Chapter 2 · When Love Comes With a Price Tag

Chapter 2

Mom's expression changed. It wasn't surprise but panic. "What money? What are you talking about? Your dad's still in surgery."

"More than 13 million dollars, Mom." I looked her right in the eye. "I transfer 1.5 million dollars to Dad every year for nine years. I've given you more than 13 million dollars in total.

"Now I only have 28 thousand dollars left in my account. What happened to Dad's account?"

Mom turned her face away, avoiding my gaze.

Eric stood up. "Nina, this isn't the time to talk about this. Dad's in surgery."

"Then you pay for it." I turned to him. "Do it."

Eric froze for a second. "I-I'm a bit strapped for cash."

"13 million dollars. That's enough to set you up for life."

"Nina, what do you mean by that? That money was for Dad and Mom."

"For Dad and Mom? Dad's surgery costs 170 thousand dollars, and you guys can't pay that. So where did the 13 million dollars go?"

The hallway was so quiet that the only sound was the distant footsteps from the nurse's station.

Mom finally spoke, her voice barely above a whisper. "Your dad lost quite a bit in business."

"How much exactly?" I pressed.

"Nina, please, not now. Your dad's life is at stake."

"How much?"

Mom fell silent, tears streaming down her face again.

I turned to Eric.

He avoided my gaze, looking down at his phone.

I noticed the watch on his wrist. It was a Patek Philippe Nautilus.

Last year, I went to the Patek Philippe store with a client. The cheapest Nautilus there cost over 200 thousand dollars.

"How much did that watch cost?" I asked Eric.

Eric quickly hid his hand behind his back. "It's on loan from a friend."

"Which friend?"

"Nina! Why are you interrogating me about this now? Can we deal with Dad's surgery first?"

I stood in the hallway, watching the two of them.

Mom was crying, and Eric kept dodging me. Neither of them would give me a straight answer.

I pulled out my phone and texted Henry: [Can you cover 170 thousand dollars for now? I'll pay you back later.]

Ten seconds later, he replied: [It's already transferred to the hospital's account.]

I put my phone back in my pocket. "Henry covered the surgery costs."

Mom looked up. "Oh, Henry is good—"

"Mom," I cut her off. "When Dad's surgery is done, we're going to settle this. No more dodging."

Mom started to say something, but ended up staying silent.

The surgery lasted four hours.

When the doctor came out, he said the hematoma was gone, and Dad wasn't in any immediate danger, but he was not out of the woods yet. He would need time to recover.

I let out a sigh of relief, but I couldn't fully relax yet.

It was about 13 million dollars.

I sat in the hospital lounge all night.

Henry texted: [Home. Lucas is asleep. Take care of yourself.]

That was it. No questions. No blame.

But I knew this wasn't over.

At 4 a.m., I couldn't sleep, so I pulled out my phone and went through my transfer records again.

It started at 50 thousand dollars a month in the first year, then went up to 80 thousand dollars by the third year, and later to 126 thousand dollars.

Every time I got a raise, I upped the amount I sent to my parents.

It was always my idea.

Every time, I'd say, "Dad, I got another promotion. From now on, I'll send you a bit more each month."

Dad would always say, "Sweetheart, you should save some for yourself. Don't give it all to us."

But he never turned it down.

I never bothered to track what happened to all that money. Because I trusted them. They were my parents.

When morning came, I went to the ICU to see Dad. He was still unconscious, his face pale and gray, hooked up to all kinds of tubes.

I stood by his bed, staring at the man who used to be so tall and strong, and suddenly, he felt like a stranger to me.

Eric stopped me in the hallway. "Nina, can you drop what you said last night? Mom didn't sleep a wink."

"You didn't answer a single one of my questions," I said.

"What questions? About the money? Nina, you know Dad needed money to keep things afloat. You know that, don't you?"

"Dad said he was done with business three years ago. He closed the factory."

Eric paused, and then said, "He launched another business after that."

"What kind of business?"

"Partnered up with someone for a building materials delivery business."

"Who was his partner?"

"Why are you getting so nosy?"

"Because more than 13 million dollars is missing." I stared him down. "Eric, you're thirty years old, no steady job, but you're driving a Porsche Cayenne, wearing a Patek Philippe, and living in an apartment worth 1.7 million dollars.

"Where did all that money come from?"

His face flushed red in an instant. "I invest—"

"Invest in what?"

"Stocks, funds..."

"Where did you get the money to invest?"

He went quiet.

I turned and headed for the elevator.

"Nina! Where are you going?"

"I'm going back to Veridian Bay. From now on, you guys will have to handle Dad's bills yourselves."

"Nina! You can't."

The elevator doors slid shut.

Chapter 2

Mom's expression changed. It wasn't surprise but panic. "What money? What are you talking about? Your dad's still in surgery."

"More than 13 million dollars, Mom." I looked her right in the eye. "I transfer 1.5 million dollars to Dad every year for nine years. I've given you more than 13 million dollars in total.

"Now I only have 28 thousand dollars left in my account. What happened to Dad's account?"

Mom turned her face away, avoiding my gaze.

Eric stood up. "Nina, this isn't the time to talk about this. Dad's in surgery."

"Then you pay for it." I turned to him. "Do it."

Eric froze for a second. "I-I'm a bit strapped for cash."

"13 million dollars. That's enough to set you up for life."

"Nina, what do you mean by that? That money was for Dad and Mom."

"For Dad and Mom? Dad's surgery costs 170 thousand dollars, and you guys can't pay that. So where did the 13 million dollars go?"

The hallway was so quiet that the only sound was the distant footsteps from the nurse's station.

Mom finally spoke, her voice barely above a whisper. "Your dad lost quite a bit in business."

"How much exactly?" I pressed.

"Nina, please, not now. Your dad's life is at stake."

"How much?"

Mom fell silent, tears streaming down her face again.

I turned to Eric.

He avoided my gaze, looking down at his phone.

I noticed the watch on his wrist. It was a Patek Philippe Nautilus.

Last year, I went to the Patek Philippe store with a client. The cheapest Nautilus there cost over 200 thousand dollars.

"How much did that watch cost?" I asked Eric.

Eric quickly hid his hand behind his back. "It's on loan from a friend."

"Which friend?"

"Nina! Why are you interrogating me about this now? Can we deal with Dad's surgery first?"

I stood in the hallway, watching the two of them.

Mom was crying, and Eric kept dodging me. Neither of them would give me a straight answer.

I pulled out my phone and texted Henry: [Can you cover 170 thousand dollars for now? I'll pay you back later.]

Ten seconds later, he replied: [It's already transferred to the hospital's account.]

I put my phone back in my pocket. "Henry covered the surgery costs."

Mom looked up. "Oh, Henry is good—"

"Mom," I cut her off. "When Dad's surgery is done, we're going to settle this. No more dodging."

Mom started to say something, but ended up staying silent.

The surgery lasted four hours.

When the doctor came out, he said the hematoma was gone, and Dad wasn't in any immediate danger, but he was not out of the woods yet. He would need time to recover.

I let out a sigh of relief, but I couldn't fully relax yet.

It was about 13 million dollars.

I sat in the hospital lounge all night.

Henry texted: [Home. Lucas is asleep. Take care of yourself.]

That was it. No questions. No blame.

But I knew this wasn't over.

At 4 a.m., I couldn't sleep, so I pulled out my phone and went through my transfer records again.

It started at 50 thousand dollars a month in the first year, then went up to 80 thousand dollars by the third year, and later to 126 thousand dollars.

Every time I got a raise, I upped the amount I sent to my parents.

It was always my idea.

Every time, I'd say, "Dad, I got another promotion. From now on, I'll send you a bit more each month."

Dad would always say, "Sweetheart, you should save some for yourself. Don't give it all to us."

But he never turned it down.

I never bothered to track what happened to all that money. Because I trusted them. They were my parents.

When morning came, I went to the ICU to see Dad. He was still unconscious, his face pale and gray, hooked up to all kinds of tubes.

I stood by his bed, staring at the man who used to be so tall and strong, and suddenly, he felt like a stranger to me.

Eric stopped me in the hallway. "Nina, can you drop what you said last night? Mom didn't sleep a wink."

"You didn't answer a single one of my questions," I said.

"What questions? About the money? Nina, you know Dad needed money to keep things afloat. You know that, don't you?"

"Dad said he was done with business three years ago. He closed the factory."

Eric paused, and then said, "He launched another business after that."

"What kind of business?"

"Partnered up with someone for a building materials delivery business."

"Who was his partner?"

"Why are you getting so nosy?"

"Where did all that money come from?"

His face flushed red in an instant. "I invest—"

"Invest in what?"

"Stocks, funds..."

"Where did you get the money to invest?"

He went quiet.

I turned and headed for the elevator.

"Nina! Where are you going?"

"I'm going back to Veridian Bay. From now on, you guys will have to handle Dad's bills yourselves."

"Nina! You can't."

The elevator doors slid shut.