novelbin Chapter 610: Athena
Chapter 610: Athena
Laura’s body stiffened.
Mary continued, her tone no longer gentle.
"Sneaking money out of my children’s piggy banks... taking small things from the house... and then reselling them for your own profit..."
Her eyes narrowed slightly. "Did you really think no one would notice?"
Laura’s eyes widened in shock, her breath hitching. ’She... she knew?’
That little "side hustle" she had been so careful about, taking items that wouldn’t immediately raise suspicion, selling them quietly for small gains, she had thought she was being clever.
But Mary had been watching.
All along.
A flicker of embarrassment flashed across Laura’s face, quickly replaced by indignation.
Her lips curled as she straightened, her voice rising defensively.
"So this is how you treat your own mother?" she snapped. "You’re truly heartless, Mary. Your own flesh and blood and you speak to me like this?"
Mary didn’t flinch.
Instead, she tilted her head slightly, her smile faint but unwavering. "You need money, don’t you?" she asked directly.
The bluntness of the question cut through Laura’s anger.
Laura fell silent.
The usual tricks, the emotional manipulation, they all felt useless under Mary’s steady gaze.
Taking a slow breath, Laura’s expression shifted. The pretense dropped, replaced by naked greed.
"Fine," she said, her voice firm now. "Give me one million dollars."
She paused, then her eyes gleamed.
"No... ten million."
Mary blinked once.
Then she laughed.
The sound was sharp, almost disbelieving, echoing faintly through the room.
"Ten million?" she repeated, her tone laced with disbelief. "Why not ask for a hundred million while you’re at it?"
Laura’s face darkened, but Mary continued, her voice turning colder.
"I thought I already paid that price," she said quietly. "When I was forced to marry that rich man... someone I didn’t even know... someone I didn’t want."
Laura immediately puffed up, her chin lifting as she shot back,
"I raised you! From childhood until you turned eighteen! Do you think that counts for nothing?"
Mary let out another short laugh, this one quieter, more tired. "Raised me?" she repeated. "Is that what you call it?"
Her eyes met Laura’s, unflinching.
"I thought I already repaid you for that," she added softly.
Laura scoffed, crossing her arms. "If you think you can cut ties with just a few hundred thousand dollars, then you’re dreaming," she sneered. "It doesn’t work that way."
Mary stared at her for a long moment.
Then she slowly shook her head.
"If that’s how it is..." she said, her voice calm but firm, "then I’ll have to make you leave."
Before Laura could react, Mary stepped forward and grabbed her wrist.
"Wait... what are you doing?" Laura protested, her voice rising in shock as she struggled.
But Mary didn’t loosen her hold.
Without hesitation, she began dragging Laura toward the door, her movements decisive, almost ruthless.
Laura stumbled slightly, her balance faltering as panic began to rise. ’This... this isn’t how it’s supposed to go...’ she thought frantically.
Laura’s chest rose and fell sharply as she stood there,
"If you throw me out, I’ll shout so loudly that every neighbor will come running, and I’ll make sure they all know exactly what kind of woman you are. I’ll tell them you’re unfilial."
Mary didn’t even flinch.
She let out a soft sigh and replied,
"You really should upgrade your way of thinking. It’s already the 21st century. Do you honestly think anyone would care about such things anymore? Even if they call me unfilial, it wouldn’t matter."
’She’s completely shameless...’ Laura’s fingers trembled as anger surged through her veins, her face turning red.
She jabbed a finger toward Mary, her voice rising, "If I had the chance, I would have never given birth to someone like you!"
Mary’s lips curved into a faint, almost chilling smile.
"That’s quite a coincidence," she replied evenly. "I share the same wish. I would never want to be born from your womb either."
Laura’s face twisted in rage, her voice trembling as she spat,
"You’ll regret this, Mary. One day, you will regret every word you’ve said."
Mary didn’t respond immediately.
Without another word, she stepped forward and forcefully pushed the door shut.
Left outside, Laura stood frozen for a second.
Hours passed, each minute stretching endlessly as she remained outside, her legs aching, her throat dry from muttering curses under her breath.
Nearly three hours later, the door finally opened again, and Aurora appeared at the entrance.
The moment Laura saw her, desperation replaced her anger.
She rushed forward and grabbed Aurora’s arm tightly.
"You can’t leave me out here. Bring me inside too. I’m your grandmother."
Aurora let out a soft chuckle.
She gently patted Laura’s hand, her touch almost mocking as she replied,
"Of course, I can consider you my grandmother... but only if you can give me the one million dollars sitting in your account."
Laura’s eyes widened instantly, her grip loosening as shock overtook her.
"What kind of that nonsense is that? One million dollars?" she blurted out, her voice filled with disbelief.
’It must be Mary... she must have told Aurora about my savings...’ she thought bitterly, her jaw tightening.
Aurora’s lips curled into a sly smile, her eyes glinting with mischief as she leaned slightly closer.
"Oh? So you don’t have one million dollars in your account?" she asked, her tone deceptively casual.
Laura nodded quickly, almost too quickly, her expression stiff. "Of course I don’t," she replied, forcing a weak laugh.
Aurora chuckled softly, her voice dropping into something darker as she continued,
"In that case... if the one million dollars in your account were to suddenly vanish into thin air, you’d be completely fine with that, right?"
Laura’s heart skipped a beat.
She stared at Aurora, her lips parting slightly as she whispered, "What do you mean by that?"
’She’s serious... she’s actually capable of doing it...’
Fear crept into Laura’s mind.
Aurora only smiled.
Laura didn’t dare move after that.
She remained outside, while curious neighbors began peeking through their doors, whispering among themselves as they wondered what was happening.
Eventually, the building’s security guard arrived and escorted her out despite her protests.
As she was dragged away, Laura shouted at the top of her lungs, her voice echoing through the premises,
"Mary! I won’t let you go! I’ll make sure you regret this!"
But Mary didn’t respond.
She continued with her life as if nothing had happened, this time surrounded by tighter security, ensuring that Laura could never approach her again.
Deep down, however, there was always a lingering fear.
’One day, she might lose control completely...’
This thought haunted not only Aurora and Alex, but also Lucas.
Because of their combined efforts, Laura rarely got any opportunity to come near Mary again.
In the midst of all this, Mary’s life slowly found a new rhythm.
Recently, she had made a new friend named Athena.
Athena worked as a librarian just like her.
However, Athena had a habit that Mary couldn’t ignore.
She often complained about her life, her voice heavy with exhaustion as she spoke about her husband.
"He goes out drinking almost every night," Athena would say bitterly. "He wastes all the money I earn, and I’m left struggling to make ends meet."
Sometimes, her complaints would turn into desperate requests.
"Can you introduce me to some side hustles?" she asked one day, her eyes filled with hope. "I need to earn something extra."
Mary could understand that feeling.
’I was once in the same position...’ she thought quietly, recalling the days when she had struggled and relied on others for guidance.
Out of kindness, she shared several legitimate opportunities with Athena, explaining them patiently.
But Athena’s enthusiasm faded quickly.
After trying for just a day, she became bored and discouraged, abandoning every option Mary had suggested.
Despite earning nothing, she still thanked Mary sincerely and occasionally brought her small portions of food as a gesture of gratitude.
Mary, in return, bought Athena things she knew she couldn’t afford but often craved.
Gradually, Athena began treating Mary like a sister. Mary didn’t think too deeply about it.
’Having a good relationship isn’t a bad thing,’ she told herself.
Then, one day, Athena made an unexpected request. "Can you lend me $2,000?" she asked hesitantly, her fingers nervously twisting together.
To Mary, the amount didn’t seem significant.
Between the money she received from her husband, her children, and her own job, along with the properties worth millions under her name, $2,000 felt trivial.
Without much hesitation, she agreed and handed over the money, believing Athena needed it more.
A week later, Athena returned, her expression even more anxious. "Can you lend me $4,000 this time?" she asked.
Mary frowned slightly, her voice turning serious as she replied, "You still haven’t returned the $2,000 I lent you."
Athena quickly explained, her words tumbling out in a rush.
"My children’s tuition is due, and now that they’ve been admitted, I don’t have any money left at all."
Hearing this, Mary felt a familiar ache in her chest.
’Back when my children were in school, I was in the same situation...’ she remembered.