Chapter 5

Mommy's expression changed in a split second. If she used to scream at me with the ferocity of a dragon, now, she was full of remorse.

"I-I'm sorry—" My hands trembled as I walked out of her room. I wanted to shout for what she had done to me, but there was a part of me that thought it was my fault that I had been slapped in the first place. Even I would be offended if I were called selfish, so I didn't say anything.

I returned to my room in a hurried manner. I even came across Seven, who appeared surprised, but I simply passed him by.

"What's going on, Aurie?" I heard him ask, but I didn't turn around to see what he was saying. Sev, something happened. Something terrible happened.

I quickly locked the door when I reached my room. The door had no double lock so I grabbed the chair and pinned it to the doorknob. I needed to beef up my security. I wasn't prepared to deal with them on my own. My mother slapped me on the face after I called her selfish. This was not very good.

I sat on the edge of my bed, a little dazed. What should I do now? I was well aware that my mother wouldn't allow me to be free. I knew that she would die first before she would allow me to do what I wanted.

My thoughts were interrupted when I heard a commotion outside. It was not outside my room; rather, it was outside the entire house. Moving over to the window, I opened the curtain a little. I saw mommy conversing with our two security guards near the gate. She was so serious that it appeared as if they were making plans for what to do if there was a thief. The two guards exchanged nods before departing from the scene. The moment mommy turned around to see where I was standing, I slid the window curtain shut quickly.

What was she planning to do?

My heart pounded in my chest at the thought. Was she increasing the level of security? So that I wouldn't be able to get away if I decided to runaway? I was nervous despite the fact that I wasn't doing anything.

"Aurora?" I turned quickly to the door when I heard Seven's voice. He only knocked twice, and then he didn't knock again. I waited for him to call me again for a few seconds, but I didn't hear anything. I took a deep breath before averting my eyes from the door. He was probably already aware of what happened between me and my mother. He was the only one in the house who was always up to date on everything, out of the entire people here.

I took a look around the room; When I was a child, this was my room. It was, I believed, renovated. I was not sure whether my choice would be right, but this was what I wanted to do. If I died, then I died. I would not hold anyone accountable for my death; I would face death alone.

I considered a plan for a few minutes before proceeding to the walk-in closet. I grabbed the black backpack and began stuffing it with clothes. What I only took was important because if it was too heavy, I might not be able to carry it. I didn't want to passed out upon leaving the house.

I was finished packing. What do I need to survive?

Money Where could I get one? Despite that I knew I wouldn't find any money in my room, I still tried to search for one. Minutes later, I came across a notebook. I opened it, expecting to find money trapped inside. I saw a card with my name on it. Additionally, it contained a large amount of numbers beneath my name.

"Aurie's trust fund," I read on the notebook's page. My eyes immediately widened. When I was a child, daddy gave this to me. He told me that it contained money, I simply needed withdrawal. He even advised me to reserve this for emergencies only.

I felt instantly encouraged. I only need to withdraw the funds and I would be fine. I quickly stowed the notebook in my bag and closed it. I was finished with everything; all that remained was for me to escape without being caught.

There was a good chance that the guards would caught me because it was still morning. I should leave when they were all unconscious or asleep. I'd wait until midnight.

That was exactly what I did. I stayed in my room the entire day, despite that I was hungry. I was just going to have to put up with my stomach churning.

I slept the entire day. This required a great deal of energy. I couldn't perish in the midst of my exile.

I considered something to do out of boredom. I couldn't simply walk away from mom without speaking a word. She would certainly be even more enraged with me. That was not something I could do to her.

I took a paper and a pen. My letter was not elegant, but I was confident that it was sufficient for her to read. My eyes began to water as I wrote the letter. For real, I would miss everything about my mother.

Dear mom, I'm sure you're crying right now as you read this. I'm aware that you disagree with my decision, but this is what I want to do. I'm sure dad would understand if he was here, so you don't have to worry about me, fleeing. I apologize for causing you stress, mom. You've already made numerous sacrifices for years of caring for me while I sleep. I no longer wish to be a burden. I want to do the things that every normal person does. Even just for four months. I know I'm going to die, but at the very least I'll die happy, right? That is precisely what everyone desires; they wish to die without repentance. Please don't blame yourself if I die for allowing me to do what I want. Oh, I forgot. I'm not angry at you because you slapped or shouted at me. I am not enraged at all. Please, always take care of yourself. Eat food on time and engage in some physical activity. I will be extremely grateful if you don't search for me after I successfully flee. That's it, Mommy. I love you.

Love, Aurie.

I wiped away the tears that had been streaming down my cheeks as I was writing the letter. I hoped she wouldn't get mad at me for leaving her.

I took the small vase from the side and placed it on top of the paper. It might fly away and mommy would be unable to read it.

The hours ticked away until dawn. The house was eerily silent, as if no one was living inside. I removed the chair that was blocking the door and placed it back on its original place. If the chair remained on the doorknob, they wouldn't be able to open it.

I peered out the window to check on the guards' whereabouts. When I noticed they were no longer there, I almost jumped out of excitement. Usually, they were in the kitchen, having a cup of coffee.

I slipped on my bag and opened the balcony quietly. My room was only on the second floor, so I should be able to beat that. I let go of my bag first to ensure a smooth jump. Fortunately, the grassy floor at the bottom kept the noise to a minimum. I took a deep breath before stepping onto the balcony railings.

I firmly closed my eyes as I jumped. I nearly gasped in pain when my buttocks collided with the grass. Fortunately, my back didn't hit the floor, as I might have passed out again.

I removed some grass from my dress before picking up the backpack. I turned around to check if the guards caught me. Fortunately, I was the only one here.

I walked to the garden's end. There was a door there that we used to use whenever there was a bad situation in the house. To be precise, an emergency exit. I was not sure if it was still there or if mommy had already set it in cement.

My lips curved into a smile when I saw it was still there. It was not immediately obvious due to the vines, but upon closer inspection, you would notice there was a wooden door.

I opened the door slowly in order to avoid making a sound. It was a little rusty, so it would most certainly make a racket when opened.

"Success." My smile widened even more when I emerged unscathed from the house. I never imagined that escaping would be so simple.

I began walking out of our house. I couldn't ride in any public transportation because I didn't have any cash on hand. I knew that they wouldn't accept cards.

I continued walking until the sun began to rise. I hadn't 't walked very far yet because I stopped several times due to exhaustion and hunger.

When I saw a park on the side, I sat down immediately on one of the benches. I was so taken with the view that I felt as though this was the first time I visited a park.

I stayed for a few hours until the crowd began to grow. The majority were children accompanied by their babysitters, while others were dogs accompanied by adults. I stared at the children running. I was so envious. If I hadn't been shot before, I might have experienced what were they doing right now. I'd never had the opportunity to play with other children before because I was too busy auditioning for our school's cheerleading teamm "Ice cream!" A child yelled. When I saw where he was running, I was immediately drawn in. I hurriedly got up and walked away from where I had been sitting. This was making me drool. If I stayed any longer, I would be tempted to snatch the ice cream from the boy's hand.

Walking on, I reached a large building. There were only a few people inside, making it clear that this was not a mall. They were all dressed appropriately for work. I realized what it was when I saw the logo on the front of the building.

"City Bank."

As I rushed to the door, the guard stopped me dead in my tracks. My heart pounded in my chest before I could even react. I turned to face him and forced a smile.

"How old are you?" he asked, his brows were raised.

"I'm 18 years old." My entire body was examined by him, from head to toe. The moment he nodded and opened the door, I let out a sigh of relief.

People had their own worlds when I got inside. Most of them looked like they came from a very rich family. Mommy used to have wealthy clients like this.

I sat on a vacant chair. It appeared that there was a queue because they moved seats sequentially when a seat was becoming empty.

I hugged my backpack as I removed it from my body. My trust fund card was in a notebook in the bag. I was grateful that the notebook contained all of the information I needed. I even had my national ID inside.

It took a long time for my turn. A few feet from the receptionist, I got up from my chair and headed towards the counter.

"Hello, ma'am. I'm here to assist you." The lady greeted. I plastered a smile as I slid the card into the slot on the counter.

"I want to withdraw." She picked up the card and did something to it. A seconds after, she gave me a piece of paper with questions on it, and I immediately started answering them right away. Every time I went to the bank with mommy before, I saw her do this. Following my answers, I returned the document to her.

"ID, please?" I bit my lip and handed her my ID. She did the same thing with my ID as she did with my trust fund card. My nerves were heightened when I saw her forehead crease before she looked up at me.

"Is this you, ma'am?" she asked, the confusion was evident on her face. I forced a smile and gave her a quick nod.

"Is this your government-issued photo identification? This is valid for 15 years, according to this page. Since you're 18 years old, you're covered for the next four years. We don't need any other forms of identification because this is a national ID that can be used to make deposits and withdrawals."

"I'm curious as to how much money is on that card. As far as I remember, my father never told me how much money I was allowed to take out of that trust fund account. May I know, miss?"

"Sure, ma'am," She inserted the card into a machine. She returned her gaze to the screen after a few more keystrokes.

"There are millions of dollars in your bank account, ma'am. To be exact, it was three million dollars." My eyes immediately widened. What? Did I hear her right? I didn't expect that much money from my father.

"O-Oh. So, how can I withdraw it? Isn't my signature all that's required? I'd like to withdraw a hundred thousand dollars."

"Yes, your signature and this ID are the only requirements. However, the government would interrogate you regarding the large withdrawal. A lot of paperwork and possibly multiple IDs will be required of you."

Geez I didn't want to go to the bank more than once for fear that mommy would be able to track my movements. Dad gave me this card, but I was pretty sure Mom was aware of it as well. When it comes to me, they wouldn't make decisions alone.

"H-How can I withdraw it without the government knowing or filing a government report?" If the government got involved in my money withdrawal, my mother would know exactly where I was. She was well-connected to them.

"Any transactions under ten thousand dollars will be omitted from your records. You're free to withdraw it at any time today." What I heard made me heave a heavy sigh. That was terrible. I couldn't afford to live with ten thousand dollars for four months. In the blink of an eye, I could be out of money.

"Are there any other ways?" I asked, my hopes starting to fade. I should make this happen. Coming back to our house was the last thing I wanted to do.

"There's no other legal way. Please accept my apologies, ma'am. I'm powerless to change it because it's our policy." I bit my lip once more. I only had to ask her a few more questions before I realized she was getting irritated. By now, many customers had grown impatient with me 'cause I was taking so long.

"Ma'am, I'm afraid that's impossible. There's a way out if you won't deposit or withdraw. There are still a large number of customers to attend to. I think you're annoying them."

"What the hell is going on here?" The receptionist and I both turned our heads to see where the voice came from.

It was a woman carrying a Chanel handbag. She was taller than me, perhaps because she was wearing high heels. Her lips were flushed with the thick lipstick. We were probably the same age, but her face was significantly more mature. She was quite lovely, to be sure. She was giving me the vibe of a mean girl. Her brows were more prominent than mine. Her hair was long, but mine was longer than hers. Perhaps it was because my hair hadn't been cut in ten years. If I had been getting haircuts on a yearly basis, she might have had longer hair than I did. Her porcelain-like skin was radiant. Oh, how to be like her? I was lighter in complexion, which made me even more envious. Due to my skin tone, I resembled a white lady.

She approached us and gave me a thorough examination from head to toe. I suddenly felt uncomfortable. While she was looking at me, it was as if she owned the entire world. Even the bank employees were staring at her. She had the potential to be the next Miss Universe because of her beauty.

"G-Greetings, Ms. Lopez! There's a costumer here, and she is causing havoc. I am sending her away, but she still refuses." I nearly passed out when the receptionist said that. That was not true! I was simply asking as to whether there was another way!

Nervousness caused me to bite my lip. I was not sure why I was unable to defend myself. That was not true but I couldn't say that she was also wrong. I knew that it violated their rules, which was why they were unwilling to agree to what I wanted. Perhaps if I continued to force them, their business would suffer. I simply looked at the woman who had previously spoken. She locked her gaze on me. If a single look was all it takes to kill you, I believed I was going to die today. Her aura was intimidating; she clearly had the financial means to throw me out of this bank.

"Don't you realize she's a friend of mine? You have no right to make her leave." I immediately stared at the pretty woman.

Friend? I hadn't had a friend since I was a child.

"Friend of yours?" The receptionist mumbled and aimed her finger at me. The lady nodded and approached me.

"Yes! Right, Aurie?" She wrapped her arm around me and gently squeezed my shoulders, as if telling me to go with the flow. I nodded, hesitantly. How did she know my nickname? Was she a stalker or something?

"Aurora is her given name," the receptionist corrected her. The woman beside me raised her brows, she looked irritated.

"I know. Are you unfamiliar with nicknames? By the way, please grant my friend her request." My eyes immediately widened. Who the heck was she? Was she the bank's owner? However, she was still too young to serve as CEO!

"Ms. Lopez, she wishes to withdraw a hundred thousand without informing us or reporting it to the government. That's not permitted under our rules, ma'am. I'm sure we'll all suffer the consequences if we don't adhere to the bank's policy."

"I don't care. That's her money, isn't it? I'll tell my dad. Stop concerning about your job; I won't fire you." Though skeptical, the receptionist followed through on what the pretty woman next to me stated. I couldn't believe she just said that and was immediately obeyed by the receptionist.

Who the hell was this girl?