Chapter 255
I frowned at the way Luke held me by my wrist and angrily shook free of him.
"What's wrong with you?" I sneered, "If you want a job, go attend an interview for it by yourself. What do you plan to get by begging this way? Actually, even beggars know they need to kneel down and grovel to ask for money. You've not even gotten to that point yet."
Luke's face grew more and more dark with every word that I spoke.
"I'm your older brother. How dare you talk to me this way? You're actually comparing me to a beggar?"
"You're worse than a beggar." I said, my voice dripping with sarcasm.
Luke seemed like he had more to say, but I cut him off directly. I pulled out my phone and searched for Jason's contact, "You really need a job, right? I'll call Jason right now and get you an opportunity for an interview straight away."
Luke stopped me just as I was about to place the call.
"Sue, are you deliberately trying to embarrass me?"
I laughed, "This won't work, that won't work—do you think the world revolves around you?"
I gave him one final weathering look, and walked away.
I was still at work, when Luke began texting me.
Luke: [Mom's surgery is done. The doctor said it went well, but Mom's body is too weak now. She really needs someone to take care of her.]
Luke: [Take Mom to your place to look after her for a while. Once I find a job, I'll bring her back to my place.]
Luke: [You're a wealthy wife now, you definitely surrounded by people who can help. Let Mom stay at your place, so I can focus on finding work without constantly worrying about her.]
Luke: [Give me an address. When Mom gets discharged, I'll bring her over.]
As I read through his messages, all I could think about was how shameless he was. I smiled a thin, mirthless smile and replied him.
Me: [No.]
Hearing Cora's name alone on a good day, was enough to dampen my mood. Now he actually expected me to be willing to bring Cora into my home? Did he think I was some kind of pushover? Or a masochist?
That single word seemed to pierce Luke's fragile ego, and he followed up with a flood of more messages.
Luke: [Sue, you can't be this heartless!]
Luke: [She's not just my mother, she's your mother as well! Even legally, I'm in the right here. I'm just asking you to look after Mom for a bit and you're refusing to do so, coming up with all these lame excuses. How can I trust you to care for mum when she's old?]
Luke: [Mom needs to have someone who is constantly by her side. If I'm at home all day, caring for her, when will I get the chance to look for a job? How am I supposed to fend for myself if I don't have a job?]
How Luke lived his life was none of my concern. The worst that could happen, would be him having to live off our parents. After all, Luke was familiar with such a life and was a champion at living that way. Now suddenly he's had an epiphany? A man in his thirties, almost forty, suddenly wants to be self-reliant?
I shook my head, casually tossed my phone aside, and put it on silent. I chose to focus on my work and missed all of Jason's messages that later came in.
It wasn't until I had finished with my work and checked up my phone that I finally saw them.
Jason: [Honey, I'm working late tonight and won't be home early. Don't wait for me for dinner, I'll eat out.]
Jason: [Honey, work is so exhausting. I miss you.]
Jason: [Honey, are you extra busy today? It's been two hours since I heard from you.]
A series of crying emojis followed that string of texts.
I couldn't help but smile. Where did he always find such emojis? Were people aware that the Jason who seemed to be so aloof in public, was actually this clingy in private?
I texted him back, a smile playing on my lips.
Me: [I wasn't willingly ignoring your texts.]
Jason: [Then what happened? Did someone upset you?]
I had to wonder, was this how well we understood each other?
Me: [Luke's been acting crazy these days, desperately asking me to get him a job, and making comments about needing to bring Cora over to our place for her recovery.]
Jason: [I'll handle it.]
A moment later, Jason sent me some information.
Jason: [I just discovered that, Luke borrowed money from various online lending platforms to pay for Cora's surgery.]
I was puzzled.
Me: [He is unmarried with no job. What kind online lender would give him money? Weren't they worried he wouldn't be able to pay back?]
Jason: [They're all unregulated platforms with very high interest rates, not much different from loan sharks. I guess the reason he's so anxious for a job is stemming from the fear of not being able to pay them back.]
Now I understood. It had just never occurred to me that someone as selfish as Luke would actually be willing to borrow money for Cora.
Jason: [Honey, if you want to give him a job, I can make arrangements for it.]
Me: [No, the Miller family can barely protect themselves right now. They won't be able to keep blacklisting him in Seaside City to keep him from finding work.]
Me: [If he really has any sense of responsibility, then he should be able to find a job by himself.]
The reason Luke kept on pestering me about this was because he'd made the request before. He's already lost his pride at this point. What difference did it make if he was being shameless about it? After all, Glacier Corp possessed the best benefits in all of Seaside City.
Even if I don't acknowledge my relationship with Luke, everyone in the workplace was smart enough. As long as they knew Luke as Jason's "brother-in-law," Luke's life was bound to be pretty comfortable.
But why should he? What kind of life did I once live? Why should Luke get to use someone else's influence?
My phone vibrated two times while I was l thought about all these things. Jason sent a kissing emoji.
Jason: [Okay, whatever you say, honey. Kiss kiss.]
That evening, with Jason working late and not coming home for dinner, Jessica and I ate together. Jessica kept looking my way while we ate, and her stares made me feel a bit helpless.
"Jessica, if you have something to say, then you could just spit it out."
"Mommy, Uncle Luke called me today." After thinking for a moment, Jessica spoke slowly, "He said Grandma is very sick now and needs someone to take care of her. He said when Grandma gets discharged, he'll bring her to our house, and he asked me for our address."
My temper immediately flared up when I heard this. Was Luke ever going to stop? Harassing me wasn't enough for him—now he's setting his sights on Jessica? If he thinks using Jessica as a messenger would change my mind, then he was so very wrong! He has no idea what a mother's boundaries are. I could argue with Luke about other things, but he dared to turn his attention to Jessica...
"Mommy." Just as I was thinking about giving Luke a warning, Jessica's somewhat anxious voice rang out.
I immediately snapped back and gave her a reassuring smile.
"What is it, sweetie?"
"Mommy, did I do something wrong? You look really upset." Jessica asked carefully, "Should I not have answered Uncle's call?"
"It's okay, Mommy doesn't blame you. Mommy's just angry that Luke could be so shameless. From now on, if he calls again, just hang up. No, immediately block his number." I pinched Jessica's little face and rubbed her head, "We have nothing to do with them anymore. We don't need to pay attention to them."
Jessica blinked very slowly and asked tentatively, "So Grandma won't come live at our house?"
"No." I shook my head firmly.
Jessica visibly relaxed. She patted her little chest, "That's good, that's good. When Uncle Luke told me today, I was so nervous. Grandma isn't nice at all. I don't want her living in our house."