she always did, and then obediently transfer the money back.
But what he got instead was Rosie's voice, colder and more resolute than before.
"Mr. Fisher," she said, her tone icy and distant. "I think you're mistaken about something.
"From the moment I walked out of that house yesterday, we were no longer father and daughter."
"As for the money you're talking about..." Rosie paused.
At that moment, a new text popped up on Eddie's phone.
He instinctively glanced at the screen.
It was from Rosie.
Her voice and the text notification came through at the same time.
She said indifferently, "I sent you a bill. Take a look at it first.
"Once you've read it, we can talk about the money."
With that, Rosie hung up.