Chapter 26 026
Chapter 26 Talia’s POV
I shortened the distance between me and my mother so that I could look her directly in the eye. "Mom, you are literally the Beta of this pack. The only family that could dream of making you come second is the Alpha family. How is it possible that you could have so little that you can't even give anything for your grandchild's treatment?"
I knew I sounded entitled, but I was shocked. I had been raised to be humble, but I knew the background I came from was anything but poor. We were well-off, and now Mom looked like she was weeks away from being evicted, even though she owned the house she was living in.
Before she could answer, our conversation was broken by the smell of smoke and the sight of it filling up the kitchen. She looked between me and the pot that had gone dry, the pasta burning and sticking to the bottom.
"Talia, why don't you step out for a minute? I'll take care of this. Just give me a moment and I'll explain everything."
I decided that avoiding a fire hazard was more important than what I had to say, at least for the moment. I stepped out of the kitchen. She took care of it, coming out about fifteen minutes later.
She stood right outside the kitchen. "It happened two years ago. An investment worth millions. I was assured that I would make double the profits, and so I didn't hesitate as much as I should have. I didn't question the holes that continuously popped out in the project. Before I knew it, it was exposed to be nothing more than a Ponzi scheme."
She collapsed to the ground, falling to her knees. I came over to her.
"Mom, please..."
"I'm sorry, Talia. At first, I should have just come to you to help me out, but I was ashamed. So I tried to make up for it. I tried to get back that money, and the more I did, the more money I lost in the process. Before I knew it, I was pawning off... off precious Nightwhisper family heirlooms and anything I could get my hands on. I told myself that eventually I would have a big break and all the money would come flowing right back to me. It didn't. Right now, to say my finances are a mess would be a grave understatement."
I almost collapsed along with her, but instead, I kept on my feet and gently pulled her up. My mother's entire weight fell on me, but nevertheless, I carried her over to a chair in the living room. I went to get her a glass of water.
She drank it and gathered herself before breaking into apologies again. "I'm really so sorry, Talia."
"I don't know, Mom. I'm not trying to blame you, but... well, how could this have happened? You were never the type to take such risky ventures."
She held back the answer and asked me if she could get another glass of water. I did so, and when I returned, she finally told me.
"It was Eugene and Alana. They told me that they had also invested in the business, and bringing another person along with them was going to bring more profit as well. I believed them. I mean, was there any reason why I shouldn't have? I've known them for years and they were your in-laws. I thought that if there was anyone I could trust, it was definitely them. But when that business came crashing down and I went over to them, they seemed hardly touched by it. They told me that they had withdrawn their investments and were going to contact me before the entire thing fell to the ground."
She took a shaky breath. "They made promises. They told me that they would help me get back on my feet and even loaned me some money. But then they started acting differently about the loan, pressuring me to get their money back. I ended up taking desperate measures. Before I knew it, I was in even more debt. It was like a pit that would never stop sinking."
She buried her face into her palms. "I'm so sorry, Talia. I know I've already said this a thousand times, but i really so sorry. And now Liam..."
I couldn't even continue to console my mother much. I just sat on the floor. Defeat dripped like concrete. She was in no position to help; in fact, it looked like I’ll be the one helping her. I really wanted to keep consoling her, but my strength did not let me. I just told her that I would go to bed, not even caring about the hunger gnawing at my stomach.
It had barely been hours since I had puffed out my chest and told Varian that I didn't need him anymore. In that moment, pumped with adrenaline and anger, I had felt so proud of myself for standing up to him, even as my heart was being shredded in real-time. Now, I had neither my pride nor anything worth preserving if I could not save my little boy.
So, after a brief debate with myself, I picked up my phone, unblocked his number, and called him. The first few rings went unanswered. On the third one, a high-pitched voice came through, which I instantly recognized as Shelly’s.
"Talia? I was wondering why you hadn't already called."