Chapter 6 A Mean Stepmother

"It is a genuine YSL cologne spray manufactured in France and only costs a hundred dollars after discount since my sister bought it on sale. That's pretty cheap if you'll ask me." Aisha bristled in disbelief, curling her lips disapprovingly. Then she picked one up and stuck it in Alice's hand.

"I appreciate your kindness, but there's no need to give me one. I don't use lipstick."

Alice pursed her lips into a smile as she shoved the lipstick back into Aisha's hand. She then got herself a glass of water.

One hundred dollars? That seemed absurd!

It was a sufficient amount for her to purchase half a month's breakfast!

Aisha took back the lipstick and noticed Alice's rosy pink lips. Her cheeks flushed, she was furious and embarrassed.

The pantry suddenly became quiet. The female colleagues blinked at each other with odd expressions when they felt the strain between the two women.

When Alice was about to leave with her glass of tea, she overheard Aisha muttering contemptuously, "She's such a cheapskate. She can't even spare a hundred bucks!"

"Tsk! She regards herself as natural beauty and looks fine without make-up. She has no interest in your lipstick,"

a female colleague mumbled bitingly under her breath.

However, regardless of what they were saying about her, Alice pretended not to hear them. Instead, she directed all her energy at work well and continued earning a salary to support her family.

'Hmm. Speaking of salary, today is the payday, right?'

After getting off work, Alice proceeded to the bank to withdraw her monthly wage. Finally, there was a trace of warmth on her gloomy face.

She put a thin bundle of cash inside her handbag. Even though the amount wasn't much, it still provided her a sense of security.

With the last rays of the setting sun giving the sky a warm orange tinge, she went back home.

Meanwhile, Mary was waiting on the living room couch inside an old apartment building with three bedrooms and a fully equipped kitchenette.

When Aylin heard the door open and saw Alice come in, she set the comic book down and looked up, and her eager eyes firmly fixed on the small handbag in Alice's hand.

"Auntie, this is my salary for this month."

Alice halfheartedly took out the cash from her bag and handed it over to Mary. She felt defenseless to let go of the hard-earned money that she had just received earlier in the afternoon.

Her family's daily expenses relied solely on her income, including her father's medical bills. The burden of paying off everything rested on her shoulders.

The eagerness on Mary's face to collect the money was so noticeable that she counted it right away. Her lips pressed together, and her eyes swept over Alice with dissatisfaction. "How come you're only giving me this much?"

"I don't think that's enough. How soon can I buy a new iPhone?"

Aylin grumbled discontentedly. "All my classmates are using the latest iPhones, and I'm the only one left with a cheap Android phone. I feel so ashamed to hold it in public!"

"I've put all of my month's pay right there. Aylin, the Android phone also has a practical design and high quality. It is not inferior to an iPhone. I've had my Android phone for several years now, and it still works well."

Alice took out her unit and showed it to Aylin to convince her.

Her fixed salary was only enough to compensate for her father's medication and household expenses. During her spare time, she had to work part-time jobs to afford her monthly bills, including rent. She had no extra savings to pay for her sister's squandering on petty things.

"Bumpkin, you are such a stingy sister!"

Aylin's nose wrinkled, and she rolled her eyes, her golden eye shadow gleaming in the light.

"Who knows whether or not what you said is true? I must double-check and search your bag."

With lips curled into a smirk, Mary seized the bag from Alice's grasp and overturned its contents on the table. She looked through each item carefully. Unconvinced, she went through her pockets as well.

Perching on the couch, Aylin enjoyed watching her sister's misery. She was used to seeing this routine for a long time now.

'Again?'

Alice's body became stiff, and her lips instantly turned pale. She didn't even flinch and just let her stepmother do a body-search on her.

She had come to accept this frisking routine every month whenever she presented her salary to her family.

In every instance, the endless humiliation she went through was like a steel needle piercing her heart.

But for her stepmother to look after her sick father and give him the best care, she chose to put up with it.

After going through almost all the corners of her body where she could tuck away the money, Mary withdrew her hands in exasperation, her face full of disappointment.

Alice threw her a serious look, and with clenched fists, she said dispassionately, "Are you done searching me? I want to go to my room now."

"Hang on a minute!"

Mary called out to her, and her calculating eyes looked at her up and down. "The cost of your father's maintenance kept going up, and your sister's tuition fees and training courses are also increasing, not to forget our family's spending as well. The meager earnings you give every month are not enough to spend for our needs."

Hearing what she said, Alice clutched her purse tightly.

"You still remember that part-time job you did five years back? The one where you earned millions of dollars in less than a year. How about you do it one more time?" After prattling many superfluous words, Mary finally got to her point.

As long as Alice could contribute a few more cash, she and her daughter could continue living comfortably. She no longer had to wait for her stepdaughter's monthly paycheck.

The color in Alice's face drained out, and her hands and feet went numb with coldness.

It turned out that her stepmother meant to say this. She wanted Alice to get a large sum to improve her way of living, as she did five years ago.

"No, you better let that idea go. I will not do it anymore, regardless of the circumstances!" Her demeanor was icy cold, her attitude unusually harsh.

The incident that she had intentionally banished from her memory suddenly resurfaced. She was back again in the cold and depressing suite where she suffered heart-wrenching pain during childbirth. And there were also flashbacks of the newborn baby's tiny fist, which frequently appeared in her nightmares in the dead of night.

That single vision, for even once, was enough to make that phase in her life unforgettable.

"Humph! Stop acting like you are pure and noble." Mary grew furious at her unhesitating rejection. "Either way, you're a slut."

Alice never mentioned to her family how she came up with three million dollars five years ago. The more she kept it hidden from them, the more certain they were that she had done something immoral and terrible.

For this reason, Edgar fretted about it a great deal, and Mary and Aylin made sarcastic remarks as well.

Hearing the laughter of her stepmother and sister, Alice returned to her room in a stupefying state. She sat at the desk and stared blankly out of the window.

The child she hadn't seen in five years must have gotten taller now.

With that thought in mind, she felt deep sorrow in her heart.

Despite her misery, she felt at ease knowing that the child was in the custody of a rich and powerful person who could provide adequate food and clothing. Also, the kid would receive the highest education.

But the thought of not seeing her kid for the rest of her life broke her. She felt that an iron wire was binding her heart. She was so anxious that she couldn't breathe well.

Tears unconsciously slid out of the eyes and fell on the black desk.

The morning after, a loud buzzing woke her up.

Alice had slept deeply until the alarm went off.

She opened her red and puffy eyes at once and glanced at the time. She was out of sorts last night that she kept having nightmares even after falling asleep, causing her to wake up late today.

She freshened up and rushed straight to work without eating breakfast.

When she passed by the dining room, Aylin seemed to call out, but she ignored her. She was in a hurry to punch in, so she didn't bother to respond.

When she walked into the office, she bumped into her boss, and he raised his hand to stop her.

"Alice, could you come to my office for a second?" The good-looking manager signaled at her.

"Good morning, sir. Is there anything I can do for you?" Alice walked over and waited until the manager handed over the assignment.

"I have an important task to entrust you with today." The manager coughed lightly, but his eyes wandered around her slender waist.