Arletta Jessica McDowell POV
I have finished talking to Mr. Jonathan Meier, or at least that man might have been him because he did not deny being called that during our conversation. Now, I need to be able to talk to Mom, especially regarding the sick letter requested by the manager.
"If it is just asking for a doctor confirmation, it should be easy, because The Hidden Dragon has several hospitals spread across Dumorz. In the past when I went there, all the staff, including the doctors and hospital directors recognized me and gave me VVIP treatment, because they all knew I was Mom's daughter."
I still remember when I was sick with a fever that turned out to be caused by laryngitis. Mom took me to one of the hospitals, and it turned out that they were honouring us, but it confused me. Yeah, if anyone thought the mafia was a lie, they should meet Mom because no one would ever guess that she was the top leader of an influential mafia group in this country.
"If I am not mistaken, my parent was in the dining room. Is Dad still there or has he gone to the office? I need to see Mom, but what will I say?" I kept muttering while thinking of what would be an effective way to carry out the mission safely, even if it seemed impossible.
I looked at the screen of my phone which had a digital clock on it. It was already 11:30 AM, and I had not gotten some good ideas.
"How should I be-"
Before I could finish mumbling, there was a knock on the door. My attention was drawn to it. Why would anyone want to enter the room? Who was it? I have told all the servants not to clean the room while I was still here.
"Who is that?" I asked in a rather loud voice, having lazily walked that way.
"Lizzy! Aren't you going to college?" I recognized Mom's voice answering my question, which was coming from behind the door.
Gosh! Mom was here, and it was like she had telepathy. She could suddenly appear, even though I had not called or met her at all. Was this a good or bad sign for me? I had no idea.
"Wait a minute, Mom!" I had to lie, and hopefully, she would not catch on.
I crossed my index finger over my middle finger as a sign of wishing for good luck, then walked towards the door with a bit of haste.
"Lizzy! You will be late getting to college! Come on! Get out from your room!"
Mom sounded impatient, and that was just how she was. I must be prevented from getting angry with her, because for Mom education came first.
"Wait, Mom!"
I tried to get to the door as quickly as possible because she'd be even more chatty if I did not. It was not uncommon for Mom to knock relentlessly until her son opened the door. If that happened, then the situation would have become very serious because she was already in a state of anger.
Finally, I arrived at my destination and opened the door. Mom was standing there looking annoyed, but still safe. She looked at me strangely as if there was something wrong with my appearance.
"Why are you still wearing the same clothes? Did you not take a shower? What was wrong with you?" Mom peppered me with three questions, and they all answered very quickly. Fortunately, I understood what she was asking.
"Mom, can we talk for a while?" I purposely did not want to answer all her questions, because I had to talk about something important about my plan.
Mom raised her eyebrow and did not want to comment yet. Instead, she looked left and right as if she was monitoring the situation around my room. "What do you want to talk about?" asked Mom in a low voice.
"Can we do it in my room for our safety?" I asked, gesturing toward the couch that Ben and I had been using.
"Sure."
Mom came into the room, and I closed the door. I was grateful that she accepted the invitation right away because the safety of conversation was everything to us. Mom walked towards the sofa, while I followed her behind.
I hope I did not misspeak because the consequences could be fatal. Using the same excuse as I talked to Ben was better so Mom did not get suspicious. Yeah, that was a really good idea.
Mom sat on the long sofa, and I sat next to her. I hated lying, but it was something I had to do to avoid getting into trouble again. I just wanted to live a normal and happy life, even though the biggest disturbance came from Dad.
"Just talk."
My heart beat faster because Mom asked me to talk. I was not good at lying, but this time, I had to try so that my white lies would not be detected by her.
"Mom, I skipped college and worked part-time for three days." I started the lie, already feeling stuck with the problem at hand. All of this was because of Dad!
Mom glared, but she did not interrupt me at all. I was grateful to have a mother who allowed her children to explain things to her until the end.
"I am not doing this out of my own free will, but my head is about to explode, especially since Dad acted up this morning in the dining room. I can't think and my mood is ruined. It is impossible to concentrate on studying or working, so I need some days for rest."
I was surprised at myself for being so good at telling lies. Hopefully, this was a good start, even if it was the wrong way. Mom had not commented yet, as if she was still waiting for additional explanation and I had to find a way to achieve the goal even if it was difficult. May the universe bless this action even though it was wrong.
"I have contacted the two professors who will be teaching today and Mr Meier, the manager at the restaurant where I work part-time. I only need about three to four doctor's statements stating that I have a fever and need to rest for three days."
"Why do you need that many letters?" Mom finally asked but in a probing tone. I was familiar with her habits, so I did not feel that the question was a burden.
"I need four letters because two letters are for professors, one letter is for the academic department of the college which will be submitted online on the website, then the original must be requested by them. The last letter is for Mr. Meier, the manager of Granola restaurant." I answered honestly because that was what I needed.
All places had rules regarding the absence of their members, including the university where I studied and the place where I worked.
"Then where are you going?" asked Mom, after a few minutes of silence.
"The plan is, I will-"
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