Chapter 2

Several large dumpsters sit outside the apartment complex.

The moment I step out of the cab,

I see two familiar figures with a little girl of about seven or eight, digging through the dumpsters for leftover food.

Everyone passing by looks at them with disgust.

Then they turn around.

I freeze on the spot.

Those two elderly people are my parents.

And the little girl is my daughter, Isabella.

The next second,

I rush over in fury, snatch the sour-smelling leftovers from their hands, and slam them onto the ground.

Mom and Dad stare at me blankly.

“Even if you’re trying to save money, you can’t eat food out of a dumpster!”

I’m so angry that every hair on my body seems to stand on end.

I know older people can be extremely frugal.

But no matter how much you want to save,

you still have to take care of your health.

Mom and Dad are getting old.

And Isabella is only seven.

If they keep eating spoiled food like this,

sooner or later, someone is going to get sick.

By then, whatever money they saved won’t even cover the medical bills.

Mom and Dad keep staring at me.

The next second,

Mom’s eyes turn red.

She slaps me hard across the face.

“You monster.”

“Why didn’t you just die overseas?”

“Why did you come back?”

I stare at the fury in her eyes, completely stunned.

But I can only explain.

“Mom, I’m a vice president now. I’ve been so busy with work that I haven’t had time to come back and see you…”

Dad bends down and picks up a broken brick.

He roars at me.

“You bastard!”

“You still have the nerve to call yourself a vice president?”

“You destroyed this whole family!”

“I’ll kill you!”

He charges at me with the brick.

I dodge frantically while trying to explain.

“Dad, I’ve been working to make money!”

“Can’t you understand that?”

Just then,

Isabella suddenly drops to her knees.

“I’m hungry…”

Her hands desperately search the ground.

She grabs the sour leftovers I just threw away.

Then she starts stuffing them into her mouth.

The sight makes my eyes burn with rage.

“Isabella!”

“Don’t eat that!”

“Mommy has money!”

“I’ll take you somewhere nice. You can eat anything you want!”

Bang!

I’m too slow to dodge this time.

The brick in Dad’s hand slams into my head.

Pain explodes through my skull.

The world spins.

Then Dad’s furious roar crashes into my ears.

“You monster!”

“We sold everything we owned to pay off your debts!”

“And you’re standing here telling me you have money?”

“Bullshit!”

He raises the brick again.

“Wait!”

I shout desperately.

Dad stops.

I clutch my head and stare at him.

“When did I ever ask you to sell everything to pay off my debts?”

“I’m a vice president. I make hundreds of thousands a year…”

“You monster!”

Dad cuts me off.

“You’re still pretending?”

“I’ll kill you today!”

“I’ll act like I never had a daughter!”